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Residents in Shifang County receive water after the earthquake. Photo: Raul Vasquez for Mercy Corps
Portland, OR - Mercy Corps' earthquake relief efforts in Sichuan province expanded today following planning meetings with local nonprofits and other aid agencies. The agency deployed a Seattle-based aid worker, Joy Portella, to the disaster zone who will be available for interviews in the coming days. Portella joins two other Mercy Corps program officers already in the disaster region - Kate Janis and Guo Xin who were deployed from the Beijing office immediately following the quake. They are coordinating relief efforts with Mercy Corps' long-time local partner, China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA).
In addition to providing lifesaving aid such as clean water, food and shelter, Mercy Corps aid experts around the globe are working on plans to start humanitarian programming called "Cash for Work," which was very effective in Indonesia after the tsunami. This program hires people to help with clean up efforts while giving them much-needed jobs and a sense of purpose that helps people heal.
On Thursday, Janis and Xin will travel to Chongqing, an earthquake-affected city about two hours from Chengdu where a school collapsed and trapped hundreds. In Chongqing, Mercy Corps staff will help CFPA set up a temporary office from which to conduct area operations.
Mercy Corps has a history of work in Sichuan Province, home to the agency's Project GLOW, which addresses key social issues for youth of the impoverished and disenfranchised Yi ethnic minority.
Updates from aid workers will be posted on Mercy Corps web site www.mercycorps.org.
Mercy Corps is currently accepting donations for humanitarian assistance to earthquake victims. Distribution of donations will be monitored by Mercy Corps and reputable local partner organizations.
HOW TO HELP:
Mercy Corps
China Earthquake Fund
Dept NR
PO Box 2669
Portland, OR 97208
www.mercycorps.org
1-800-852-2100
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