United States

Blog Post:  Posted July 3, 2010, 6:29 pm by Roger Burks

Thoughts on Independence Day

Country: United States

Today, while eating breakfast at a corner coffee shop here in Baltimore, we saw a business owner across the street hanging up an American flag. He took much time to carefully smooth out the flag, place it in the holder beside the front door and adjust it to make sure it hung just right. Then he stepped back and took a few minutes just to look at the flag.

I wondered what was going through his mind in those moments. There had been both method and reverence in the way he placed and unfurled the flag. And while I couldn’t quite make out the expression on his face, I feel like I might have known some of the feelings in his heart.

Tomorrow, July 4 — the 234th anniversary of America’s separation from Great Britain — is a day when many Americans take a little closer look at the flag, as well as think about our country’s history and what that means to them. And, despite prevailing political squabbles or opinions on issues of the day, it’s also a day when most Americans set aside their differences and celebrate the birth of our country.

Every year, as far back as I can remember, I’ve taken time to read the Declaration of Independence on July 4. I wrote about it here on the blog a year ago. And, even if I haven’t agreed with the prevailing policies and feel disillusioned with the way the country seems headed, I take solace in the stirring words of that document. To me, this is one of the greatest sentences ever written in any language, in any country:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

The sight of a flag being raised and the sound of “The Star-Spangled Banner” have never failed to stir me. This was especially true a few days ago, when I took my five-year-old son to Fort McHenry — near which Francis Scott Key composed the poem that would become our national anthem — and watched a flag-raising ceremony.

Those symbols, songs and words speak to me of potential and perseverance. Of opportunity. And so, on this eve of America’s Independence Day — with deep pride in my own country — my thoughts turn to those I’ve met in far-flung lands.

Because even though many of the countries where Mercy Corps works face dire challenges, some seemingly insurmountable, citizens also hold deep pride for their homelands. They draw inspiration from their rich histories and identity from their vibrant cultures. They hope for a better future.

I’ve sat many times in homes and huts and heard something like this: “We have so much potential here. If we’d just set aside our differences and work together, we could do just about anything.”

That sounds familiar. Almost two and a half centuries ago, many brave people with some new ideas about how people should live took on the world’s greatest military power — and won. They believed. And of course they didn’t do it alone.

And so, to me, July 4 is about how change can happen — despite the odds. When I see the American flag and read the Declaration of Independence, I think of potential and hope.

Blog Post:  Posted May 19, 2010, 1:50 pm by Heather Mangrum

New York Action Center: Shop for Change Fair Trade Trunk Show

Country: United States

Topics: Economic Development

Like most New Yorkers, I LOVE to shop. Never mind baseball — snagging a bag of fantastic finds and super bargains is indeed our city’s favorite pastime.

Yet my knowledge of Fair Trade was mostly limited to the coffee and chocolate displays at Whole Foods. While the jewelry, bags, scarves and baskets on display at the New York Action Center are cute, I never made the Fair Trade connection.

One morning, one of our Battery Park City neighbors visited the Action Center and noticed a set of colorful nesting bowls on display. Noticed is actually too mild a term: she went wild over it! On hearing the story of the bowls — made by South African women out of discarded newspapers and painted in traditional Shwe Shwe patterns, with proceeds supporting living wages for women artisans and benefiting AIDS education in poor South African communities — she immediately whipped out her credit card to purchase the set.

“These are amazing! And the story behind them is so incredible,” she noted, trying on a necklace from Cambodia she eventually added to her purchase. “I had no idea you had stuff like this here.”

“Hmmm…shopping as an action,” I thought. And with that a Fair Trade Trunk Show was born.

As part of a month-long celebration of World Fair Trade Day, the Action Center took its selection of Fair Trade, eco-friendly fashion and home accessories on the road. The goal: to show New Yorkers that the simple act of shopping can be a meaningful, highly impactful action in the fight against world hunger and poverty.

We partnered with Counter, a trendy vegetarian bistro in the East Village which specializes in dishes made with sustainably-grown ingredients and features an extensive selection of organic wines, beers and cocktails. Gourmet food, environmentally-friendly drinks, and stylish Fair Trade fashion — this was conscious consumerism at its finest!

Dozens of shoppers turned out for this three-hour cocktail event including supporters of the Action Center, Mercy Corps donors and new friends from the neighborhood and around the city.

My friend Leslie came by to browse for a Mother’s Day gift. Her eyes wandered among the colorful necklaces, bags and hand-woven baskets, but nothing seemed to grab her. Then I showed her one of the reusable market bags. What she saw was a sort of laminated zip-pouch. “What’s that?” she asked, skeptical.

I opened it to reveal a pretty blue and brown batik print cloth bag inside. “Oh wow,” she ventured. “That’s kind of cool.”

I went on to explain that the bag was made from recaptured cotton sarongs and the outer pouch, which serves as a reinforced base when the bag was opened, was made from recycled rice bags covered with the newspaper comics. Small enough to fit in a purse, yet sturdy enough to carry a good day’s shopping, each one-of-a-kind bag features tribal patterns on trend of spring. Each purchase helped provide a living wage for women in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, as well as supported programs for street children, at high risk of violence, trafficking and prostitution.

“Sold!”

Later, over a glass of biodynamic Tiamo Sangiovese, Leslie thanked me for inviting her to the event. “This was so much fun and much more than I expected,” she explained. “I had no idea this stuff would be so cool and had such an important impact on the lives of women. What a great way to celebrate Mother’s Day!”

By the end of the evening, the New York Action Center raised $800 to support its programming — as well as dozens of new names to add to its Friends List — and a heightened, enthusiastic awareness of what the Action Center has to offer. Shoppers came away with bags full of fantastic finds, a great feeling, and most important, a better understanding of how simple choices can make an important difference in the fight against hunger and poverty.

Blog Post:  Posted April 8, 2010, 1:55 pm by Heather Hanson

Make sure they hear from us about hunger

Country: United States

Topics: Hunger

Getting a bunch of advocacy staff from dozens of organizations to all work on the same thing at the same time is a bit like herding cats. That’s what I spent my day doing yesterday.

Working with the Roadmap to End Hunger Steering Committee and InterAction, we brought together a big core group of advocates to discuss how we can work together to make sure that the Congress approves the President’s budget request for the Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative.

The budget request is exciting! If approved, the US would spend $1.76 billion to end global hunger. Because the lion’s share of that money — $1.15 billion — goes to agriculture programs, it is mostly focused on supporting programs to help people help themselves, making it both sustainable and smart.

I know that $1.76 billion probably sounds like a lot of money, but when you keep in mind that there are roughly a billion people going to bed hungry every night...well, that’s less than $2 per hungry person! And when you compare this to the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — which, according to a July 2009 Congressional Research Service report, were costing the Department of Defense $10.2 billion per month on average — it’s clear that it’s a pretty small piece of the budget pie.

I’ve written here before about what terrific opportunities we have in coming years to really reduce world hunger. And I still think we have a great chance of reaching millions of hungry people.

But these are hard times in Washington and everyone is looking for places where they can cut spending. We’ve been hearing from more and more Members of Congress that they just can’t justify this kind of funding for international programs when their constituents are also facing hard times.

So yesterday, dozens of groups came together and did the not-so-exciting work of dividing up into teams and assigning each team a few Members of Congress to meet with. In the next two weeks, we will join our fellow humanitarian, development and advocacy organizations to meet with all the leaders in the House and the Senate that we need to educate and to convince that they should support full funding of the President’s budget request to end global hunger.

Polls show that the vast majority of Americans support efforts to end hunger and poverty. But, because our elected representatives often don’t hear from us on these issues, they continue to neglect them.

This is a critical time to contact your Senators and Representative to let them know this is an issue you care about. It will make a huge difference.

Blog Post:  Posted April 7, 2010, 8:52 am by Janelle Wellman

NYC "Films for Change"

Country: United States

Personally, I enjoy watching films in public because I like to see and hear others' reactions — especially when a room is filled with laughter. We recently kicked off a film series at our New York City Action Center to End World Hunger. On the last Wednesday of each month — for a donation of just $10 — viewers can learn about a specific global issue while sampling free beer (donated by the Brooklyn Brewery) and wine. Following the films, a discussion is facilitated by an expert in the industry so that viewers can deepen their knowledge about the subject of the film. There's also ample time to ask questions.

If you are interested in participating from afar, check out the films the Action Center has already showcased: "The Other Side of the Water" and “Blue Gold: World Water Wars". The next film will be on April 28 at 7 pm — we will be showing “The Burning Season”, a story about deforestation in Indonesia and carbon trading.

For more information about the Action Center to End World Hunger, please visit www.actioncenter.org.

Blog Post:  Posted July 21, 2009, 3:26 pm by Laus Mwakalebela

A tale of nights and days in New Orleans

Country: United States

Topics: Youth, Urban, Civil Society, Citizen Involvement

I have made a decent number of trips conducting Mercy Corps business as a Regional Finance Officer. All of them have been overseas, where the lion’s share of our operations are conducted. This made my trip to New Orleans exclusively and exceptionally special.

It also meant that, for the first time, I did less research on the cultural intricacies of the place I was visiting. Such foreknowledge is essential for traveling to many places where Mercy Corps works, where cultural, religious and political misunderstandings are things we must avoid. But this trip was different: I decided to learn about New Orleans simply by going there and living it.

Once in the city, my cultural undertaking was based on a typical tourist walking map of New Orleans. One of the well-known pastimes is an early evening stroll along the Mississippi. My version included stopping by Café du Monde and grabbing a bag of beignets and a macchiato for the road. So, with my clothes covered by the powdered sugar from indulgence in beignets, I sat on one of the park benches overlooking the mighty river, slowly sipping my macchiato. At dusk, the Mississippi was asleep and quiet, with sounds coming only from foot traffic, distant jazz music and occasional click-clacks of horseshoes as the caleches picked up and dropped off tourists at Jackson Square. The evening cooled off as the sky changed color. With a myriad of architectural treasures as a backdrop, the scene and mood were picture perfect.

As darkness blanketed the city, another character of this magical place emerged. Culinary brilliance was displayed on each restaurant door, with alluring smells to entice entry. Magnificent courtyards lit by oil gas lamps set the tone and century-old sazerac cocktails quench the thirst. Evenings here are an adventure of music and meandering through crowded streets. There was no way I could have imagined the culture, beauty and magic of this city before I landed there on July 10th.

But once the music stopped and cocktail wells dried out, the real everyday New Orleans unveiled itself. It’s like the city itself was suffering a painful hangover after a long night out.

The mornings and daytimes reminded me of what was missing and why I was there in the first place. When the jazz notes die out and the nightly glamour fades, then you’ll start seeing the other story of New Orleans. There is the remnant of destroyed homes as a result of Hurricane Katrina, the jobless and hopeless street corners occupied by people of all ages. There's the reality of soaring youth crime statistics.

During the daylight hours, the feeling of emptiness crept in and my mind felt caged. The deserted streets and blocks of the Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood reminded me of the destructive nature of Hurricane Katrina. Some of the empty lots were decorated by half-buried kids' toys. I couldn’t stop to wonder, how was life before this? Where is the family that used to live here?

I saw several signs indicating that stray dogs had been found. Some people were obviously still around among these empty houses, but most of these shells of buildings were no longer homes with families. It was the most paradoxical environment I've ever come across: where the nights of the French Quarter gave a glimpse of prosperity, the days of the Lower Ninth Ward gave a glimpse of poverty, all within a short distance.

Mercy Corps, through local neighborhood partners here in New Orleans, is trying to address some of the challenges that remain here. We’re currently trying to provide financial backup and aid expertise to local non-profits that provide various social and environmental services to local communities. But ultimately it’s the people — the individuals who comprise post-hurricane New Orleans — who I found making a difference.

This pool of do-gooders is full of riches in their hearts and braveness in their acts. They are volunteers from across the United States, as well as locals who decided to take matters into their own hands. But what I was most encouraged by was finding an overwhelming number of youth who poured into every parish, ward or community to make good things happen.

A Mercy Corps colleague who travelled with me joked about this, saying if you throw a stone in this town you’re very likely to hit one of the many young volunteers. The sheer number alone is impressive, but their dedication and emotional investment is unbelievable. These young women and men have travelled from all over the country, often for long periods of time, to be the change they want to see. In an era of choices, these youth have chosen to rebuild this devastated community and leave behind the luxuries their homes provide.

The few volunteers that I talked to carried their smiles and enthusiasm in their work. In the steaming heat of New Orleans, they work long, hard hours yet still embody the spirit of giving and project the life of loving.

I was especially moved by the young people of New Orleans who refused to leave and find greener pastures elsewhere. On top of staying, many have chosen humanitarian work as a career. They're determined to see their community through to a better standard of living.

I met one young lady who has decided to embark in a graduate study in non-profit management. At the same time, she’s working with an inner-city program, through one of Mercy Corps’ partnerships, to help restore a normal adolescence to disaster-affected youth from poor neighborhoods. These youth, mostly African American males, have been exposed to violence and live in an area that has the highest rate of youth violence in the country.

I also met a young man who decided to respond to a humanitarian calling by joining a youth development initiative. He lives in a tough neighborhood and understands the trauma that comes with living there. But instead of running away from this troubled community, he’s working with youth groups to try and help them break the chains of violence and suffering. It’s a very dangerous job, considering the affiliation of many of these youth to violent gangs, but he does it with heart and intelligence.

A lot has been said about how the authorities reacted to the emergency in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. Some have gone as far as criticizing the government for not doing enough for its people. We can live and speculate whether the government was ill-prepared or cared less but, in the end, we won’t be helping the people who need us most.

In the end, it’s the people who make a difference. To me seeing the future —the youth — of this country at work, who have decided to take on this work themselves, made my day.

There’s nothing wrong with experiencing New Orleans by night and learning about its many cultural offerings, but it’s essential to come back by day and help rebuild the future of this beautiful place.

Blog Post:  Posted July 14, 2009, 1:27 am by Minda Seibert

Partners for Change celebrate success

Country: United States

Over the last few years, clothing companies Horny Toad, Nau and Lizard Lounge have redefined corporate philanthropy and the retail experience by helping customers connect social and environmental responsibility to the shopping experience. Last Thursday evening, these three eco-friendly businesses got together for a barbeque to celebrate their success in tough economic times, as well as honor their commitment to the power of business as a force for change. I was thrilled to attend this event, and to receive a check from Nau supporting Mercy Corps’ environmental, social and humanitarian programs.

Through a unique Partners for Change program involving customer choice and participation, Nau gives two percent of every sale to one of five charitable organizations. At the time of each and every purchase, customers are given the opportunity to consider where they would like to help effect change. Additionally, when Nau sells products to retail partners, two percent of those sales are also donated to these community partners in a manner that mirrors the choices their customers make at nau.com.

It was a perfect evening for the event and an ideal location. Nau employee Tyson and his wife Sujata hosted the event in the spectacular garden at their Portland home. After many business challenges between 2005 and 2008, Nau reinvented itself under the ownership of California apparel company Horny Toad. The party’s joyful mood was a celebration of recent success and a reflection on charitable partnerships. Horny Toad CEO Gordon Seabury presented me with a check for $16,797 for Mercy Corps.

Nau also just announced their first annual Grant for Change, a $10,000 grant designed to support those who instigate lasting, positive change in their communities. This year, they are accepting nominations until August 17, 2009 for:

• Athletes who are challenging assumptions about what it means to move through the world.
• Artists, designers or other creatives who are moved to design better solutions to the world’s greatest problems.
• Activists who are seeding positive change in their communities, and moving others to do the same.

Visit nau.com for more information. To learn more about Horny Toad, visit their website or their retail store, The Lizard Lounge, in Portland, Oregon.

Mercy Corps appreciates this donation and is proud to be one of Nau’s Partners in Change.

Blog Post:  Posted July 9, 2009, 1:54 pm by Roger Burks

History's hard times

Country: United States

After years of having it on my shelf, I'm finally reading a book called The Worst Hard Time by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Timothy Egan. It's a non-fiction piece about those who suffered to settle the forbidding lands of the the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles, only to lose everything to the twin disasters of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.

As I was deep into the book last night, I glanced up at the living room wall and saw a picture that I've had hanging in nearly every place I've ever lived: the wedding photograph of my great-grandfather, Hansford Burks and great-grandmother, Florence Aurelia Chandler. They were married in Indian Territory, where he was a deputy sheriff, in August 1900 — seven years before that area joined Oklahoma in statehood. I never met him, but that solemn picture from a happy day is a connection to his life — and many hard times.

The lawlessness and inhospitable red clay soil made the territory no place to raise a young family, so Hansford and Florence packed up and they headed back to Henley, a small town in his native central Missouri. There, Hansford did a lot of things to make a living, including stints as a postmaster, school superintendent, grain miller and preacher. He was father to ten children, three of whom didn't survive childhood.

But he, his wife Florence and seven of their children did survive economic collapse and natural upheaval. The Dust Bowl rendered more than 500,000 people homeless and forced the exodus of at least 2.5 million people from devastated areas of states including Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas: the largest such migration in American history.

Homelessness caused by an enormous natural disaster. Mass human migration. Outside of the epic tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, we as Americans are usually — and blessedly — far-removed from that kind of suffering.

But most of us know at least one person who survived the Great Depression. We know how those years shaped their lives, altered their state of thinking and belief systems forever. My maternal grandmother, who lived with my family from the time I was three years old, never put much faith in banks after they failed in the early 1930s and took families' savings with them. Even 13 years after my grandmother's passing, my mother still finds stacks of dollars hidden in drawers and books around the house.

And here we are today, in the midst of a global economic crisis, with fears that are much the same. Last month, I read an article about what's happened to Detroit and, you know, it scared the hell out of me. I mean, 22.8 percent unemployment? No national grocery stores chains in town any more? Thirty percent of the population on food stamps? Those are numbers that hearken back to darker days, things we've all just heard stories about. Things that people are living through, here, today.

What do we do in history's hard times? We pull together, hopefully find common ground and help each other out. We keep moving forward, perhaps more carefully than before.

I think there's enormous value in the stories of those who endure and emerge from hard times. They give us hope, passed down through generations.

Millions around the world, including here in the United States, are going through the worst hard times of their lives right now. If you take time to look around this website, you can get to know a few of them. Maybe a pair of eyes will catch yours, just as Hansford's gaze caught mine last night.

Blog Post:  Posted May 27, 2009, 12:00 pm by Leah Hazard

Not your typical cultural exchange

Country: United States

Topics: Civil Society, Citizen Involvement

There’s some work Mercy Corps is obviously associated with: humanitarian aid, economic development, and disaster relief. But there’s some work we do that’s more surprising to people... even those familiar with us as an organization: peace and conflict resolution, youth programming to promote global citizenship and… cultural exchanges?

Last week, Mercy Corps partnered with the All China Youth Federation (ACYF) to support a week-long program on social entrepreneurship and innovation. The program took us from the Nike Campus to the coast – from the Columbia River Gorge to Timberline Lodge. And as part of this, I found myself in a park in Lyle, Washington, witnessing a cultural exchange between future Chinese leaders, the members of the River Peoples, and citizens of Lyle.

The evening was full of surprising images: one of the ACYF participants from the minority Buyi ethnic group from China’s Guizhou province, conversing with the oldest living relative of Chief Joseph. She shared that she too, came from a minority group. A gentleman who can only be described as a Chinese-Tibetan Frank Sinatra serenaded the crowd before Native American dancers performed on the sidelines of a traditional salmon feast for tribal elders and Mercy Corps’ ACYF guests. Tribal leaders explained the Native American history of genocide in the United States, as members of the ACYF listened attentively. Meanwhile, the citizens of Lyle managed the details behind the scenes, making sure the event ran successfully.

The story was not a simple one. But somehow the Mercy Corps visit of 18 Chinese leaders prompted the traditionally standoffish citizens of Lyle and members of the local tribes to organize a cultural exchange to share food, traditions and friendship.

Our disaster relief efforts remain at the core of our efforts, but our side projects are certainly powerful as well.

Posted April 14, 2009 by Bob Ham

Four Bands Heard Around The World

Country: United States

Topics: Citizen Involvement, Youth

It's not unusual for hundreds of people to crowd around the stage at the Crystal Ballroom, bouncing up and down on the venue's famed "floating" dance floor and cheering on a series of bands playing rock songs both old and new. It is unusual, though, for each of those four bands to be made up of kids under the age of 18.

It's even more unusual to have a thin, fast-talking 14-year-old who spent three months juggling homework and band rehearsals in his parents' basement, lining up sponsors, doing TV and radio interviews, and selling tickets to friends and family for a charity concert.

The concert was called KidsRock4Kids, and last Friday it raised more than $6,000 for Mercy Corps' efforts to provide education, shelter and food to children around the world. The young man behind it all is Eli Hirsch, a freshman at a small community school in Portland.

"This idea was inspired by seeing the movie Slumdog Millionaire," Hirsch said, hiding out backstage while dozens of people made their way into the venue. "I had spent so much of last year getting so politically involved, working for President Obama's campaign, but seeing that movie and seeing the plight of the kids in India, it got me to thinking, 'What can I do from here?'"

What he did was organize a show where all-kid rock bands — including the group Hirsch fronts, Blind Einstein — would play for their peers in an effort to not only raise funds and awareness for impoverished children but also to inspire other kids to take up an instrument or a cause of their own.

"I really want other kids to say, 'Get me in on this!'," says Hirsch, who is already formulating plans for the next KidsRock4Kids benefit. "I mean, we did it! My band has only been together like five months and we're playing the Crystal Ballroom! It's beyond exciting."

Hirsch was not alone in this campaign, though. He worked closely with David Ellman, an erstwhile software developer who helps promote Still Pending, a virtuosic rock trio that features his 13-year-old son Grant on drums. Together, Eli and David picked Mercy Corps as the event's beneficiary.

"We were looking for something that was India-specific and that worked with children, and Mercy Corps fit the bill," Ellman said, loading up his camcorder with a fresh tape. "And the fact that they are local and super efficient with their funds just helped make the decision that much easier."

Mercy Corps works to nurture and shelter children around the world, with programs that range from rebuilding agricultural high schools in Afghanistan to running sports-as-therapy programs that aim to heal emotional wounds of young earthquake survivors in Peru.

In addition to the nearly $6,000 the KidsRock4Kids team raised through ticket sales, they collected another $450 selling raffle tickets. The grand prize: a guitar donated by Tigard Music and signed by members of one of Portland's most famous bands, The Decemberists. They also sold a bunch of t-shirts and CDs, the proceeds of which also went to Mercy Corps.

"When we were making publicity calls, we spoke with Terry Currier at Music Millennium and he mentioned that the Decemberists were going to be in the store promoting their new CD," Ellman explained. "We contacted them and asked if they’d sign the guitar. They agreed and Eli took the guitar to the store to have it signed. It was just great timing."

As exciting as the hope of winning a prized piece of music memorabilia was for the audience, the real thrills came when each band played. The evening included a set by Social Appetite, a indie rock quartet that featured the only female performer of the evening (drummer Iris Hehn) as well as a bassist, Grant Stringer, who played while leaning on a thick cast earned in a skiing accident; The Vibrations, a band made up of four brothers, including 4-year-old Elisha Henig, who danced, played percussion and even sang lead on a pair of tunes; and Blind Einstein, who played an impassioned set featuring a politically-charged song, "Streets Of The World," inspired by Slumdog.

Like any great rock concert, the biggest response from the crowd — a more than 700-person strong mix of kids from toddlers to high school seniors, along with their parents — came for the closing act, Still Pending. The trio wowed the crowd with spot-on versions of Led Zeppelin and Thin Lizzy classics, topped off with playing that belied the tender age of the players (singer/guitarist Reed Stutz is a mere 13 years old).

As easy as it was to get caught up in the excitement of the performances, it was even easier to tap into Eli's infectious energy as he bounced around the venue making sure everything — from the merchandise booth hawking t-shirts and CDs of the bands to the screen running a slideshow of pictures of children from around the world — was in place.

"I don't know where he gets it from," says Eli's dad, Gary, who looked positively awestruck at what his young son had accomplished. "He is coming from a really good place though. He always says, 'Life's too short so you might as well help out as much as you can while you're here.'"

For all the children from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe who might see their lives improved by Eli's hard work, that's sure to be music to their ears.