Economic opportunity
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Photo: Sean Sheridan for Mercy Corps
Markets, whether large or small, keep communities thriving. But conflicts, disasters and a lack of infrastructure can prevent people from conducting the daily transactions on which all growth and progress depend. Around the world, Mercy Corps discovers why commerce is stuck.
In some places, manufacturers need loans to purchase equipment and young people desire job skills. In others, key transportation routes to market must be rebuilt or farmers require better storage to keep their inventory fresh until sold.
Our economic development projects provide financing, equipment, training or technical support. These projects help people find jobs, build their businesses, supply their communities with the goods they need —and improve their lives.
All stories about Economic opportunity
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Afghanistan: Well worth the effort July 28, 2009
For most of us, putting a meal on the table involves a trip to the store to purchase food and some time in the kitchen to prepare it.
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Niger: Multiplying their bounty July 28, 2009
Four years ago, a widespread food crisis in the West African nation of Niger threatened the lives of nearly 3.5 million people in more than 3,800 villages.
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Tajikistan: What would you do for an interview? July 22, 2009
Amy promised me pancakes if I wrote a blog entry, and I’ve accepted her terms.
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Afghanistan: Renewing a family’s dream of land June 30, 2009
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Kosovo: More than run-of-the-mill progress June 29, 2009
The village of Milosheva is a pastoral community of 10,000 residents in the heart of central Kosovo's agricultural lands. It is a typical Kosovo village: still recovering from the conflict of 1999, with high unemployment and few income-earning opportunities for residents.
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The multiplier effect of wine June 22, 2009
I have to admit, one of my favorite field visits involved moderate intoxication, plates of sausage and gales of hearty laughter.
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Tajikistan: It's lunchtime! June 22, 2009
Working out in the field is exhilarating for so many reasons. It’s a chance to see the program in action; to meet with locals and hear their stories; and to take in the stunning landscape that this country offers so effortlessly. Oh, and then there’s lunch.
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Becoming Abla June 19, 2009
A man does what he must to provide for his family. But in the small West African nation of Togo, it goes much deeper than that: each man is assigned a name based on the things he does, and is constantly judged by it.
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Kosovo: Creating opportunities for Kosovo's youth June 11, 2009
Kosovo is the youngest country in Europe, both in terms of its statehood and its demographics. Half of the country’s population is under the age of 25, and many of these young people depart for work abroad or are supported by relatives.
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Indonesia: Dishing out healthy street food June 10, 2009
This photo was taken at a Mercy Corps-sponsored food cart in north Jakarta, Indonesia. The woman in the photo is the Vice Governor of Jakarta. She was in a neighboring community and heard about the Healthy Street Foods project and got so excited that she stopped by the opening event.