Emergency response
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Photo: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps
Life can change for millions of families in an instant: natural disasters can take loved ones and the outbreak of war drive families from their homes. When the unthinkable happens, Mercy Corps delivers rapid, lifesaving aid to hard-hit communities.
All stories about Emergency response
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Kenya: Chatting with the richest man in town July 14, 2011
Today the Mercy Corps team visited Elwak, a small town in the northeast corner of Kenya that lies only about eight kilometers from Somalia. I’ve spent a lot of time talking to the poorest of the poor about how their lives are impacted by the drought that’s plaguing this region.
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Japan: What it looks like coming back to Japan July 14, 2011
Every day that I was away from Japan — while I was eating dinner, watching TV, dancing, laughing with friends, or sleeping on the other side of the world — a small army of police, army, municipal employees and volunteers was at work in tsunami-affected areas.
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Kenya: The plight of a “pastoralist drop-out” July 13, 2011
I’m a big fan of visiting markets, especially during Mercy Corps trips. It seems that even in the bleakest parts of the world, markets are vibrant, dynamic and often colorful places.
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Ethiopia: Meeting drought-stricken families' urgent needs in Ethiopia July 13, 2011
Even before the current Horn of Africa drought reached its acute stage over the last several days, Mercy Corps was already hard at work on drought response activities throughout the region. So far, the majority of our drought-related activities have been in Ethiopia.
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Kenya: Grandmother and granddaughter struggle against the drought July 12, 2011
Nimu Adan and her baby granddaughter in drought-stricken Garissa, Kenya. Their family herds goats, and many of them are sick and starving.
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Kenya: Struggling to keep a goat alive July 12, 2011
I arrived in Garissa, Kenya — a city of at least 180,000 people not far from the border with Somalia — today after a long, hot drive from Nairobi. I’ll be in Garissa and areas to the north for the remainder of the week to see how this year’s drought has impacted families in the area.
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Japan: What's buzzing in Japan July 12, 2011
I added a new word in my Japanese vocabulary today: hae, which is the word for that common insect, the fly. In the tsunami-affected area of Japan, flies are now everywhere.
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Indonesia: Pushing back the sea July 11, 2011
In October 2010, a tsunami struck Indonesia's remote Mentawai Islands — killing hundreds, displacing thousands and changing the way of life for affected communities and families.
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Indonesia: A video blog from Indonesia's remote Mentawai Islands July 11, 2011
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Japan: A hot, hot summer July 8, 2011
When I left Japan a little over a month ago, people warned me about what it would be like when I returned.