Mercy Corps in the news
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India: YouTube sensation to hold climate concert in Kashmir November 20, 2009
New Delhi : When world leaders will meet for the climate change conference in Copenhagen next month, Kashmir, nestled far away in the Himalayas, is where YouTube sensation Terra Naomi will hold her “Say It’s Possible” climate change concert.
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China: Silicon Valley firms help China quake victims November 16, 2009
Watch accompanying video by clicking here DUJIANGYAN, China — Louis Choi sees ghosts. They are in the heaps of concrete that once sheltered school children. They are in the new school buildings in recovering Sichuan province. They are in his dreams.
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10 clutter-free gift ideas for kids November 11, 2009
This morning, our four year old daughter told me, “I don’t want a bunch of things for Christmas. I just want one thing: a pogo stick.” I paused to reflect on how delightfully easy it is to choose Christmas presents for little ones. We are constantly cutting back on the number of toys and parts and pieces that are so often underfoot in our home. The approaching holiday season has me thinking about how we can celebrate through giving, without increasing the volume of stuff in our home.
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Iraq latest crucible for Harvard mediation November 9, 2009
CAMBRIDGE - No longer locked in one big war, Iraq has become a land of a hundred little wars. And this promised to be one more of them, as two well-armed tribes clashed over a coveted swath of land. One tribe brandished a promise to 2,000 acres from the current Iraqi government. The other pointed to a like promise from the regime of Saddam Hussein. Guns were raised, shots fired. There seemed no ground for compromise, beyond the familiar local remedy: blood.
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The Mercy Corps global headquarters: Values built into the walls November 4, 2009
Mercy Corps’ new global headquarters in Portland, Ore. reflects the charitable organization’s mission to create more secure, productive, and just communities in a unique and tangible way. GBS was honored to partner on this LEED Platinum-certified project that embodies the interconnected core concepts of sustainability the environmental integrity, social equity and economic stability.
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Small deposits add up: Savings, not just loans, factor into microfinance formula November 3, 2009
Yak herders in Mongolia may seem like the most unlikely of bank customers. There’s little infrastructure in their largely rural country, making it tough to find a local branch office. But in these sparsely populated steppes, opening a personal savings account is increasingly seen as a first step out of extreme poverty, according to international microfinance leaders.
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Make a difference! November 1, 2009
Last year Metro Parent staff and readers started a holiday tradition. We banded together to make a difference in the lives of local families with our Home for the Holidays campaign. Partnering with JOIN, a local nonprofit that helps get homeless families and individuals off the streets and into permanent housing, we were able to raise enough money ($6,300 total!) to move two families into stable environments – and keep them there. (See “How Our 2008 Holiday Giving Campaign Made a Difference” on page 26 of the November issue at this link.)
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Aid group taps book clubs to help raise money, awareness October 29, 2009
On the fourth Monday of each month, Rufi Natarajan gathers with friends at a Houston cafe for a book club meeting. The conversations begin at 6:30 and typically last for two hours — but last month’s discussion will continue well beyond that. Ms. Natarajan’s book group is one of more than 430 that have signed on to a project by Mercy Corps, the international aid charity, centered around a new book by the journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn.
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Withdrawal brings logistical, security holes for aid groups October 24, 2009
Against the totality of the problems his organization faces in Iraq, Fareed Betros' latest headache is but a dull twinge. Ever since January, when the Iraqi government took over control of Baghdad's International Zone, it's been more difficult to get trucks loaded with humanitarian supplies out of the special security district.
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The latest online gaming winners? Worthy charities October 22, 2009
It's amazing someone hadn't thought of this before: Raising money for worthy charities by...playing video games. And if your boss sees you gaming at work, now you can tell him you're not goofing off, you're raising money for a good cause. Good luck with that. (Even though you're telling the truth). A fast-growing web site, GamesThatGive.net, couldn't have come along at a better time.