Global Engagement

Here I am (second from right) with the Global Citizen Corps team during a visit to Maluku, Indonesia. Photo: Mercy Corps Indonesia

When I was young and all the kids in my class wanted to become a doctor or an engineer, I wanted to be a diplomat.

I remember when I was in the middle school, I read a featured story in a local newspaper about a bunch of students from all over the world visiting the UN Headquarters in New York. I memorized the different skin colors on the pictures that came with that story. I envied those kids. I wished I had gotten a chance to go abroad and meet my peer group from around the world.

Twenty years later, I still remember the closing line of that story: "Let the older generation fight with their weapons, we are the peacemakers who believe in diplomacy." And that's how I wanted to become a diplomat.

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Nine years ago I had the fortune of meeting Dr. Jane Goodall while I was working at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. Like many young people, I was filled with passion and hungry for experience, but I struggled to find opportunities to engage in meaningful work. As I told Dr. Goodall that night, it is inspiring to see someone who reaffirms with her example that it is possible to merge professional ambitions with a life of service.

While perhaps best known for her groundbreaking research on the social interactions of wild chimpanzees in Tanzania nearly 50 years ago, Dr. Goodall has since become a UN Messenger of Peace, a global humanitarian and the force behind Roots & Shoots. Roots & Shoots is a global youth program, created by Dr. Goodall in 1991, that engages youth in more than 100 countries through community service and service learning.

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Mercy Corps has worked with the All-China Youth Federation (ACYF) to develop the Social Innovator Leadership Program. The course exposes an annual delegation to new ideas for innovatively addressing social issues, working to build a new cadre of risk-taking leaders that have skills and knowledge to work collaboratively with communities.

These pictures illustrate some of the work, discussions and meetings for the most recent ACYF delegation in June 2010.

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Juan-Carlos Delgado for Mercy Corps

The 2010 All China Youth Federation (ACYF) delegation in Ankeny Plaza, next to Mercy Corps' headquarters building in Old Town Portland.

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Juan-Carlos Delgado for Mercy Corps

The delegation listens to remarks by Neal Keny-Guyer, Mercy Corps Chief Executive Officer, at a reception at the Lan Su Classical Chinese Garden in Portland, Oregon.

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Juan-Carlos Delgado for Mercy Corps

Members of a Metro-convened panel of regional experts and Metro Chief Operating Officer Michael Jordan listen to a question from an All-China Youth Federation (ACYF) delegate. Metro is the Portland, Oregon area's regional governing body, and is nationally known as an innovative promoter of smart growth.

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Juan-Carlos Delgado for Mercy Corps

Yimei Chen, Mercy Corps' China country director, participates in an ACYF classroom session. In the background is an illustration created to document a previous session on Civic Innovations.

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Juan-Carlos Delgado for Mercy Corps

Shi Qingwei, Vice President of the Tianjin Municipal Youth Federation, interacts with a panel of corporate social responsibility professionals. Representatives from Starbucks, Nike and New Seasons Markets participated on the panel.

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Juan-Carlos Delgado for Mercy Corps

Liu Jing, Chief Editor of Youth Times of China Times Daily, asks a question during an ACYF classroom session.

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Juan-Carlos Delgado for Mercy Corps

A construction trainer from Portland YouthBuilders talks at a job site with Wang Yi, Program Officer for ACYF. YouthBuilders is an alternative high school that provides traditional academic studies along with vocational training in green construction and computer technology.

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Juan-Carlos Delgado for Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps Senior Vice President Paul Dudley Hart provides a tour of the Oregon State Capitol Building. ACYF delegates learned more about US and Oregon government.

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Juan-Carlos Delgado for Mercy Corps

Oregon State Treasurer Ted Wheeler (left) speaks with Guo Ping, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Young Volunteers Association and head of the 2010 ACYF delegation.

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Juan-Carlos Delgado for Mercy Corps

Guo Ping, head of the 2010 ACYF delegation, presents a gift to Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown. The Secretary of State talked with the delegation about some of the unique features of Oregon state government and her own journey to elected office.

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Over the weekend, children in the Yayasan Darma Indonesia orphanage were cheered up by the visit of Global Citizen Corps (GCC) leaders and volunteers.

Rusli (9) expressed his thought about World Food Day Photo: Fitria Rinawati/Mercy Corps Indonesia

“World Food Day - I have never known such of day before," said nine-year-old Rusli, dressed in a praying cap. "It is fun. I won many quizzes so I got lots of prices. Though it is sad to know others in different places in the world are in hunger. I saw it on the video that leaders brought it for us. I feel so fortunate instead with my condition, living in the orphanage and having enough food.”

It's a simple but powerful expression from a child who has never been exposed to an issue like world hunger. He is living with 70 others in this orphanage, where they spend their days with religious activities and getting an elementary school education. The GCC leader’s activities taught him to think out of the box — to get to know about worldwide hunger and the plight of poor people in Indonesia, as well as the importance of healthy food and healthy behavior. These message were delivered in creative ways by the GCC members through videos, presentations and games.

Santiya, Bella and Hanum are just three among the 100 GCC leaders in Jakarta who initiated the event. “This year, the World Food Day theme is 'United Against Hunger.' It’s amazed me to know that there are around 1.02 billion malnourished individual across the world. We’d love to do something to get involved in the movement. We distributed sugar, milk, rice and school utensils. It’s not about the big amount or value we brought to the community, it’s about the change! It’s only the beginning of our change we made,” Santiya said enthusiastically.

Santiya (17), GCC leader during her peering presentation about World Food Day Photo: Fitria Rinawati/Mercy Corps Indonesia

“I know now, it is World Food Day today, when we can do simple things that can change many things. We are part of the change!” Rusli commented.

Responding to key global issues is one of GCC's main mandates. It is an international movement of young people who connect globally and act locally to end poverty and address related development challenges.

Supported by Mercy Corps, selected young leaders serve as GCC leaders Indonesia to

1. Engage in on-line discussion and dialogue to learn about each other and about critical global issues. The discussions and youth-produced multi-media reports will be uniquely enriched by the diverse cross-cultural perspectives.
2. Organize and lead at least two action projects that educate others, provide a community service improvement, or affect public policy on one or more of six key issues: hunger, climate change, access to education, access to water, conflict, and human rights.

In other parts of Jakarta — still in the same spirit of commemorating World Food Day — Cici, one of GCC leaders, and Ami, an activist who involved in Cici's campaign, walked around the UIN (State Islamic University) campus and raised awareness about World Food Day.

Cici's campaign banner; spreading words about world hunger on world food day Photo: Arum Ismartini/Mercy Corps Indonesia

They spread banners, handed out flyers and encouraged their friends to sign petitions. Dozens of people signed the petitions and hundreds donated money.

“Hunger is everybody’s business!" said Cici.

“We want people to be aware that many are hungry. While they can have complete meals every day here in Jakarta, some of our people are still striving for food,” added Ami.

The donation number hit IDR 850,000 (US$95)! Cici and team are very excited about it. They are planning to donate it to an orphanage that's run by the university. Cici tells us that the orphanage's greatest need is food. So, she planned to spend some of the donation money to buy food for them, and some for buying them some kitchen tools.

Cici realized that this is only a small action. That’s why, she is already busy designing another action for her community. “Wait and see,” she smiled, “I plan to do something about education.” We will, Cici. And oh, a little bird told us that it’s going to be a library for the community? How exciting!

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In North Korea, Mercy Corps programs focus on alleviating hunger by expanding agricultural production. We also invite North Korean officials to the U.S. as part of building a humanitarian bridge between our country and theirs.

I recently talked about our work in North Korea (also known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK) including what it's like to host North Korean officials here in the U.S. with David Austin, a Portland-based program officer responsible for managing Mercy Corps programs in North Korea.



Q: First, can you give us a little history? When and how did Mercy Corps begin working in North Korea?



David Austin: Well, Mercy Corps has had programs in the DPRK for about 15 years. Our work began in 1996 when a North Korean diplomat to the UN began reaching out to aid agencies requesting help with agricultural production as there was a famine occurring in the country. One of the calls he made was to the late Ells Culver, who co-founded Mercy Corps. His response: "Sure! Let’s get started."

Q: What kind of programs do we have there?



A large portion of our work remains centered on agriculture — improving 
growing techniques and encouraging the bio-diversity of crops. In 2000, Mercy Corps supplied 35,000 apple cuttings to orchards in Qwail County to boost production, which began an ongoing project revolving around apple production.

Since that first shipment, we have sent an additional 200,000 apple rootstock which have been propogated into more than 900,000 apple trees. Our hope for the future is that Mercy Corps can help communities begin making value-added products like applesauce, apple cider or dried fruit bars.

We have also helped on smaller crop projects on an annual basis, such as grass seed, potatoes, poplar trees and fish farms.

When there have been extraordinary circumstances, Mercy Corps has helped in times of crisis, such as providing medicines during the floods of 2007, food crises in 2008-2009 and, most recently, Mercy Corps was part of a USAID-funded initiative to bring medical supplies and electricity to hospitals in North Korea.



Q: What did this hospital initiative entail?


Mercy Corps purchased and installed five generators in five different hospitals in South Hwangae provinces with the help of volunteer electricians from here in Oregon. We then returned to monitor how the new generators were put to use and to assess the hospitals’ material
needs.
Finding the hospitals short on many basic supplies, Mercy Corps arranged for the delivery of several ultrasound machines, X-ray units, power conditioners and other needed supplies, such as operating beds and operating lights. I was able to visit the hospitals myself right after these supplies were delivered along with Nancy Lindborg, Mercy 
Corps' president.



Q: But there's a diplomatic element to our programs as well, right?



Yes, you might say that we deliver more than just direct assistance. Through our aid work, Mercy Corps plays a unique role as a relational bridge between people in the United States and people in the DPRK. The nature of our work helps create these relationships, because it creates common ground. For instance, most of our work centers on agriculture. Agriculture is a science, which is, by nature, apolitical. Cooperation on these non-controversial fronts creates a space for engagement that will one day, we hope, open a window for the political opportunity.

Q: Tell me more about what you mean by a "relational bridge."


The relationship that Mercy Corps has built has been an incredible asset. By building trust, we have been provided with opportunities to take leadership in times of crisis, such as the famine in 1997 and most recently in 2008 and 2009. Normally, aid organizations don’t operate in the country, but because of our relationship with officials there, Mercy Corps and a few other non-governmental organization (NGOs) were given unprecedented access. We were able to feed 890,000 people for eight months and crisscross the country visiting with the people who received the aid. We had open access to the areas we served, and in many cases we were
the first encounter North Koreans ever had with an American. 


Q: But constructing a bridge to such an insular country can't be easy.

That's true. Few North Koreans are permitted to leave the country, but we have had the unique opportunity of inviting members of the Korean American Private Exchange Society, part of the government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to visit the U.S. These visits have been enriching experiences. They have given us the privilege of facilitating dialogue between state and local officials. Through these trips, we are able to extend the hospitality of our organization, present new ideas about our vision for the future and show that there are many similarities between our country and theirs.

Q: What do North Korean officials do when they visit?



They visit our city, meet civic, political, business and academic leaders whose work or interests might inspire or assist the North Koreans. Over the course of their visit, we may take them to visit the World Forestry Center, Oregon State University, and a national forest, the kinds of places where they can meet with experts on deforestation and agricultural productivity — two issues that the DPRK must address to reduce poverty.


We aim to build relationships and to facilitate the exchange of information. Our hope is that when these officials leave they will have experienced a deeper connection to our organization, our donors, our city and the vision we have. Hopefully, this helps them understand the many opportunities there are to expand our work into new areas in their country through a deeper partnership.

Q: What's the hoped-for result of these partnerships?



Our hope is that the years and resources we spend in North Korea will relieve suffering today, and lay the groundwork for deeper relationships in the future. It makes a difference that we are a U.S.-based organization because we invariably represent our country when we are there. Although we are not on a political mission, we are seen as Americans. Thus, our programs and history in the country serve as a reminder of what is good in our country.

I have heard many survivors of World War II break down in tears of gratitude for the food and aid they received from the United States after the war was over. By providing aid in North Korea, who knows what kind of friends we’re creating for the future? But I'm sure that these relationships will be of lasting value.


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While Mercy Corps works in dozens of far-flung locations across the world, we are proud to call the state of Oregon and the city of Portland home. It’s the place that nurtured the culture of innovation, collaboration, and optimism (with a touch of scrappiness) that we prize to this day.

Part of the ACYF delegation waits for Portland's Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) light rail train. Photo: Mercy Corps

As someone who grew up in this area, I’m especially touched that Mercy Corps is so welcomed and loved in this community. To be sure, the feeling is mutual, and our new building and Action Center right smack in the center of town demonstrate that love. But because our work tends to be in places far away, it’s a bit rare for us to work side-by-side with friends from all of the great organizations that call Oregon home.

So imagine my joy when the city and region did not hesitate to put on its work gloves and help us in late June, when we welcomed 18 emerging leaders from the All-China Youth Federation (ACYF) to town.

The federation links over fifty Chinese youth organizations with over 77,000 combined members, reaching over 300 million young people — a platform to improve the lives of massive numbers of youth both in China and internationally. Mercy Corps and ACYF enjoy a deep partnership, working together to improve the lives of youth in China, with ideas for more collaboration globally. This year’s delegation included a sprinkling of folks from youth agencies, government, journalism, state-run industry, and private enterprise.

As much as I was impressed by the talent and heart of our old friends here in Oregon, I was equally floored by the energy, accomplishment, and intellectual curiousity of our new friends from ACYF. It’s safe to say that their preparation and dedication brought out the best in everyone. We ended up learning as much from the delegates as they did from us!

The course itself works to build a new cadre of risk-taking leaders that can work more effectively with local communities, and innovatively address social problems. To help us, we called upon some of the region’s best and brightest to help us share some of our successes. Oregon is well-known for its pioneering environmental protections, such as a bottle recycling law and guaranteeing public ownership of the entire coastline, and Portland is a mecca for green industry and smart planning.

An ACYF participant speaks to the group during one of the many days of work sessions. Photo: Mercy Corps

This year's program built on the success of last year's pilot program, adding several field visits and some extra time in the classroom. The delegates heard from renowned academics, including Portland State professors Carolyn McKnight and Ronald Tammen. This year's field visits drew the delegates even wider across the state. In Salem, delegates met with Secretary of State Kate Brown, along with state legislators Jefferson Smith and Brian Clem. In the Columbia River Gorge, the group met with members of the Warm Springs tribe, representatives of the Columbia River Gorge Commission, and other stakeholders. In Astoria, Shorebank Enterprise Cascadia provided practical examples of how economic development can be balanced with cultural and environmental protection. We also caught some sunny weather on the Oregon Coast — never guaranteed.

Here in Portland, the delegates attended a panel discussion at Metro, the Portland area's unique regional government. Metro is tasked, among other things, with managing the region’s growth. This was of great interest to people from a country that is undoubtedly growing, and they relished the opportunity to share ideas with a diverse and knowledgeable panel.

Members of the ACYF delegation stand in a circle during a group exercise. Photo: Mercy Corps

One of the group’s favorite visits took them to Portland YouthBuilders, an organization which helps young people complete their secondary education while learning construction and media production skills. Even while the conversation was bridged by interpreters, being able to hear directly from youth was a highlight for the delegates. While there are cultural differences (students with multiple piercings was new for them), the chance to sit face-to-face with American young people made clear how many shared challenges are faced in each country.

Panelists from the worlds of corporate social responsibility, social finance, and private philanthropy discussed how they partner with social entrepreneurs and foster social innovations. Local organizations, including Nike, New Seasons Market, and the Meyer Memorial Trust stepped up and their representatives helped greatly enrich the conversations.

In our survey and debrief, the delegates told us nearly unanimously that they came away from the program with new skills to bring to their work with youth in China, and a fundamentally changed perspective of the United States. We're confident that the program will serve to support smarter, more inclusive growth, and aid the blossoming of civil society in China.

At the end of the program, one of the delegates told me: “The more time we spend here, the more we realize that we have so much in common. We feel at home here.”

To me, that was the most satisfying thing I could have heard. It’s also clear to me that the incredible friends Mercy Corps enjoys here in Oregon are the reason that this place could feel like home to our new Chinese friends.

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An earthquake in Haiti. Violent conflict in the Congo. Mass hunger in Niger. An AIDS epidemic spreading across many of the world’s poorest nations. Building peace in the Middle East. Recovering from war in the Balkans.

What do all of these challenges have in common? They are all core to America’s national interests and values. And they are challenges that require a strong, coherent U.S. approach to global development — something that our government presently lacks.

Last December, many Mercy Corps supporters joined more than 40,000 other activists in sending a petition to the White House. We urged President Obama to make good on his campaign promise to elevate global development as a core goal of American foreign policy, and to update America’s 1960s-era foreign aid system. Last week, we saw two things that indicate real progress on this front — a (leaked) copy of a new White House strategy paper, and a landmark speech by Dr. Rajiv Shah, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Let’s start with the White House strategy paper. Last year, the President asked some of his top foreign policy advisors to review U.S. development policy. This was a crucial acknowledgment that our 20th-century aid structure is not measuring up to 21st century global challenges.

The President’s advisors have now come back to him with a proposal for a new approach. The paper is not perfect — it appears to perpetuate the fragmentation of aid functions across the U.S. government, rather than consolidating all of our tools into a single empowered agency. But nonetheless the proposed strategy would represent a huge step forward if adopted as official policy.

That paper alone would have made it a big week for anyone who supports U.S. action to combat poverty and other global challenges — but there was more to come! On Wednesday Dr. Shah, the head of USAID, gave a major speech outlining a clear and thoughtful vision of how he will update his agency for the 21st century.

Both Dr. Shah and the White House study paper point towards an emerging vision for the Obama Administration. This vision would elevate priorities like reducing global poverty, alleviating human suffering and supporting better governance of weak states, to the highest level of American foreign policy. And, just as importantly, it would modernize our country approaches development — improving how we provide aid but also recognizing that the aid America provides is just one aspect of helping countries overcome poverty.

Therefore, the emerging vision would use market tools such as trade policy, it would improve collaboration with other development actors to improve efficiency, and it would emphasize and invest in game-changing innovations in health and agriculture. Most crucially, it would seek to engage the people of developing countries to own and to lead their own development — with the U.S. Government acting is a partner, not a patron. Tying all of this together would be a heavy emphasis on measuring what works, through rigorous impact evaluation.

This is a compelling vision of how the U.S. could work to build a better world. There is just one thing lacking — a clear statement by the President that he will pursue the ambitious agenda that his advisors have marked out for him. He will have a perfect opportunity to do this in September, when he addresses the world at a summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

If America is going to return to a leadership role in addressing global poverty and alleviating global suffering, the MDG summit will provide the perfect platform. Stay tuned.

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"I learned a lot and I think everyone did too. It was like a utopian village, something to aim for on a wider scale."

These words are from one of the delegates at Global Citizen Corps first-ever Global Festival; an event which brought together young people from Jordan, Lebanon, UK, U.S. and Ireland in Edinburgh for an action packed week! The Middle East Youth Festival in Edinburgh was many things to many people. To me it was a celebration — a series of inspiring, youth led actions, a logistical headache and a dream come true!

Global Citizen Corps members take some time out at the first-ever Middle East Youth Festival. Photo: Mercy Corps

We aimed to make the exchange as youth-led as possible, building their understanding and their capacity for delivering meaningful actions. They received training on conflict issues, group work, peer education and public speaking before spending time planning and delivering actions. Staff from all countries participated in the planning and delivery, and the young people themselves trained, delivered and evaluated one another.

The first public action they delivered was a Friday night preview of a photography exhibition. The photos were taken by their peers in Gaza; they spent an afternoon with a facilitator looking at image composition and then moved on to discuss the image content and context. During the preview, they guided the public and engaged them in discussions of the issues that arose.

The second action was a film screening of "Knowledge is the Beginning," which explores issues of cooperation and peaceful change. The youth welcomed in viewers, handed out delicious baklava, introduced the film and responded with eloquence to tricky public questioning following the screening.

On the Wednesday of the Festival, pupils from two local schools attended a day event facilitated by the Festival delegates. English skills amongst the delegates widely varied, so they supported one another by working in groups of mixed nationality, age and gender to deliver training on peace and conflict issues. They closed the day by setting the participants the challenge of following their lead and developing their own peer awareness raising activities!

The Scottish Parliament hosted the final actions. Two delegates delivered a “Time for Reflection” presentation in the Scottish Parliament, which was available to the public and all Members of the Scottish Parliament. This was followed by an evening reception at the Parliament.

The actions taken by the Festival's participants reached nearly 5,000 members of the public — a powerful demonstration of the multiplying impact peer education can have! During the evaluation, it became apparent how much the participants appreciated the faith the staff had in them.

There was no plan B; the events had been publicised, tickets had been distributed, they had to be delivered and they were the ones to do it! Never once did they let us down, rather the staff were constantly overwhelmed by the skills, confidence and stamina that the participants demonstrated. They were truly Being the Change!

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I have been thinking a lot about hope and fear the past few weeks. It is hard to avoid at this time of year. Christmas and New Year’s are holidays of hope. Yet that hope easily can turn to fear when we find out people are flying with hidden explosives.

Iraqi Global Citizen Corps members give blood to help survivors of a deadly terrorist bombing in Baghdad, Iraq last month. Photo: Muslim Mohammed/Mercy Corps

Fortunately, that attempt to kill innocents in the airplane failed. But last month in Iraq — one of the countries where I work with young people in Mercy Corps’ youth leadership program — the attempts succeeded, with terrorists killing 127 people in Baghdad.

The question weighing heaviest on my mind is: what do we do to end the terror?

One of the great things about working for Mercy Corps is the exposure you get to extraordinary people. I listened to two such people last month, hoping to get their perspectives. Both have dedicated their lives to bringing education to girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan; Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, and Julia Bolz, a Seattle-based activist. Between the two of them, they have helped build hundreds of schools for girls in this part of the world, impacting not just these individuals, but generations to come.

There is no simple answer to the terror question. But one thing stuck out to me as I listened to them both. Both spoke with one clear message: “Promoting peace is based in hope. Fighting terrorism is based in fear.”

Two days after the terrorist bombings in Baghdad, I heard from another group of extraordinary people. Two hundred Iraqi youth from our Global Citizen Corps responded to the bombings by organizing a caravan to the city and donating their blood, most for the first time. Their actions were covered by national and international media, reaching more than five million people with this story of hope. The driver of one of these vans was so moved by what these teens were doing, that he refused to take any money for his services that day.

I doubt we will ever capture, kill or eliminate every person who is set on terrorizing others around the world. But I am convinced that most people want to live with hope instead of fear, as these young Iraqis demonstrated last month — if we only give them a chance.

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