Press releases
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Haiti: Mercy Corps aid worker headed to Haiti to start earthquake relief efforts
Portland, OR — The first member of Mercy Corps’ emergency relief team is headed to Haiti tonight from Portland, OR. He will be joined by several more colleagues – all experienced professionals who have responded to disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar – within the next 24 – 48 hours.
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Haiti: Contributions to Mercy Corps' Relief efforts can be made via Amazon.com
WHAT: In response to a major earthquake that struck Haiti’s capital, Amazon.com has established a box on its homepage where customers can contribute to the international relief efforts. According to Mercy Corps, an emergency response team is being deployed to assist with immediate needs, and financial support is the best way to support relief efforts. The donation box on Amazon.com is one easy way for the public to assist victims throughout the region.
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Haiti: Mercy Corps sends emergency response team to Haiti
Portland, OR — Mercy Corps is sending a team of emergency responders to Haiti in the wake of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked the island nation earlier today. The team will assess damage, and seek to fulfill immediate needs of quake survivors. “Initial reports indicate that the quake has caused extensive damage, and we fear that casualties could be widespread,” explained Randy Martin, Mercy Corps director of Global Emergency Operation. “Our team will quickly assess what the most pressing needs are in earthquake-affected areas.”
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Indonesia: Five years after Indian Ocean tsunami, Mercy Corps fosters long-term recovery in Indonesia
Portland, OR – On the five-year anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami, the global relief and development organization Mercy Corps reports that it is has helped 892,000 Indonesians restore their livelihoods and build back stronger and safer communities. The 9.3 magnitude quake on December 26, 2004, created the massive tsunami that destroyed cities and villages across 13 countries and killed almost 230,000 people. Almost half of those deaths were in Indonesia.
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Indonesia: Mercy Corps and Rockefeller Foundation combat the effects of climate change in Indonesian slums
Jakarta, Indonesia – As world leaders gather in Copenhagen to wrestle with climate change policies, a new partnership in Indonesia is already helping some of the poorest people – urban slum dwellers – to withstand, prepare for and recover from the impacts of global warming. Mercy Corps, with a $525,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation and the support of the Urban and Regional Development Institute (URDI), is implementing the twelve-month Indonesian Cities Project, part of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN).
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Robert Newell receives Mercy Corps' highest honor - 2009 Humanitarian Hero Award
PORTLAND, OR - Portland-based Mercy Corps, one of the world’s leading relief and development organizations, recently recognized Davis Wright Tremaine partner Robert D. Newell with its highest honor, the 2009 Humanitarian Hero Award. In a ceremony held at the Portland Classical Chinese Garden, Mercy Corps CEO Neal Keny-Guyer paid tribute to Newell and his 30 years of service to the organization and the communities it supports.
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Mercy Corps urges Americans to put the “giving” back into Thanksgiving
Portland, OR – Mercy Corps is challenging Americans to put the “giving” back in Thanksgiving by matching the amount they spend on a meal this Thanksgiving Day with a donation that fights global hunger. According to the American Federation of Farm Bureaus, the average American family spent $45 on Thanksgiving dinner in 2008. Many American families will spend much more – over $100 on Thanksgiving dinner this year. How much does it cost to help a poor family feed itself? - $5 helps a farmer replant an acre of rice in typhoon-ravaged Myanmar.
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Cooper-Hewitt exhibit, Design for the Other 90% opens in Mercy Corps global headquarters
Portland, OR — Two and a half years after it debuted at the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Design for the Other 90% comes to Portland. The exhibit will be on display on the ground floor of the building shared by Mercy Corps and The Lemelson Foundation, a LEED Platinum-certified structure in Portland’s Old Town neighborhood.
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Mercy Corps honors head of Gaza humanitarian operation with Ellsworth Culver Leadership Award
Portland, OR – This week, Mercy Corps presented the Ellsworth Culver Leadership Award to one of its exceptional staff members, Isdud Al Najjar, Program Manager for Economic Recovery in the Gaza Strip. Isdud fearlessly led the agency’s humanitarian response earlier this year when tensions between Israel and Hamas boiled over to an almost month-long war.
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Mercy Corps officially opens for business in Old Town, new action center welcomes visitors
Portland, OR – Mercy Corps and its affiliates, together with the Lemelson Foundation, cut the ribbon today on its new global headquarters building in Old Town Chinatown. Situated adjacent to Ankeny Plaza, the 83,000 square foot building boasts a LEED Platinum rating, convenient downtown location and open doors for the public to visit, learn about and become engaged in resolving humanitarian issues worldwide.