Press releases
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Haiti: Microinsurance Catastrophe Risk Organization (MiCRO) created to help protect Haiti's micro entrepreneurs
The formation of Microinsurance Catastrophe Risk Organisation (MiCRO), an innovative donor-capitalized insurance facility developed by a syndicate of strategic stakeholders, will empower Haiti's micro-entrepreneurs to protect themselves against the economic aftermath of severe natural catastrophes. The facility’s scalable model for microinsurance is the first of its kind in Haiti and is aimed at the country's ‘informal sector’ – the organized poor who have taken steps to increase their economic standing and stability through the creation of small businesses.
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Mercy Corps introduces "Comfort For Kids" in Japan to heal emotional trauma of children
PORTLAND, Ore – Mercy Corps will provide post-trauma help to Japanese children using Comfort for Kids, a methodology that builds local communities' ability to help children recover from the emotional effects of a large-scale disaster. Mercy Corps will pilot the program, in cooperation with our partner Peace Winds, in the tsunami-devastated city of Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture. The program was developed by Mercy Corps and Bright Horizons, the world’s leading provider of employer-sponsored child care, early education, and work/life solutions.
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Mercy Corps emergency response leader heads for Japan's earthquake zone
PORTLAND, Ore. – The global humanitarian agency Mercy Corps is sending its first emergency responder into Japan’s earthquake zone. Veteran aid worker Randy Martin, who directs the agency’s Global Emergency Operations (GEO) team, left Mercy Corps headquarters this morning and is expected to arrive in Japan later this week. Martin will work to bolster the relief efforts of Mercy Corps’ partner agency Peace Winds, which is distributing vital resources in the earthquake-devastated city of Kesennuma, in Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture.
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Mercy Corps and Peace Winds respond to needs in Japan’s devastated earthquake zone
PORTLAND, Ore. – The global humanitarian agency Mercy Corps is responding to yesterday’s powerful 8.9 magnitude Sendai earthquake in Japan. Mercy Corps is working with its long-time partner agency Peace Winds, which is rushing teams into the quake zone, and putting members of its own emergency response team on high alert to provide support. Immediate concerns are food, shelter and clean water for survivors.
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Mercy Corps assessment team heads to Libya
PORTLAND, Ore. – The humanitarian organization Mercy Corps has sent a team of experts to Libya to assess how the agency might help address urgent needs stemming from the political crisis engulfing the country. The team is expected to arrive in Libya later this week.
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North Korea: Aid agencies complete needs assessment in North Korea
Washington, DC— Five aid agencies have found evidence of looming food shortages and alarming malnutrition in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). A team of seven experts from Christian Friends of Korea, Global Resource Services, Mercy Corps, Samaritan's Purse and World Vision recently finished a week-long needs assessment for food security in three North Korean provinces.
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Haiti: One year after deadly quake, Mercy Corps combats cholera, spurs recovery in Haiti
PORTLAND, Ore. – As Haitians prepare to mark the passing of one year since the deadly January 12th earthquake, Mercy Corps has published a report detailing progress in emergency assistance and long-term rebuilding. The relief and development agency’s recent work to combat a deadly outbreak of cholera is built on nearly a year of activity in Port-au-Prince camps and the Haitian provinces. Mercy Corps, which did not work in Haiti before the earthquake, has also made strides to help young people overcome post-earthquake trauma, and to spur development outside of the capital.
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Mercy Corps wins Western Union's 50 Days of Giving holiday campaign
PORTLAND, Ore. – After 50 long days of voting and a nail-biting race to the finish, Mercy Corps was crowned the winner of Western Union’s 50 Days of Giving holiday campaign. The online campaign was designed to raise charitable-giving awareness by encouraging consumers to support their organization of choice. As the recipient of the most votes of support, Mercy Corps will receive a total of $170,000 in grant funds for its work around the world.
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Guatemala: Mercy Corps and USAID mark one year of malnutrition prevention program in Guatemala
Washington, D.C. – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Guatemala and Mercy Corps will mark the successful completion of the first year of implementation of a $50 million innovative, five-year health and nutrition program in four municipalities in Alta Verapaz, a state with some of the highest poverty rates in Guatemala. The program employs a new approach to nutrition programming: preventing malnutrition in pregnant mothers and very young children before it starts.
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Haiti: Mercy Corps works to contain spread of cholera in Haiti
PORTLAND, Ore. – Mercy Corps is rushing to help guard against the spread of a cholera epidemic concentrated in Haiti's rural Artibonite and Center departments. The disease has already killed at least 284 and sickened more than 3,769. Five cases have now been confirmed in Port-au-Prince, where an estimated 1.2 million earthquake survivors still live in cramped temporary settlements. Mercy Corps is working in close coordination with Haitian authorities and the humanitarian community to respond to the crisis.