Press releases
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Mercy Corps commends House Farm Bill’s support for chronic hunger funding
Mercy Corps Director of Policy and Advocacy Jeremy Konyndyk today responded to the Farm Bill that was passed by the House Agriculture Committee on July 12, 2012. The existing Farm Bill, the primary vehicle for the United States’ global food assistance, is due to expire in September 2012. Mr. Konyndyk issued the following statement:
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Indonesia, Zimbabwe, Uganda: Mercy Corps to launch ‘toolkit’ of mobile banking and agricultural services for farmers in developing world
The global humanitarian agency Mercy Corps today launched a multi-country program that will use mobile technologies to give farmers in the developing world a package of services to increase their harvests. As first of its kind, the Agri-Fin Mobile initiative - in partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) - will identify and connect leading financial institutions, agriculture specialists and mobile network operators and provide mobile-enabled, bundled packages of financial, training and information services to more than 180,000 small-scale farmers.
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Proposed cuts to international food aid are irresponsible, short-sighted
Mercy Corps Vice President of Global Engagement and Policy Andrea Koppel expressed grave disappointment with the cuts to international food aid that were proposed yesterday by the House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee. The House draft bill dramatically underfunds food assistance through the Food for Peace program slashing funding by 22% from last year’s enacted level. Ms. Koppel issued this statement:
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Amplifying global technology entrepreneurship in the developing world
Startup Weekend and Mercy Corps today announced a partnership to expand the access and impact of a proven model for business generation throughout the developing world. Startup Weekend’s successful event format brings together software developers, designers, marketers, product managers and startup enthusiasts to share ideas, form teams, build products and launch startups, all in just 54 hours. In 2011, Startup Weekend helped organize over 250 events in 65 countries around the world.
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Mercy Corps commends Farm Bill’s proposed reforms, warns against cuts to chronic hunger funding
Mercy Corps Director of Policy and Advocacy Jeremy Konyndyk today responded to the Farm Bill that was presented on Friday to the Senate Agriculture Committee by Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich) and Ranking Member Pat Roberts (R-Kan). The existing Farm Bill, the primary vehicle for the United States’ global food assistance, is due to expire in September 2012. Mr. Konyndyk issued the following statement:
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Niger: Providing relief to thousands of hungry families
Mercy Corps is providing cash, therapeutic food and nutrition screenings to thousands of people in hunger-stricken Niger. Conditions in Niger have become increasingly desperate in recent months as a severe drought, failed harvests, and rising food prices have led to dramatic food shortfalls. The government of Niger estimates that more than 5.5 million people are at risk of going hungry.
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North Korea: US NGOs urge leaders to move forward with aid for hungry
Five aid agencies today expressed disappointment over the possibly indefinite delay of a US-funded nutritional assistance program for vulnerable people in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The agencies – Christian Friends of Korea, Global Resource Services, Mercy Corps, Samaritan’s Purse and World Vision, collectively known as the “US NGOs” – call upon the US and North Korean governments to resolve this impasse, and allow for the resumption of a proposed aid program to meet urgent humanitarian needs.
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Niger: Communities say they will run out of food before next harvest, joint study shows
According to a recent field study conducted in communities in western and eastern Niger, between 70 and 90 per cent of people estimate their food stocks will run out before the next harvest, creating an imminent ‘hunger gap’. A full 100 percent of families surveyed say they have already reduced the amount of food consumed each day because they do not have enough to eat.
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Japan: One year after tsunami, focus is on long-term economic recovery
Less than one year after Japan’s Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, Mercy Corps is working to revitalize the badly damaged local economy in the disaster zone. The powerful earthquake left 20,000 people dead or missing, and decimated the local economy and infrastructure. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, Mercy Corps, in partnership with the Japanese aid organization Peace Winds Japan, improved the lives of over 150,000 survivors through initial emergency assistance, and psychosocial and youth support programs.
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North Korea: US NGOs welcome nutritional assistance for needy North Koreans
Five aid agencies with a long track record of humanitarian work in North Korea support a proposed U.S. Government-funded nutritional assistance program for vulnerable people in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The agencies – Christian Friends of Korea, Global Resource Services, Mercy Corps, Samaritan’s Purse and World Vision, collectively known as the “US NGOs” – have been advocating for nutritional assistance based on observed need for more than one year.