Mercy Corps

History

The organization was founded in 1979 as Save the Refugees Fund, a task force organized by Dan O'Neill in response to the plight of Cambodian refugees fleeing the famine, war and genocide of the Killing Fields. By 1982, the organization had expanded its work to other countries, was joined by Ellsworth Culver (Mercy Corps co-founder), and was renamed Mercy Corps International to reflect its broader mission. After a shift from simply providing relief assistance to focusing on long-term solutions to hunger and poverty, Mercy Corps' first development project began in Honduras in 1982.

As of 2009, Mercy Corps' global headquarters are now located in the Old Town neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, at 45 SW Ankeny St. 97204. Opened October 9, 2009, the building houses the agency's headquarters, The Mercy Corps Action Center (a companion center to The Action Center to End World Hunger opened, October 2009 in Manhattan), and Mercy Corps Northwest.

Mercy Corps also has a European Headquarters at 40 Sciennes, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 1NJ. In 1996 Mercy Corps merged with Scottish European Aid and formed an organisation registered as Mercy Corps Scotland in 2000.

Mercy Corps Northwest

The U.S. economic development office of Mercy Corps assists low-income individuals in Oregon and Washington who have difficulty receiving loans due to credit history, lack of collateral, or unfortunate circumstances. The loan program provides financing to entrepreneurs with solid business proposals and assists them to craft business plans and establish a matched savings account. Mercy Corps Northwest acts as a small business incubator and mentors new business owners through the start-up phase. MCNW also lends to existing businesses that create jobs for low-income people.

Fostering microfinance

Partnering with banks and founding banking institutions, Mercy Corps facilitates microfinance around the world.

Mercy Corps bank affiliates and area of operation:

Guatemala

Operations began in 2001 with a mother and child program at a health center. Mercy Corps expanded its work to mediating land conflicts. Nuevo Amanacer is one of several communities where Mercy Corps works to resolve disagreements over land and connect small-scale farmers to retail markets. The Inclusive Market Alliance for Rural Entrepreneurs was established by Mercy Corps, USAID, Walmart and Fundacion AGIL. The Alliance assists farmers to enlarge from subsistence farming to demand-driven production to supply major retailers like Walmart in Central America. The Guatemala program operates out of Cobán, Alta Verapaz, with three sub-offices in Tucurú, Alta Verapaz, Nebaj, Quiche, and Guatemala City.

Democratic Republic of Congo

To reduce violence against Congolese women vulnerable to abuse and rape when they go out collecting firewood and to alleviate deforestation of the Congo River basin forest, Mercy Corps introduced a fuel-efficient stove that requires less firewood. The stoves made from local clay, sand, and brick consume less than half the wood of traditional cooking fires. Mercy Corps teaches women how to make briquettes from manure and refuse which burn cleaner than charcoal. Local production of stoves and briquettes provides a way for women to make additional income and reduces the number of trips outside of the relative safety of the village. Reduction of carbon emissions through the use of the high-efficiency stoves has generated $160,000 worth of credits in the carbon market. Mercy Corps reinvests the proceeds in the education of Congolese women.

North Korea

In response to the food crisis of the mid-1990s and at the request of the North Koreans, Mercy Corps began work in 1996. Mercy Corps has moved from food assistance to working on long-term agricultural and economic solutions: apple trees and fish farms and cross-cultural exchange. The effort involves aid workers living in Pyongyang, and in Chagang and North Pyongan provinces to visit families, monitor distribution and assess impact.

Myanmar

After Cyclone Nargis in 2008, Mercy Corps arranged the shipment of emergency aid with the help of donations from DHL and Chevron Corporation. Government resistance to foreign aid kept supplies and relief workers confined to Rangoon. Mercy Corps affiliated itself with Merlin, a British medical aid group which had a memorandum of understanding with the government. Global aid agencies in the region rely on Burmese staff who are more able to move around obstacles created by the authoritarian regime. Mercy Corps implemented "cash for work" programs paying residents to clean up flood-damaged villages and replant rice paddies.

Syria

During the Syrian Civil War, Mercy Corps have provided food, water, and shelter for millions of residents of refugees as of 2017. Since 2013, the group have delivered aid to more than 1.7 million civilians in Syria, including more than 350,000 in southern Syria around Damascus. However, on 30 April 2014, Mercy Corps ceased operations in Damascus after the Syrian government denied requests by it to continue to work in Syrian opposition-controlled areas.

The group also operated in northern Syria and Turkey, where more than 3 million Syrian refugees are located. In March 2017, however, the government of Turkey has ordered it to cease all operations in Turkey.

Finances

The agency's efficiency has helped Mercy Corps to achieve Charity Navigator's "Four-Star" charity rating (out of four possible stars). In 2016, the rating was reduced to three stars.

For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, Mercy Corps' income was US$205 million. US$81 million (40%) was from government grants. US$63 million (31%) was from in-kind donations ("material aid") in the form of food, medical, linens, and other supplies and services. Mercy Corps' expenses were US$191 million, which was spent primarily on the program but includes salaries and other compensation for 3,200 paid staff. Mercy Corps' total assets in 2006 were over US$98 million.

Organization, mergers

Mercy Corps is a non-governmental organization (NGO). Neal Keny-Guyer is the current Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Mercy Corps incorporated the Conflict Management Group founded by Roger Fisher in 2004. In 2007, Mercy Corps incorporated NetAid to expand its ongoing efforts to engage youth.

Mercy Corps was also one of the first members of the IT nonprofit NetHope.

Awards and distinctions

Awards and distinctions include: