Mercy Corps
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| Founded | 1979 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Ellsworth Culver, Dan O'Neill |
| Type | 501(c)(3) |
| Location | |
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Area served
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Global |
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Key people
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Neal Keny-Guyer, Dan O'Neill Craig Redmond |
| Website | www.mercycorps.org |
Mercy Corps is a global humanitarian aid agency engaged in transitional environments that have experienced some sort of shock: natural disaster, economic collapse, or conflict.
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[update], 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.
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.
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