Emergency response
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Photo: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps
Life can change for millions of families in an instant: natural disasters can take loved ones and the outbreak of war drive families from their homes. When the unthinkable happens, Mercy Corps delivers rapid, lifesaving aid to hard-hit communities.
All stories about Emergency response
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Lebanon, Syria: Syrians take refuge in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley August 6, 2012
I recently returned from two days of visiting dozens of Syrian refugees in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley to assess their needs and figure out how Mercy Corps can help. More than 35,000 Syrians have already registered as refugees in Lebanon, according to the UN refugee agency.
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Jordan, Lebanon, Syria: Aiding Syrian refugees August 3, 2012
As fighting intensifies and thousands of Syrians flee their country for the relative safety of neighbors like Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey, Mercy Corps is meeting important humanitarian needs of Syrian refugees.
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Ethiopia: One year later, helping children survive in the Horn of Africa July 25, 2012
You might hear it called a “slow onset” emergency because, unlike the sudden strike of an earthquake, drought builds gradually. But don’t bother telling that to the mothers whose children are hanging on by a thread; slow isn’t the word they would choose. Grueling, they might say. Nerve-wracking.
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South Sudan: A new nation's first birthday July 10, 2012
Currently working with the Mercy Corps team in South Sudan, I had the honor of being present yesterday as residents celebrated the first year anniversary of their nation's independence.
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South Sudan: Building on hope one year after independence July 9, 2012
South Sudan Country Director Mathieu Rouquette met these two little girls in the market in Bentiu, Unity State, when they peeked their heads into a camera shop that recently received a Mercy Corps business grant.
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South Sudan: From the field: Local market perseveres after attacks June 21, 2012
Mercy Corps staff visit the local market in Bentiu that was damaged in recent aerial attacks, part of the ongoing conflict with Sudan to the north.
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Niger: Harvesting hope in the Sahel June 16, 2012
The hunger crisis is devastating families across the Sahel, and our emergency response work is crucial to averting famine here. But so are long-term solutions that help people withstand the cycles of drought and hunger that plague this region.
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Niger: Payday brings smiles and hope to hungry families June 14, 2012
I had the chance to see payday in Niger a couple weeks ago. Visiting Mercy Corps’ programmes that are helping people survive the current hunger crisis, I had seen barren fields, dusty skies, and hungry faces.
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Niger: Life without rain June 11, 2012
“It’s hot!” I said. “No it’s not," replied one of our Niger team members. "You should have been here in late March or April. That’s when it was really hot.” “Really? So 106 degrees Fahrenheit isn’t as hot as it gets?”
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Niger: Children suffer most in hunger crisis June 6, 2012
Lauretta dreams of becoming a teacher. But she hasn’t been to school since January, when she had to drop out in order to help her family at home.