Help Mercy Corps Turn Crisis Into Opportunity

Saida’s dream of becoming a teacher was shattered when she was only 17.

She was forced into marriage, became pregnant with triplets, and gave birth to four children all before she had even turned 20.

Instead of pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher, Saida spent her days cooking, cleaning, and caring for her children.

Saida’s story is not unique in Somalia, where barriers like early marriage, household responsibilities, and restrictive gender roles make staying in school nearly impossible for girls and women.

Somalia has some of the lowest enrollment and retention rates in the world for girls and young women. Only 23 percent of girls are fortunate enough to attend primary school, and even fewer attend secondary school – an appalling 96 percent of girls between the ages 14 and 17 are out of school.

Walking alone to-and-from school is a risk in itself. And upon arriving at school, female students have access to few, if any, girl-friendly spaces. Some schools don’t even have private latrines for girls.

With few female teachers, girls in Somalia have no role models or female advocates championing their education.

Thanks to your generous contributions, young women like Saida, are able to break free of this vicious cycle, pursue their dreams, unlock their economic potential, and empower other girls and young women to do the same.

Saida is one of 50 women currently attending a two-year-long teacher training at Amoud University in Borama, Somalia. Through the training program, Saida has developed a new sense of confidence. She engages in group discussions and frequently raises her hand to ask questions.

“When you are learning to become a teacher, you need to be confident in yourself,” she said. “Then when you’re in your classroom, you need to build the confidence in your students and encourage all to participate in class.”

With her own dreams unleashed, Saida hopes to pave the way for a better future for girls and young women in Somalia.

“I want to act as a role model for my community,” said Saida. “I want to be a teacher to empower the next generation of girls.”

Programs like this, which rely heavily on your support, set in motion long-lasting changes within communities and across the country.

Saida and the other trainees have committed to return to their hometowns to teach at their local schools for three years, providing girls in their communities with role models who will increase their confidence, help develop their skills, and advocate on their behalf.

The benefits of an educated female populace extend across entire communities – not just to girls and women. When women earn income, they invest 90 percent of it into their children and households for more nutritious food, school fees, and health care. Furthermore, a 10-percent increase in female enrollment is linked to a three-percent increase in GDP.

Your generous donations are bringing hope to girls and young women across Somalia and improving the quality of life for Somalia’s youngest generation – both male and female.

Change is not possible without your help. Thank you for helping set in motion long-lasting and far-reaching positive change in Somalia.

You can continue to make a difference by:

• Donating to change a life today. Your support helps millions of Somali girls and young women acquire an education. Your donation will helpbreak down restrictive gender roles, unlock the economic potential of women, and provide hope for the next generation of Somali girls. Please consider becoming a monthly donor. Every dollar helps. Thank you!

• Be an advocate. Read more about our work on our website and through our social media channels, and share with your community!

After armed Seleka rebels overthrew the government in 2013, the Central African Republic (CAR) – already one of the world’s poorest nations - devolved into a scene of chaos and terror. Marauding bands of Seleka and anti-balaka soldiers swept across the country massacring innocent civilians, pillaging, and destroying homes. Nearly one million people, half of them from the capital of Bangui, fled to overcrowded refugee camps lacking clean water and adequate sanitation facilities. As the rainy season began, refugees found themselves exposed to turbulent weather - dangerous gusts of wind and heavy downpours. To make matters worse, overflowing latrines, puddles of dirty water, and piles of trash fostered the ideal setting for an outbreak of malaria and typhoid fever.

Despite the dire situation, all hope is not lost. There continues to be an opportunity to positively influence the course of action in CAR. And that’s where you come in.

Thanks to your support, Mercy Corps has launched an emergency response to assist and protect those impacted by the conflict. Immediately after the coup, Mercy Corps refocused existing programs in CAR to prioritize urgent needs, with an emphasis on providing safe spaces for children, preventing gender-based violence, and raising awareness about hygiene. At the most populous refugee camp, Mercy Corps is overseeing the construction of 100 latrines and draining channels for stagnant water.  In the coming weeks, Mercy Corps plans to distribute clean water and soap to 25,000 people, as well as continue to educate refugees about good hygiene practice. Finally, Mercy Corps continues to prioritize work around gender-based violence and listening centers remain open to provide emotional support, legal counseling and medical referrals to those who have suffered gender-based violence or sectarian attacks.

Saving and Improving Lives in the World’s Toughest Places: When you donate to Mercy Corps, you make it possible to deliver emergency food and supplies, and help families and communities become more resilient to crises long-term. In CAR, your donation helps protect vulnerable survivors, meet their basic needs for water and food, and provides the nation’s residents with hope that, one day, they can live in comfort and safety.

Change is not possible without you. Thank you for being a partner in this life-changing work.

You can continue to make a difference by:

• Donating to change a life today. Your support will help millions of hard-working people who seek to rebuild their lives and homes while also resurrecting their communities. Your donation helps provide families with food, clean drinking water, jobs to support their families and valuable training to help their communities thrive long-term. Please consider becoming a monthly donor to save even more lives. Every dollar helps. Thank you!
• Be an advocate. Read more about our work on our website and through our social media channels, and share with your community!

Ayesha’s husband died 10 years ago. As a widow and mother of nine, Ayesha struggled to provide for her family. “After my husband’s death I didn’t see any hope for the future because I was alone and carrying the responsibility of the children,” she told us.

Ayesha, her son and eight daughters live in a two-room home in the highlands of southwestern Yemen. When we met Ayesha, poverty was rampant in her village, and job opportunities were few.

She earned a small amount by selling firewood she collected during twice-daily trips to the valley, but it was not enough to feed her family. Five of Ayesha’s children had to drop out of school; they scavenged for firewood, peppers — anything they could sell for a small income. Still, at times, the family went hungry.

Families in Crisis: Their story is all too common. More than 40% of Yemen’s population is food insecure — that’s 10.5 million people who don’t have enough food.

Political instability, endemic poverty and high unemployment are just a few reasons Yemen is one of the hungriest countries in the world. Continued tensions are putting the population on the brink of an emergency situation.

Help Families Thrive: When you donate to Mercy Corps you make it possible to deliver emergency food and supplies, and help families and communities become more resilient to crises long-term.

In Yemen, compassionate supporters like you are helping people like Ayesha fight poverty. “Now that Mercy Corps has helped me I don’t feel that feeling of insecurity,” she explained. “I try to work, but if there is a gap, Mercy Corps helps.” You made this happen by providing food, clean water, education, infrastructure, jobs and training.  

You also help youth develop job skills or attend school. “The most important thing to me is education,” Naserah, (Ayesha's daughter) told us. Because of you, Ayesha's children have returned to school.   

But so many families are still hungry. And so many kids are deprived of the opportunity to learn, which threatens the future of these regions. We have the chance to help them. Will you donate today to help another family in need?  

When you donate $30, you'll receive a free thank you gift: a beautiful, handcrafted frame (frames are limited!). Here are examples of how your gift can make a difference for families:

• $30 can help a family of four in Yemen purchase lifesaving food items.
• $30 can provide workbooks for a class of 12 children in Lebanon.  
• $30 can provide shelter to protect Syrian refugees in Iraq from the winter cold and summer heat.

Change is not possible without you. Thank you for being a partner in this life-changing work. 

PS: If you would like to receive a free frame with your gift, click this link. Or, if you visit the main project page, be sure to click "Add to Cart" under the "Gifts for Good" section to get your frame. 

Links:

• Join us. Learn about our work in Yemen and around the world.
• Donate to change a life today.

Long-term disputes between South Sudan and Sudan, as well as internal political issues, led to an eruption of violent conflict in South Sudan’s capital of Juba in December 2013. The humanitarian crisis has quickly spread into neighboring areas forcing nearly half a million people to flee from their homes. As the conflict escalates, displacement camps are becoming overcrowded and people’s needs for clean water, food, health care, sanitation, shelter, and protection are increasing. 

But your donation is bringing hope and saving lives during this conflict. Nianey, 32, was among those who bravely escaped the violence with her five children. She is thankful for your assistance and told a Mercy Corps staff member: "I'm not sad, because I'm safe now."

Despite facing threats and looting, Mercy Corps teams and partners have been able to provide emergency aid and relief to thousands of people affected by this heartbreaking conflict. Your donation is being used to distribute survival kits with essential items, such as blankets, a sleeping mat, soap, cooking tools, water, a mosquito net, and clothing.  

Mary, 27, also fled the violence in Juba with her baby. She tells us that "the pack given by Mercy Corps will help my family every day. My baby is a few days old, and he'll be able to sleep on the blanket instead of the ground." Thank you for making it possible to provide more than 8,600 kits, bringing lifesaving assistance to more than 22,000 people, like Mary and Nianey. 

Links:

• Photos of distribution in Juba displacement camp
• South Sudan Emergency Response

2013 - What a year it has been!

Together we saved and improved 19 million lives in some of the world’s toughest places.

Like other years, 2013 held daunting global challenges — war in Syria, devastating natural disasters in the Philippines and China, hunger in West Africa. But your belief in a better world makes profound change happen each day, one person at a time.

As we close 2013, it’s important to recognize how much progress you’ve made to help families move beyond crisis.  Even more can be done in the new year with you standing by us.

Because of you:

• In the immediate aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, more than 28,000 survivors in the PHILIPPINES received lifesaving water, food and supplies.
• 83,200 children who fled the war in Syria rediscovered their sense of safety and joy at our three playgrounds and 10 child-friendly spaces in JORDAN’s refugee camps.
• In ETHIOPIA, in the face of unpredictable droughts, our teams vaccinated nearly 850,000 cattle, sheep and goats, keeping them healthy enough to provide for over 45,000 families

These are just some of your accomplishments. 

And it is not too late to make a difference in 2013. You can still save and improve the lives of families in some of the world's toughest places with your end of year contribution. You help families move beyond the crisis they confront and empower them to begin rebuilding their lives and homes while resurrecting their communities.

On behalf of the millions of lives you’ve touched this year - thank you for turning your compassion into action!

Sincerely,

Dan O'Neill

Links:

• More of Mercy Corps' 2013 Accomplishments