Haiti and Chile Earthquakes

Corporate Efforts Fuel Mercy Corps Response to Haiti Earthquake


Portland, OR–(ENEWSPF)–January 16, 2010.  Corporations are generously supporting Mercy Corps’ response to this week’s devastating earthquake in Haiti.

Companies including ITT, Best Buy and Gap have contributed as well as collected donations from employees and customers. Violá, the Haitian subsidiary of Seattle-based wireless service provider Trilogy Partners International, is providing the Mercy Corps team with a base of operations in Port-au-Prince.

“We are touched by the rapid and very generous response of our corporate partners,” said Senior Vice President Paul Dudley. “This disaster and the human suffering it has caused are so horrific that donors – whether normal people on the street or big multi-national corporations – have been moved to act.

Amazon.com customers and the public can visit Amazon.com’s homepage to find a box where they can easily make a contribution to Mercy Corps for Haiti relief efforts. As of Friday afternoon, Amazon.com customers had donated more than $475,000. Other corporations and their employees are getting involved: The Gap Foundation donated $150,000 and offered to match any employee contributions, Best Buy contributed $100,000, Western Union $50,000 and Nike $25,000.

For some corporations, giving has gone beyond cash support. Through a broader philanthropic partnership with ITT, Mercy Corps will deploy five high-capacity water filtration units to help meet Haitian survivors’ desperate need for clean water. In addition, ITT is providing $100,000 of support and double matching employee gifts.

Violá, the Haitian subsidiary of Seattle-based Trilogy Partners International, is providing Mercy Corps with a physical base for operations in Port-au-Prince. The agency’s emergency team will work out of Violá’s headquarters, one of the few undamaged buildings in the city with fully functioning power and communications infrastructure. “We are very fortunate; our work would not be possible without a well-equipped space that allows us to communicate with the outside world,” said Hart.

Corporate and other private contributions are financing Mercy Corps’ response to this week’s devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti. Mercy Corps will work to meet the most pressing needs of quake survivors, and assist communities as they rapidly transition from relief to long-term rebuilding and recovery efforts. The agency plans to help survivors access clean water and sanitation services, provide post-trauma assistance to kids, and jumpstart Haiti’s economy through cash-for-work programs.

HOW TO HELP:
Mercy Corps
Haiti Earthquake Fund
Dept NR
PO Box 2669
Portland, OR 97208
www.mercycorps.org
1-888-256-1900

Mercy Corps helps people in the world’s toughest places turn the crises of natural disaster, poverty and conflict into opportunities for progress. Driven by local needs and market conditions, our programs provide communities with the tools and support they need to transform their own lives. Our worldwide team of 3,700 professionals is improving the lives of 16.7 million people in more than 40 countries. For more information, see mercycorps.org.

 

Source: mercycorps.org


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