The Mercy Corps Blog

Blog Post Posted September 30, 2009, 3:50 pm by Sonya Shannon

The resilence of children

Today I learned about the true resilience of children.

We set out to meet with villagers from northern Uganda's Kotido county, which is about three hours from where I am based in Pader. We were going there to prepare the community members in Nakeplemoru to organize a peace committee, as well as discuss with them how this peace building structure could be used as a way to handle conflicts at the community level.

But we had to get there first.

Riding along the dry rugged road, I wondered how the day would end. With each twist and turn along the road, around pot holes and washed out sections caused by heavy rains, I bobbed up and down and was tossed about with an occasionally jarring thump. I was beginning to see how poor infrastructure can create major delays in development, preventing the flow of goods from reaching markets, delaying travel and ultimately slowing down progress as a whole. I also now understand why most non-governmental organization vehicles that frequent the roads of Pader, Kotido, Kitgum and Lira carry a spare reserve of two tires on the rack instead of the usual one.

Photo: Sonya Shannon/Mercy Corps

As we drove further north, I began to notice the scenery changing from rich greens and muted red browns to simply dull and dusty brown. The thriving first season’s crops that I once saw farther south, of sorghum, maize and beans were now replaced with half-shriveled fields of groundnuts, far too gone to be revived.

Upon riding farther north, closer to the Sudan border, it became evident that this area really is “where Saharan and Sub-Saharan meet.” The talk you often hear about the poorest of the poor being the most affected by climate change really begins to hit home. Headlines that read “Food insecurity rises for northern Ugandans" are evident in the failed crops that line the roads.

Uganda as a country is “food secure” but the northern parts, most affected by prolonged drought, are where the poorest and least equipped to handle it are bearing the brunt of the burden, and feeling the greatest impact. The outcome has resulted in a decrease in health, lower incomes and declining morale, leaving many dependent on food handouts in order to survive, as well as feeling discouraged about future developments.

As I shifted my focus back to the meeting ahead of us, I began to reflect on what I’d previously heard about tribunals and committees that have been formed in other areas such as Rwanda, in an attempt to achieve reconciliation. I also thought on how they’ve not been so successful, though some have been more government initiated than community driven, and I wondered what the outcome will be here in northern Uganda.

I began to notice, as we drove along, the groups of Karamojong women walking alongside the road. They strolled gracefully by, with plastic jerry cans of water and bags stuffed full of rations balanced perfectly on their heads. They stood out with their brightly colored clothing amongst the dull hues of the landscape. Their dark skin set a perfect mahogany background for the fabrics of pink, red and bright green shawls that wrapped across their torsos, tied in a knot across their backs. Their tall thin legs were partially covered down to the knee with a type of skirt made of tan and red plaid, complete with pleats that resembled a kilt. Their heads were mostly clean shaven, but some were crowned with narrow patches of hair closely cropped to the scalp.

A young boy who is not camara shy at Nakaplemoru Photo: Sonya Shannon/Mercy Corps

I wondered as I watched them walk along what had inspired their tribal wear. Had it been due to previous colonial encounters or had they simply taken part of the décor from their cousins to the east in Kenya, the Masai? As we passed them, we waved awkwardly like silly tourists, yet they kindly returned the gesture.

Upon arriving in the village, we parked the vehicle and greeted the few who had already gathered under the shade of a large tree. We continued to mingle while we waited for others to arrive, as word spread throughout the village that Mercy Corps was here. After talking for a bit with some of the adults and elders, I gravitated to a group of children that I noticed were pointing at me and laughing.

I began to introduce myself to each one and shake hands (shaking hands is customary here). As I peered closer into the faces of these children, I began to notice the whites of their eyes tinted in a yellow haze. Some have a secretion that formed puddles in the corners of their eyes, and I noticed this seems quite uniform as I make my rounds. I surmise this is a sign of ill health, which is later confirmed as I’m told that jaundiced eyes are often a symptom of malaria, sickness and liver disorders in this land where illness is tolerated, due to lack of medical attention, and the fortunate simply live on.

Despite their obvious rough surroundings and lack of health and nutrition, they seemed to focus on the moment and take great pleasure in getting their pictures taken. They smiled and laughed at my attempts to entertain them as we crouched next to the closest surface to write on: a large rock. I wrote my name in blue chalk that one of the children ran to get.

As I wrote, again and again, spelling out every letter aloud, I wondered what life would have been like for these resilient children if they had access to more. If they didn’t have to haul water, herd goats, work at the market or in the fields. If they could go to school, eat healthy meals and didn’t have to grow up so soon.

Life isn't easy here. Yet the children of the Acholi and Karamojong people of northern Uganda are still resilient. They still smile.

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Blog Post Posted September 30, 2009, 2:13 pm by Angela Owen

The Big Map

From left to right: Pat Dooris, KGW cameraman and Paul Jeffery consult The Big Map as they discuss the recent 7.6 earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Photo: Angela Owen/Mercy Corps

At 5:16 P.M. (Indonesian time) on September 30, a 7.6 earthquake hit off the coast of Sumatra. By 2:40 P.M. Portland time, reporter Pat Dooris from KGW-TV in Portland, Oregon had showed up to interview Paul Jeffery, our Senior Program Manager for Southeast Asia.

The people of West Sumatra are facing something extraordinary: in a couple of hours, they will be waking up to a tragically changed landscape.

Mercy Corps has been working with the local communities — situated in one of the world's most earthquake-prone areas — to enhance their disaster preparedness response. We are hopeful that this still-new program has already helped people in the immediate aftermath of the quake, but we know that there is so much more to be done. One of the best ways to drive the support we need to deliver the kind of aid that is vital is by educating people about the crisis using TV, radio, online and print media. That's why we go to the Big Map.

Where did the earthquake hit? Sumatra? Is that in Asia? How do you spell it? Geography is sometimes a struggle here in our country. But by getting the word out and going to the Big Map, we can bring the needs of our global neighbors a little closer to home.

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Blog Post Posted September 30, 2009, 9:16 am by Roger Burks

Major earthquake strikes western Sumatra

A powerful earthquake struck western Indonesia today, collapsing buildings and causing landslides in coastal areas, especially Padang — a city of 900,000 people. Preliminary reports from the most-affected areas place the death toll at 75, with possibly thousands of people trapped under rubble.

Mercy Corps is deploying an emergency team to Padang, the closest major city to the epicenter. As the scope of the disaster comes into better focus, we need your help to deliver assistance to the survivors of this latest tragedy to hit Indonesia.

On September 30, families in Indonesia were struck by the second major earthquake in a month. Photo: REUTERS/Supri, courtesy of www.alertnet.org

The magnitude 7.6 earthquake, which hit the same fault line that spawned the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, was followed just a few minutes later by 6.2 magnitude earthquake. Power and communications lines are down, and road access to devastated areas is blocked by debris.

Mercy Corps’ response will include distribution of shelter items, other relief supplies and provision of clean water. Our team will also continue to assess the situation, alongside other responders and local authorities, to determine how we can help in other ways.

We've operated programs in Padang for the last several years, including disaster preparedness, infrastructure rebuilding and nutrition for mothers and children. This ongoing work places us in a unique position to mount an effective, widespread response to a variety of critical needs.

We will keep you updated as the situation comes into better focus.

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Blog Post Posted September 29, 2009, 1:38 pm by Jacob Colie

Game playing for charity

Can video games make the world a better place? It sure can. Learn more about how game playing and poverty alleviation connect in this video. When you're finished watching, head on over to GamesThatGive for your first game of Bubble Burst.

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Blog Post Posted September 28, 2009, 12:25 pm by Drin Mulliqi

A cultural bridge

The city of Mitrovicë/a in Kosovo is very often described by the media as a city of trouble. The most beautiful bridge in the country — with the Ibar/Ibër River flowing beneath — divides this city in half. In the northern part of the city, the majority of the population is ethnically Serb while, in the south, the majority is ethnically Albanian. The river punctuates some of the still unresolved divisions within Kosovo.

Children from the local Turkish community perform a dance with candles at the Mercy Corps-sponsored "Promotion of Cultural Values" concert in the divided town of Mitrovicë/a, Kosovo. Photo: Drin Mulliqi/Mercy Corps

However, a multi-ethnic concert brought people from different communities together to celebrate the International Day of Peace.

“I got the idea for organizing this concert because I saw the lack of cooperation between communities in Mitrovicë/a," said Marigona Bekteshi, the project manager of this community initiative. "Thanks to Mercy Corps and USAID who financed this event, we have managed to bring most of the communities that live in Mitrovicë/a together to share their cultural values.”

The concert — which was titled “Promotion of Cultural Values” — featured ethnic Albanians, Turks, Bosniaks and members of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian community, who performed different dances, plays and songs from their traditional cultures. The concert was attended by more than four hundred people of different ethnicities.

As Mercy Corps continues to work to build confidence and links between communities in the city we hope that, before long, such events will have even broader participation and also include the ethnic Serb community.

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Blog Post Posted September 27, 2009, 6:12 pm by Malka Older

Before the fire

Before the fire, neighborhood 12 of Penjaringan — a poor slum in the north of Jakarta — was vibrant and bustling with activity. The uncovered gutters smelled and the tapering houses were crowded with people, but children played in the narrow streets, neighbors greeted each other from door steps, and vendors sold fruit, water, plastic toys and kerosene.

Before the fire, Penjaringan's alleyways were alive with small businesses, neighborly friendship and children playing. Photo: Thatcher Cook for Mercy Corps

I visited Penjaringan frequently to introduce people to Mercy Corps’ projects there. Working with a committee of leaders in neighborhood 12, Mercy Corps coordinated the community in building a pipe system that brought water to households at a much more affordable rate and higher quality than they had access to before.

After the fire — which started on Sunday at noon from an electrical problem in one of the houses — the neighborhood is a burned out shell, smoking and covered with ash. The Indonesian Red Cross estimates that more than 1,000 houses were destroyed, which made at least 5,700 people suddenly homeless. The neighborhood office, where I had sat many times with visitors listening to the explanation of the project, was reduced to unsteady grey walls and a floor covered with rubble.

From the top of the water tower Mercy Corps built, next to a water tank that bubbled from the heat, we could survey the extent of the damage: a whole neighborhood of houses, roofless and still smoking, acrid with the smell of burned possessions.

After the fire, which displaced at least 5,700 people. Photo: Victor Sigilipu/Mercy Corps

Time and again, as we walked through the neighborhood, we met members of the committee or households that participated in the project.

“And your house?” I asked them, after they greeted us warmly.

“Gone!” Each of them said.

“And your things?”

“Gone!” They all smiled, as though it were nothing to be walking around the crumbled remains of their once colorful, crowded houses.

“I’m so sorry,” I said.

“It’s nothing,” they answered, and went back to picking through the rubble, carrying out what could be salvaged, knocking down dangerously leaning structures. I didn’t see anyone sitting, or sobbing, or in despair. Everyone was working to restart.

Mercy Corps is already working with the neighborhood leaders to adapt the water system for the emergency needs of the more than 5,700 displaced people, and will give out basic kits with water containers and hygiene supplies to the homeless families.

“The people who had houses here,” a committee member told us, “they will stay. They will clean it, and then they will come back with a tent and sleep here, and when they can get together some money, they will start to rebuild.”

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Blog Post Posted September 27, 2009, 12:51 am by Sonya Shannon

Finding a voice in northern Uganda

Once christened as “The Pearl of Africa” by Winston Churchill, Uganda was once seen as a success story in Africa. However, more than 20 years of warring between two groups — the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and government-supported Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) — wreaked havoc over the land and its people, debilitating several generations born and raised in refugee camps, and causing a once-beaming nation to fade from sight.

Yet, along the same fault lines that once divided communities across northern Uganda, hope is beginning to surface in regions that are home to both the Acholi and Karamojong ethnic groups. It is here that the formation of “peace committees,” piloted by the Pader Peace Program (PPP), has fallen on fertile ground. It’s in these areas that people who were once bruised by conflict and battered by neglect now seem open to engaging in collaborative dialogue that allows them voice and access to power that few of their fellow Ugandans have ever known.

Much of northern Uganda was previously under LRA occupation and, during that time, human rights abuses such as killings and mutilations were frequented upon the civilian population as a method of deterrence from speaking out against injustice. But now, in this post-conflict Uganda through the peace committees that have taken shape, Mercy Corps is stepping forward to champion one of its core beliefs: to empower people to “stand on their own and live in dignity.”

With or without a formal peace agreement, the people of Uganda are becoming change agents and creating the change that they desire.

This is being achieved on several levels, from all areas of civil society — including those most vulnerable such as women, former child soldiers and the growing population of young Karamojong men known as the karachuna. It is through empowering marginalized groups like these that the capacity to mitigate conflict improves.

From conflicts that arise between neighboring communities, such as cattle wrangling and land disputes, to community-based issues like domestic disputes, the problems are discussed by all stakeholders — large and small —with the hopes that solutions will develop that are home-grown and sustainable. Resolution is not always achieved, but the practice of true empowerment has its benefits. The payoff is beginning to become apparent.

Through trust building and the forging of improved relationships, peace is no longer a utopian dream, but something that is becoming more in reach.

Today’s field visit to the village of Nakaplemoru is to facilitate the formation of one of these peace committees. As I sit waiting in the shade of a tree, I gaze out amongst the crowd that has already settled into their places. The circle is beginning to take shape and more people are slowly arriving.

Some are elders and some are women. There are karachunas and many children sitting quietly in a group to the side. As I study the faces of the crowd, I search for clues as to what they are thinking or feeling. There are a mix of expressions, some poised, some stern, some curious and some just plain tired.

There is also a definite sense of anticipation in the air from both community members and PPP field workers who will be working together in this venture. Both want success and, as the last people take their places, a prayer opens the meeting followed by greetings. "Maata” is bellowed out as each person stands and makes their introduction. This is the customary way to greet in this area of the Karamojong.

In this particular meeting, 11 peace committee members are chosen. There are rules to picking members, which encourages diversity and discourages marginalization of those who may not culturally be accepted as leaders or power holders.

The process may not be without challenges, and at times spoilers may attempt to delay peace, but one thing is for certain: the people of northern Uganda are once again finding their voice, and using it.

Maybe…just maybe…true peace and reconciliation in northern Uganda is on the horizon.

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Blog Post Posted September 25, 2009, 11:46 pm by Cassandra Nelson

Standing up for their futures

I went to spend the afternoon with one of Mercy Corps’ partners for the Women’s Empowerment Program in a slum area on the outskirts of Bangui. The group is called Terrespoir, which translates to Land and Hope. It is a women’s cooperative that focuses on agricultural projects to generate incomes for the women. They also work with unwed mothers in their community, trying to assist them and help them become self-sufficient.

Elodie was just 17 when she had her daughter Dominique. Her parents threw her out of the house to fend for herself. Today, a Mercy Corps program is helping her support herself and her baby. Photo: Cassandra Nelson/Mercy Corps

In the Central African Republic there are many young, unwed mothers and they often have a very difficult life. In many cases, the family will disown their daughters and force them out of the house if they become pregnant and are not married. The girl is forced to stop school, if she is fortunate enough to be going in the first place, and she must find a way to fend for herself and her newborn child.

Mercy Corps is working with the Land and Hope group to help them start new projects and improve their overall functioning and effectiveness and better serve the women in the community.

When Denis Akino, Mercy Corps’ Program Facilitator, and I arrived at the community center, we were greeted by a group of women singing and clapping enthusiastically.

Women, let’s wake up
Women, stand up
Women, be strong

We are awake, we are awake
We struggle for peace
We, all together, have woken up!

And, as I soon found out, their lyrics were true!

While Denis was working with the group and conducting training, I met with Elodie Fetounon, a 19-year old unwed mother.

Elodie was just 17 and in school when she had her baby, Dominique. When her family learned she was pregnant, everything changed and many of her dreams she had been working hard to make reality came to a crashing halt. Her family threw her out of the house and wanted nothing to do with her. The father of her child denied he was the parent. Elodie was left all alone, penniless and pregnant.

The Terrespoir women's group sings a song at one of their meetings. Photo: Cassandra Nelson/Mercy Corps

The women of Land and Hope came to Elodie’s assistance. They helped her financially and spoke with her family about the situation and tried to help them resolve their differences. They also taught Elodie how to make jams and preserves so she could earn enough money to support herself and her baby.

Now, with the support of the group, Elodie and her family have reconciled. She was able to go back to school to get her diploma and her preserves business has given her financial independence. She plans to go onto college and so she can get a better job in the future.

And as for the women of Land and Hope, they are working with Mercy Corps to start a new project that will teach more young women, especially unwed mothers, vocational skills so they can support themselves and their children. These women have truly woken up and stood up for their futures!

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Blog Post Posted September 25, 2009, 3:39 pm by Julisa Tambunan

Everyone is an architect

I’m writing from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where summer has long gone and H1N1 flu poses a very serious threat. The purpose of my stay here is to attend the 4th International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam.

I am not an architect, I’m telling you. I was invited to come as a representative from Mercy Corps. And you might ask, why in the world would a humanitarian organization be at an architectural event such as this? Let me elaborate.

The theme of this Biennale is the "Open City" — a city that is diverse, lively and socially sustainable, where people can productively relate to each other culturally and socially, as well as economically. Mercy Corps Indonesia has been working in urban areas of Jakarta since 1999, trying to implement a poverty reduction strategy for the urban poor. Over the last few years, we've been especially keen to work on urban management of the largest slum in the city, a place called Penjaringan.

But I’m neither writing to give details about Mercy Corps’ urban management project, nor about our contribution to the Biennale. Not tonight.

Instead, having attended the opening sessions of the Biennale for the last two days, I am realizing that this architectural exhibition is not merely intended for the architects. It is for everyone who cares about the future of the cities.

As unbelievable as it may sound, more than half of the world's population is now living in cities.

That's certainly hard to grasp, so now I will talk on a bit of a smaller scale — yet about a case that's no less extreme. In Indonesia, the country where I come from, 70 percent of the population lives on Java, an island which only make about seven percent of the country's total area. It’s densely-populated, for sure. But one also cannot ignore the fact that Java is the most developed island of all of Indonesia's 17,000 islands. It’s also the place where big cities exist.

Generally speaking, cities have always been seen as something alluring for people living in the countryside, in terms of better economic and social opportunities. They're the place where the money is, the place where “coolness” exists — which is not necessarily true, of course. So people migrate to cities. They choose to live in cities and leave their villages behind.

But this, of course, has spawned problems — from horrific living standards to climate change, from traffic problems to criminality. Cities all over the world often tell tales of waste and neglect. But people keep migrating to cities anyhow. Hence the world needs a new urban agenda.

And what this Biennale has to offer is quite the answer to that growing need.

Here I've learned that the city should be regarded as a living organism. It grows. It evolves. Because it really should, otherwise it will be extinct. So there's this "Open City' prospect, where citizen can direct their own social, spatial and economic betterment. Because every citizen should have the same access to the cities’ many resources and opportunities, regardless of how many digits you have in your bank account, how dark the color of your skin is or how long you have been staying in school.

In the lobby of the Biennale's exhibition hall, you will find a conceptual model called "Neotopia". Neotopia is the idea of a new world, where the Earth would only consists of one single, enormous urban space and each Earthling possesses the same sized personal plot of land: 279.3 square meters, or a little more than 3,000 square feet. People who visit the exhibition can design their own model of Neotopia by moving and rearranging the magnetic squares which represent things like public spaces and housing. Everyone is also encouraged to take a picture of their finished model and send it to the Biennale committee.

So I guess what the people behind the Biennale are trying to say is this: you don’t need to have a degree in Architecture to be an architect. You only need to be creative. And open minded.

As one of the curators of the Biennale, Ralph Pasel, stated: "The 'Open City' is like a house with a thousand rooms and a million doors. It’s a matter of choice!"

I will keep you posted.

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Blog Post Posted September 25, 2009, 2:16 pm by Roger Burks

Dignity through writing

There’s a lot more behind the words you read here than you might think. Of course there are the personal styles, unique experiences and cultural diversity of the more than 70 writers who’ve contributed to this blog, but there’s something bigger that unites us as storytellers: respect.

Before a keystroke is made, we consider how each word will portray those we’re writing about. We question how those we represent and serve would feel if they were to read what we’d written.

One word in particular illustrates the commitment we’ve made to humanitarian storytelling: survivor. Almost five years ago, in the immediate aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami, a few of us sat down for a vigorous and earnest debate on how to chronicle the most unimaginable disaster of our time. The media and many of our colleague organizations were using the word “victim” to describe those who’d lost everything but their lives to the waves.

But, really, who wants to be portrayed as a victim? Would you?

“Victim” is a label that might elicit sympathy for a moment, but at what cost? It connotes someone who’s stayed down rather than gotten back up. It imparts hopelessness rather than determination. It erodes dignity.

Words do matter, and so we chose to use a term that portrayed strength and possibility – because that’s what we see every day in the tough, isolated and sometimes-brutal places where we work.

Just recently, one of our bloggers from Indonesia — Octavia Mariance — carefully chose her words when writing a story about meeting mothers who’d been affected by a major earthquake. She titled her piece “Meeting the survivors.” Octavia made the story more about rising to the challenge than remaining in the rubble.

Words can either keep people in desperation or help lift them to a more hopeful day. At Mercy Corps, we’ve chosen to eschew the shock value of “poverty porn” in favor of inspiring our readers with real-life stories of people who succeed against nearly impossible odds.

In every word we write, we have to make a choice. Here we choose dignity. We choose hope.

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