Mercy Corps as a disaster relief organization: Haiti Earthquake, 2010 (2011 Report)

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Where we looked

All of the below was examined in November 2010.

  • Mercy Corps website (www.mercycorps.org)
    • Google searches: “Haiti Mercy Corps Funds Raised/Spent,” “Haiti Mercy Corps Donations”
    • Chronicle of Philanthropy

    How much did the organization raise and how much did it spend?

    Source Dates: Jan 12, 2010- Amount donated Amount spent
    Chronicle of Philanthropy Jan 29 $8.6 million1 N/A
    Chronicle of Philanthropy Feb 3 $9.52 million2 N/A
    Chronicle of Philanthropy Feb 17 $11.6 million3 N/A
    Chronicle of Philanthropy May 7 $14.6 million4 N/A
    Chronicle of Philanthropy July 9 $14.9 million5 $2.9 million
    Chronicle of Philanthropy6 Oct 31, 2010 $16.8 million ($17.2 worldwide) $5.1 million

    How specific is the organization about how it spent its funds?

    We have not found a breakdown of Mercy Corps' expenses in Haiti.

    Mercy Corps reports a number of outputs in its 6-month report on its response to the Haiti earthquake.7 These examples may comprise a comprehensive view of Mercy Corps's activities, but we do not feel that there is sufficient evidence to confidently conclude this.

    Non-disaster relief activities

    • Mercy Corps works in many areas (including agriculture, conflict and war, children, climate change, education, emergencies, etc).8

      • Searching under each activity area9 (such as education) reveals many pages of blog entries.10 Most of the blog entries appear to be visuals and stories about specific people Mercy Corps is helping, or an update on a particular project.
      • In its annual reports, Mercy Corps does not provide any sort of overview on its programs.11 Its annual report in 2009 provides: 1. Highlighted activities, 2. Stories of people helped by the organization, and 3. Financial information, including its total expenditures world-wide broken down into humanitarian assistance (relief), humanitarian assistance (recovery), livelihood/economic development, civil society, and health.12 Other annual reports are similar.13
    • We have not found a comprehensive breakdown of activities or attribution of funds to activities at a more detailed level.

    Sources

    • 1.

      Chronicle of Philanthropy, “A Roundup of Haiti Fund Raising as of January 29.”

    • 2.

      Chronicle of Philanthropy, “Haiti Donations Exceed $644-Million, as of February 3.“

    • 3.

      Chronicle of Philanthropy, “American Charities Raise $774-Million for Haiti Relief, Chronicle Tally Finds.”

    • 4.

      Chronicle of Philanthropy, “$1.1-Billion Donated for Haiti Relief: Updated Tally.”

    • 5.

      Chronicle of Philanthropy, “How Charities Are Helping Haiti: How Much They Raised and Spent.”

    • 6. Chronicle of Philanthropy, "Haiti Earthquake Fund raising, One Year Later."
    • 7.
      • “EMERGENCY RELIEF DISTRIBUTIONS (AS OF 20 JUNE 2010)
        WATER

        • 862,500 gallons of clean water, approximately a one-month supply for 7,255 people (ongoing).

        FOOD

        • One-month food supply to 5,500 families. In all, 315 tonnes of food, benefiting 33,000 individuals.
        • Two-week rations of rice for 5,000 families, benefiting 25,000 individuals.
        • One-month supply of food for 1,000 patients and personnel at Port-au-Prince General Hospital.
        • 68,000 packages of high-energy biscuits.

        SHELTER

        • Tarps to 1,535 families to improve camp shelters.

        EMERGENCY INCOME

        • Income to 5,960 families through cash-for-work. Our goal by September is to employ 12,000 families.

        HEALTH/SANITATION

        • Hygiene kits to 3,450 families, including a one-month supply of clothing detergent, soap and other toiletries.
        • 114 temporary latrines in 25 camps (ongoing).

        TOOLS

        • 9,660 tools — such as wheelbarrows, shovels, and sledgehammers — to camps for site improvements (ongoing).”

        Mercy Corps, “Update from Haiti: A 6-Month Report,” Pg 3.

      • "To date, Mercy Corps has provided: 500 Fonkoze clients with disaster insurance, retrospective to 12th January, granting them £85 to use for emergency needs and clearing the balance on their loans. With this assistance, 335 clients have already applied for a new loan. Start-up funding to Zafèn (zafen.org), an online microfinance programme that connects lenders with small- and medium-sized enterprises in Haiti. Already, 200 entrepreneurs have lined up loans for their business ventures." Mercy Corps, “Update from Haiti: A 6-Month Report,” Pg 3.
      • "Youth Programme Accomplishments to Date:
        • 1,230 caregivers trained through Comfort for Kids to offer psychosocial support to 24,600 children. In all, we'll train 3,150 adults, assisting some 63,000 children.
        • 3,000 Comfort Kits delivered (containing a blanket, toys, and toiletries)."

      Mercy Corps, “Update from Haiti: A 6-Month Report,” Pg 3.

    • 8.

      Mercy Corps, “What We Do.”

    • 9.

      At Mercy Corps, “What We Do.”

    • 10.

      For the blog entries at Mercy Corps' education page, see Mercy Corps, "Education."

    • 11.

      Mercy Corps, "Mercy Corps Annual Reports."

    • 12.

      Mercy Corps, “2009 Annual Report,” Pg 12.

    • 13.

      Mercy Corps, "Mercy Corps Annual Reports."

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