I have been a Mercy Corps donor for about 10 years. I know several of the staff and am frankly blown away by their work, their professionalism and their realistic approaches to development work. Mercy Corps is frankly state of the art. Most of the staff are nationals in the many countries where MC works. There is a continuous evaluation of effectiveness and a strong desire to use resources carefully. Women's health programs, education programs, community development -- each program is tailored to the needs of the community involved. There is no hierarchical sense that all communities need X or Y; instead there is a process to help communities set their own direction. In that process, communities also learn civil society techniques and objectives.

When there is a natural disaster, Mercy Corps is already on the ground and ensures that its work does not duplicate what other agencies are doing, instead focusing on neglected areas of need. One of these is helping children deal with trauma.

Mercy Corps deserves your donation, whatever you decide to give. There are other wonderful organizations out there but there are also charlatans that are more concerned with fund-raising than with services. Do careful research. When you do, Mercy Corps will be at the top of your list.