Until 198 1, our work was extended to other countries and renamed as Mercy Corps International to reflect our broader tasks. We quickly changed from simply providing relief assistance to a long-term solution to hunger and poverty. The first development project was implemented in Honduras in 1982.
Since then, Mercy Corps has continued to develop and advance, and its fast, high-impact and cost-effective projects around the world have won national and even international praise.
This work involves families and communities in more than 74 countries. Relief and development assistance cost US$ 6,543.8 billion, including food, shelter, medical care, agriculture, water and sanitation facilities, education and small business loans.
Today, Mercy Corps helps more than 7 million people rebuild after the disaster, build a more perfect community and help people find their own solutions to poverty. It has played the role of an international leader in dealing with disasters or man-made tragedies, such as the Indian Ocean tsunami, the war in Afghanistan, the food shortage in North Korea, ethnic conflicts in the Balkans and the economic transformation in Central Asia and the Caucasus.