Mercy Corps and NetAid Join Forces

Today, Mercy Corps merged with NetAid, a nonprofit organization that works across the United States to empower young people to fight global poverty. This dynamic new alliance marks a new effort to radically change the way that Americans - and especially young Americans - learn about and respond to the challenges of global poverty.

The merger provides a dynamic new example for relief and development organizations intent on bringing the vast and immediate issues of global poverty to broader attention within the United States.

"Together, we seek nothing less than to transform a generation of leaders," said Neal Keny-Guyer, Mercy Corps CEO. "We aim to bring the complex issues of poverty, aid and development to young Americans, the group best positioned to make lasting changes to the world's toughest problems."

NetAid's programs will become integral Mercy Corps initiatives. Mercy Corps is committed to building a strong constituency that's dedicated to - and fully capable of - ending global poverty.

NetAid's global education experience will guide Mercy Corps' ongoing efforts to engage youth and inspire them to take action for a better world. The reach of Mercy Corps' work in poor communities globally will create more ways for young people in the United States to connect to their peers living under the constraints of poverty.

"It was clear early in our discussions that Mercy Corps and NetAid shared tremendous compatibility in the areas that matter: values, vision, and strategy," said Dr. Kimberly Hamilton, president of NetAid.

Over the months to come, NetAid and Mercy Corps will lay the groundwork for new, collaborative initiatives. These will include a new hunger and poverty action center, scheduled to open in New York's Battery Park City in spring 2008. The center is an unprecedented initiative to build public awareness about how assets and access to opportunity can transform the lives of families living amid poverty, disaster and conflict around the world. The new center, anticipating nearly 100,000 visitors annually, will anchor Mercy Corps' and NetAid's combined education and outreach efforts.

The ultimate goal of this exciting merger between Mercy Corps and NetAid is to foster a richer conversation in the United States about global poverty that will, over time, build a more fertile environment for greater action.