February 2013 Newsletter

Central African Republic: One LRA survivor’s story

Last year, a teenage girl arrived at one of Mercy Corps‘ counseling centers. She had been kidnapped by the terrifying Lord’s Resistance Army, raped and forcefully married to a soldier. She finally escaped with her baby two years later, but how could she begin again? Read her story ▸

Top stories

Syrian refugees: A new home full of warmth and laughter

Meet one family who finally has protection from freezing temperatures thanks to Mercy Corps’ winterization project in northern Jordan.

Mali: Fighting cuts off food and humanitarian access

Vendors have fled and markets have almost entirely shut down in northern Mali. Our teams warn that families already struggling through a hunger crisis will run out of food unless access is restored to the embattled region.

Indonesia: Reaching families displaced by massive floods

Our teams distributed emergency supplies as flooding washed through Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, last month and submerged thousands of homes.

Haiti: What does resilience look like?

At last month’s annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, leaders focused on how to better prepare for and minimize disasters of the future. In Haiti, we’ve been investing in communities to do just that.

Support Our Work

We work in the world’s toughest places to turn crises into opportunity. Your gift helps us deliver food, job training and aid to those who need it most.
Donate now ▸

Share her voice.

Tell your friends you care about women’s rights in the Central African Republic and share the story of the courageous woman who survived the LRA.

Spread the word on Facebook ▸

From the Field

Kosovo: New homes after more than a decade of displacement

Syrian refugees in Lebanon: Warm coats are a simple source of hope

Kenya: Betting on peace as high-stakes elections approach

Video: See how your support changes lives

Spend a minute with the people your generosity has touched around the world. Because of you, we are changing these lives — and so many more. Thank you.

Latest Photos

DR Congo: Lives spent on the run

Timor-Leste: Fighting hunger in a neglected nation

Lebanon: New coats for Syrian refugee kids

Yemen: A boy’s thank you

by Rachel Slajda

Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander of the Afghanistan War, said today the planned burning of Korans by a Florida church could put American troops in danger.

“It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort,” Petraeus told the Wall Street Journal. “It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems. Not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community.”

Petraeus’ comments come in the wake of anti-American protests in Kabul. Earlier today, 500 demonstrators, including members of parliament and Muslim clerics, gathered outside the U.S. embassy to condemn the “International Burn A Koran Day” planned by the Dove World Outreach Center, a small church in Florida. Protesters burned the church’s pastor, Terry Jones, in effigy and called for “Death to America.”

A similar protest, reportedly attracting thousands of Muslims, was held this weekend in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Petraeus said the Koran-burning, planned for Sept. 11, could give the Taliban the kind of anti-American propaganda they can exploit to turn fellow Afghans against the U.S. military.

Jones has vowed to go forward with his plan to burn Korans despite public outcry both locally and nationwide. He could not immediately be reached for comment.