| Your gift today will help us reach our fundraising goal by tomorrow ▸ |
Help us reach our $120,000 Season of Giving goal before our deadline on Friday, November 20. Give now. Dear Friend, As the Africa Communications and Media Manager for Mercy Corps programs, I am fortunate I get to tell phenomenal stories of the work we do across Africa, including places like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). One of the largest and most enigmatic countries in Africa, DR Congo is home to a lush rainforest, majestic rivers, volcanos, chimpanzee sanctuaries and a rich culture, where people value kindness and hospitality. Families often gather to share hearty meals like beans and wild spinach known as Fumbwa with either plantains or fufu, a dough-like staple, around an open fire. But right now, the Congolese people have very little to celebrate. Conflict has displaced 5 million people within the country, leaving many families without a safe place to stay. 
Eva and her husband, Touja, outside the small home they share with 17 others.
In January, before COVID-19 reached DR Congo, our team spoke with Eva, a 72-year-old grandmother. Eva has welcomed two displaced families into her home, and now shares her small house with her husband, Touja, and 17 others. Her generosity is an incredible example of Congolese kindness — always willing to share in order to help others. "It’s not easy feeding everyone," Eva said. "But we have some fields. In the morning, I go there and gather cassava roots." Touja is ill and too frail to work in the fields, so Eva goes out most days to gather the cassava alone. As a smallholder farmer, Eva tries to provide enough food for her family and guests, but it’s not easy. Mercy Corps is helping farmers like Eva with emergency cash distributions that ease some of their burden, but there’s so much more we can do to ensure everyone has what they need to thrive. That’s why I’m writing to you today. We need to come together, as the global community of humanitarians that we are, to help create a future where we can all thrive. And with the extraordinary year we’ve had — where the impacts of COVID-19 are making lives that are already filled with hardship even more difficult and dangerous — your support is more important than ever. 
Eva waits to receive her emergency cash distribution voucher from Mercy Corps.
Start your Season of Giving with a gift today to help us reach our $120,000 goal before midnight on Friday, November 20. Your generosity can help bring food, clean water and supplies to people in urgent need around the world, so families like those displaced in the DR Congo have the resources to build a better life. The next few weeks of 2020 may be just as unpredictable as the rest of the year, and I know that plenty of things closer to home will require your time this holiday season. So please, don’t wait another minute. Make your first gift to Mercy Corps today — even $10 will get us closer to our $120,000 Season of Giving goal — and feel good knowing you’re doing your part to create a future where every single person has a reason to celebrate. I truly appreciate you and your contribution to creating a future we can all share. I am so grateful for humanitarians like you who help bring hope and comfort to so many families around the world during these especially trying times. Sincerely,
Mercy Corps Africa Media and Communications Manager Grace taps her 14 years of experience — and her passion for telling authentic, inspirational African stories — to provide strategic communications support to 17 country offices, while connecting newsmakers, donors and policy makers to the information they need. |
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