Mercy Corps Joins Mundo Trone: Expanding Humanitarian and Development Efforts from Brussels

A global organization working along the nexus of humanitarian, development and peace building programs recently joined Mundo Trône: Mercy Corps.  Mercy Corps’ mission is to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression, and help people build secure, productive and just communities. To fulfill its mission, it relies on a team of over 6,000 members taking part in programs and collaborating directly with individuals facing poverty, disaster, violent conflict, and the severe consequences of climate change. Operating in more than 40 countries, last year the organization reached 30 million program participants around the world. Marina Antunovic, Managing Director of Mercy Corps in the Netherlands, explains the scope of these programs by giving the following example: “In Ukraine, we operate an extensive program, working in equitable partnership with communities and local organizations as well as international peer agencies to reach the most vulnerable and conflict-affected populations. Over the past year and a half, our programs reached close to one million individuals. Currently, we’re exploring a shift in focus towards livelihoods programming due to the pressing demand for employment opportunities and small business development.”

As part of their expansion in continental Europe, Mercy Corps recognized the necessity of establishing a base in Brussels: “Aligned with our new global and European strategy, it was important for us to foster partnerships with the European Union. The team in Brussels is dedicated to addressing EU policies that are both priorities for Mercy Corps and aligned with the organizations we aim to engage with or influence in Brussels.” The choice of a Mundo center as a workspace is no coincidence: it is important that our Belgian office is easily accessible and gives us access to the development and humanitarian ecosystem. We are enthusiastic about the potential for further collaboration and development in this setting.”