TO see climate change as a pressing but future threat is a luxury many in the world do not have. Tajikistan, Mongolia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda are among the countries where Mercy Corps is helping people cope with the devastating effects of climate change today.
The Herald is backing Mercy Corps with our Christmas 2017 appeal and readers who donate will be helping vital work to protect children and families from natural disasters, while building resilience to face future emergencies.
Tajikistan is considered to be one of the most vulnerable states in Central Asia due to its high mountainous terrain. An ongoing loss of ice and glacial cover is wreaking havoc with seasonal water supplies so settlements are increasingly vulnerable to natural shocks.
Mercy Corps has established a disaster risk management project covering 14 villages in the Rasht Valley, supporting 40,000 people including 6,000 schoolchildren.
Hazard mapping has established the areas at greatest risk of mudslides, landslides, avalanches and flooding. Local people have been through simulation exercises on how to react to such crises, while 16 small scale mitigation schemes including river bank reinforcement are increasing local resilience to flooding.
Work in Uganda and Northern Kenya is tackling not just climate change itself, but gender violence. Drought has fuelled increasing conflict over scarce resources and attacks from women from different clans were being used to send threats and intimidate rivals. A Mercy Corps hotline has allowed reports and investigations to take place – in the last year nine cases of violence against women and girls have been prosecuted and in all cases the perpetrators were jailed.
READ MORE: Help Mercy Corps fight the threat of starvation in Somalia
In Mongolia, a dreaded winter weather phenomenon known as the dzud pounds the land with snow and ice, freezing the steppe and starving entire herds. Animal herders used to expect one a decade, now it seems to come almost annually. By working with 20,000 herders, Mercy Corps has been able to improve their ability to predict bad weather and care for animals when the dzud hits - with vaccinationas and medical support also on offer.
To help support this work and more like it around the globe, please donate to the Herald’s Christmas appeal.
How to donate:
ONLINE: www.mercycorps.org.uk/herald
PHONE: 08000 413 060 (24hours) or 0131 662 5161 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)
TEXT: To give £10 text DONATE HERALD to 70755
Texts will be charged at the standard network rate plus the £10 donation. By texting you will receive a call back about our work and what you can do to help. Text DONATE HERALD NO to donate £10 and opt out of calls and texts.
BY POST: Please fill in this form Herald Seasonal Appeal Form.pdf and post to: FREEPOST RSAE-ZBYA-LRZH, Mercy Corps, 40 Sciennes, Edinburgh, EH9 1NJ
You can also follow and support Mercy Corps Europe on social media.
Twitter: @mercycorps_uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mercycorpsuk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mercycorps_europe/
Visit www.mercycorps.org.uk/u/text-giving to read full Terms & Conditions.
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