COVID-19 Resilience Fund: Shell donates $3 million to help communities on the frontlines of the pandemic

Critical funds will support Mercy Corps’ work in more than 40 countries around the world, each one affected by COVID-19

Edinburgh, UK - Energy company Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) has announced a gift of $3 million to the global organization Mercy Corps’ COVID-19 Resilience Fund. This critical funding will help Mercy Corps respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, which will have a disproportionate impact on people who live in the fragile and conflict-affected places around the world. 

Mercy Corps’ COVID-19 Resilience Fund will help provide essential aid to people and communities in order to protect themselves against the virus and to meet their basic needs. This includes providing communities with clean water, personal protective equipment (PPE) and cash to buy food for their families. It will also help communities recover economically and build resilience against future shocks.

“Shell’s generous donation to Mercy Corps’ COVID-19 Resilience Fund couldn’t come at a more crucial time. As our teams are scaling up their work around the world, we are beginning to see the devastating impacts on people living in fragile places, and relying on the informal economy for their livelihoods. 

It is testament to our long-term partnership with Shell and mutual trust that their support has been provided in the form of flexible and unrestricted funding, allowing Mercy Corps, during this fast-moving and unpredictable pandemic, to be nimble and respond where there is greatest need,” says Simon O’Connell, Executive Director, Mercy Corps.

Mercy Corps and Shell have partnered for six years to drive forward high impact programs during times of crisis and to enhance livelihoods in nine countries, including Iraq, Myanmar and Somalia. Mercy Corps is one of Shell’s global emergency response partners.

“Shell and Mercy Corps have been supporting communities together for many years,” said Ben van Beurden, Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell. “This partnership can now help protect some of the world’s most vulnerable people from the impact of COVID-19, both during the immediate crisis and in the longer term.”

Mercy Corps’ £20 million ($25 million) COVID-19 Resilience Fund will:

● Protect against COVID-19. In Northwest Syria, Mercy Corps is providing clean water and soap to families to help prevent the spread of the disease. In Pakistan, we are providing personal protective equipment to medical teams.

● Meet immediate needs. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, we are providing small amounts of cash to 15,000 vulnerable families to purchase urgently needed items including food and health care.

● Prepare for economic shock. In Nigeria, we are connecting farmers and traders through WhatsApp groups, informing them of open trade routes and hygiene information so they can continue to operate.

Anyone can donate to Mercy Corps’ efforts to provide emergency support to vulnerable families and communities during this crisis and beyond.