PORTLAND, Ore. - Mercy Corps will launch cash-for-work projects this weekend to assist dozens of communities ravaged by severe floods in southern Pakistan. The Portland-based global humanitarian agency continues to provide food, water and other essentials to families in more than 150 affected villages. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded $500,000 to Mercy Corps to boost relief and recovery efforts.

The funding from the Gates Foundation will allow Mercy Corps to expand its relief efforts in the communities hit hardest by the flooding through programs such as cash-for-work, which accelerates recovery and creates income by paying locals to participate in their own community rebuilding efforts.

"Support from the Gates Foundation will allow our relief teams to meet flood survivors' evolving short and long-term needs," said John Stephens, Mercy Corps' South Asia Program Officer. "Their funding will provide life-saving supplies and, through programs such as cash-for-work, restart local economies and restore washed-away infrastructure."

More than 40 Mercy Corps workers are currently involved in efforts to reach 90,000 people. The agency continues to distribute emergency kits with rice, oil, sugar, bottled water, soap and other basic supplies to flood survivors. To date, Mercy Corps has delivered 3,470 kits, most to people who had not received any other aid since the flooding. Eventually, the teams hope to reach 11,000 households with the kits, which also include lentils, tea, candles, and matches, and a wash bucket. Partial funding for the kits comes from a grant from USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance.

"While our emergency relief efforts continue, we're asking these communities what their priorities are," said Stephens. "Starting this weekend, our cash-for-work program will give local people a way to help themselves and their neighbors by clearing debris, repairing bridges, and helping speed up an overall return to normal."

The agency has also opened three health camps in the worst-hit areas. These camps are designed to treat outpatients - many of whom complain of skin irritations, eye infections and water-borne disease - and make referrals to district hospitals.

Pakistan's deadly floods came as South Asia's monsoon season began - and on the heels of a June 24 cyclone that drenched Baluchistan, Pakistan's largest and poorest province, which is bordered by Iran, Afghanistan and the Arabian Sea. Rains have washed away dams, bridges, and railways, and marooned rural villages with little communications infrastructure. More than 250,000 people have been left homeless by the floods, and as many as 2.5 million have been affected.

Mercy Corps has worked in Pakistan since the mid-1980s, and currently operates development programs - aiding Afghan refugees, reducing the incidence of tuberculosis and improving maternal and child health - in five of the eight districts hit worst by the floods. This presence, along with solid relationships with local and regional governments, allowed the agency to mount its immediate flood response.

HOW TO HELP:

Mercy Corps South Asia Monsoon Dept. NR PO Box 2669 Portland, Oregon 97208 www.mercycorps.org 800.852.2100

Mercy Corps works amid disasters, conflicts, chronic poverty and instability to unleash the potential of people who can win against nearly impossible odds. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided $1.3 billion in assistance to people in 100 nations. Supported by headquarters offices in North America, Europe and Asia, the agency's unified global programs employ 3,400 staff worldwide and reach nearly 14.4 million people in more than 35 countries. For more information, visit www.mercycorps.org.

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Patty Stonesifer and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. For more information please visit www.gatesfoundation.org.