Mission statement

Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build
secure, productive and just communities.

We pursue this mission through:

Emergency relief services that assists people afflicted by conflict or disaster.
Sustainable economic development that integrates agriculture, health, housing and
infrastructure, economic development, education and environment, and local management.
Civil society initiatives that promote citizen participation, accountabillity, conflict
management and the rule of law.

Georgia's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 was much desired, it also brought a multitude of social and economic hardships. The newly independent state lacked a legislative and financial framework for a true market economy. Living conditions drastically worsened and many communities faced starvation. Most families reverted to subsistence farming.