Greetings!  

 

In his novel The Piano Tuner, Daniel Mason writes of Burma's intense colors shimmering in the heat, mesmerizing the beholder. He claims there could not possibly be "such a condensation of color without theft and vacuum in the remaining parts of the world."  It's an intriguing notion: that color is not evenly distributed, that vivid brightness in one place must necessarily drain another place, leaving only a gray void. I feel that way about Haiti. Despite its grinding poverty, its centuries of oppression, its eroded hillsides and quake-spawned miseries, Haiti first strikes the eye as a kaleidoscope of colors competing for attention.   

Roadside market, Gros Morne
Roadside market, Haiti

Look at this photo! Could you squeeze another hue into it?  Haiti's dazzling colors morph with constant movement as its people strain to rise from extreme poverty. Mercy Beyond Borders feels privileged to be part of that effort with you. 



Ever gratefully,

Sr. Marilyn signature 
What's in a NAME???
 
Avoid confusion!  There is now a Syrian aid organization called
"Mercy Without Borders."



It has no connection to 
MERCY BEYOND BORDERS
When you think of us, think MBB! 
Spread the word.... 
 

 Did You Know?

 

 

Any girl who receives a basic education is three times less likely to contract HIV.

 

A girl with seven years of education marries four years later and has 2.2 fewer children.

 

For every year that a girl remains in school beyond 4th grade, her wages rise 20%.

 

Our Blog

 
provides a weekly commentary from MBB's founder, Marilyn Lacey, RSM, on MBB activities at home and abroad.  Click on the above link, then "Follow."  Once you've signed up, a small orange icon will appear on the top right of your screen.   


Good Reads
 
You can read about Sr. Marilyn's experiences with refugees in the U.S. in
This Flowing Towards Me , available at amazon.com.
 

Archived Newsletters

 
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About Us


Mercy Beyond Borders improves the lives of displaced women and children living in extreme poverty through education, microenterprise and improved child and maternal health.   
Our programs currently target South Sudan and Haiti.  

 

Mercy Beyond Borders is a 501(c)3 non-profit agency registered in California. 
 
Sister Marilyn Lacey
Executive Director 
Mercy Beyond Borders

   

 

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Donations can be made by clicking on the button above or by sending to:

 

Mercy Beyond Borders
1885 De La Cruz Blvd #101
Santa Clara CA 95050-3000
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"It is not so easy to find food in the morning...."
 

At age 13 Danicka is one of  Mercy Beyond Borders' youngest scholars in Haiti. She walks two hours every morning from her family's rural house to high school in Gros Morne town, and repeats that walk after school. Back home Danicka does more than her share of chores, since her mother is nearly blind. 

 

Darline, MBB Scholarship Coordinator, at the gate to Danicka's home.

 

Danicka practices her lessons with chalk on a large plank of wood painted as a blackboard and studies at night with the aid of the solar lamp that MBB provided.  She is #1 in her class at the very competitive college-prep school she attends on her MBB scholarship. Her favorite subjects are Science, Spanish and French; she wants to be a nurse. 

Danicka, writing on the backyard blackboard.
Danicka, writing on the backyard blackboard.

Given that she leaves home at 6:00 a.m., I asked her what she eats for breakfast. Quietly she replied, "Well, it is not so easy to find food in the morning..."

 



Eminent Domain Forces Relocation

 

Last September Mercy Beyond Borders opened its Scholars Lodge in Gros Morne to house students who lived too far up the mountains to commute. Despite not having electricity or running water, the house has worked wonderfully well for the dozen residents. Now, however, a national project to widen (and pave!) the town's main street threatens to shear off the front section of the building. 

Darline marks the point at which the Lodge will be sheared off.

Darline, our MBB Coordinator and Jeanine, MBB House Manager, are now busily scouting out alternate properties that MBB might lease. In these photos Darline points to the Lodge's front walls that will be destroyed, while Lodge residents share an afternoon meal there.  

Lodge Rice Meal
Lodge Rice Meal

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Ambassadors of the Month

St. Gregory's Parish, CA

 

Amazing! The Global Poverty Action Group (GPAG) of St. Gregory's parish in San Mateo, CA, spearheaded a parish-wide Lenten drive that raised a whopping $20,000 for Mercy Beyond Borders' work in Haiti.  

 

Lay Deacon Steve Fox explains why the group chose Mercy Beyond Borders:

 

Our Global Poverty Action Group (GPAG) chose Mercy Beyond Borders because its mission combats extreme poverty in 3rd world countries.  We were concerned about the devastation caused to the people of Haiti by the 2010 earthquake and 2 years later by Hurricane Sandy. We were moved by MBB's efforts to respond by educating girls in a remote region of Haiti.

 

Some of the members of the 

Global Poverty Action Group, St. Gregory's Church

 
Mercy Beyond Borders thanks each and every donor at St. Gregory's who contributed to this wondrous windfall for the girls of Haiti!  [Hint: If you belong to a church group or civic club, never underestimate your power to motivate them to help Mercy Beyond Borders.] 


Mercy Beyond Borders | 1855 De La Cruz Blvd. #101 | Santa Clara | CA | 95050