Milestones

2003

• On 19 September 2003, Mercy Relief was officially launched by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as an independent charitable non-governmental humanitarian organization catering to the humanitarian needs of all countries regardless of country, culture and creed.
• On 1 December 2003, we were conferred the Institution of a Public Character (IPC) status.

2004

• To enhance its overseas operations, Mercy Relief established partnerships with Cathay Pacific Airways and Travelways Pte Ltd to facilitate its travel and logistical arrangements.
• MediaCorp TV 12 Suria adopted Mercy Relief for one year from April 2004 to help Mercy Relief’s humanitarian cause.
• In recognition of the Singaporean efforts to assist in the development of the country, the Cambodian Prime Minister’s office conferred the Gold Community Award to Mercy Relief.
• H.E. S R Nathan, President, Republic of Singapore presented the SIF Award to MR for its effort in enhancing the goodwill of Singaporean overseas.
• Homegrown pop singer Stefanie Sun appointed as 1^st MR Goodwill Ambassador. Both locally born and bred, but with a regional reach and recognition. Stefanie’s role as an ambassador involves sharing her overseas humanitarian experiences with other Singaporeans to younger generation.
• MR was mentioned at PM’s National Day Rally.
• MR held its first Stakeholder’s session at the Singapore Soka Association headquarter, this event being a platform for MR to share its past achievements and reveal its future plans.
• MR became a beneficiary of President’s Charity 2004.
• Governor and Mrs Governor of North Sumatera officiated the launch of Mercy Relief’s social enterprise, Mercy Exchange (MX).

2005

• To give the Singaporean public a glimpse of the real situation at the tsunami-affected areas, MR organised a series of photo exhibitions named ‘Glimpses of Light’, from January to April. This was a showcase of the most powerful photographic shots taken by MR’s group of volunteer photographers who were at the disaster zones. The series sought to share, reflect and learn from the tragedy and to pay tribute to the survivors for their resilience and optimism.
• In June, MR participated in the President’s Star Charity Challenge, to support fellow local charities, while at the same time create awareness of the plight of the needy amongst us.
• The LIVE@Lowland volunteer appreciation event in August brought together the many volunteers who had came forward to support Mercy Relief during its tsunami relief efforts. It was also a platform for the volunteers to blend and share their different experiences from their respective deployments.
• MR held its 2^nd Annual Stakeholders’ Session held in September.  Incidentally, the Session coincided with the Singapore government’s call for better corporate governance, greater transparency and accountability in the civic sector.  The Session was attended by more than 100 representatives from corporate donors, institutional partners, volunteers and the media.

2006

• On 9 April, President S R Nathan launched the Heart of a Lion book which was put together by MR with the support of the Tan Chin Tuan Foundation. The Book showcased the generosity and selfless efforts of Singaporeans and Singapore organisation in the various devastated areas in the bitter aftermath of the tsunami.

2007

• MR organized an observance event to commemorate the International Day of Peace. The poignant observance included songs, poetry recital and screening of the video “Peace One Day”. The event included performances by celebrities, a dialogue session and a moment for reflection led by representatives from the Inter-Religious Organisation.

2008

• August marked a high point in the history of MR when it was invited to share its experiences in ‘Risk Wise’, a publication released in August at the International Disaster and Risk Conference (IDRC) in Davos. The editorial team shared MR’s experience on ‘Peacetime Strategies for Disaster Mitigation’, urging like-minded aid agencies to develop peace-time strategies that may facilitate future relief operations.
• After focusing much of its operations overseas, MR embarked on its first structured local engagement initiative.  Partnering the Northeast Community Development Council (CDC), South West CDC, the Singapore Soka Association (SSA) and the Hyperbaric & Occupational Medicine (HOM) Pte Ltd, MR launched the ‘Cultivating a Grateful & Gracious Society’ Campaign in August.

2009

• As a consequence of MR’s first contribution to the UN IDRC’s Risk Wise 2008, MR was invited to contribute another article entitled “Thwarting the secondary enemy” for the Risk Wise Epidemics 2009 Book which was launched at the 62nd World Health Assembly in May. The article looked at understanding health issues such as diseases in both disaster-stricken and poverty-stricken areas.