Originally established as the Save the Refugee Fund in 1979 to provide first hand post-conflict relief after the Cambodian genocide under the Pol Pot regime , the organization has since expanded its mandate to deliver humanitarian assistance . In 1982 , the organization 's founders , Ellsworth Culver and Dan O'Neill , chose the name of Mercy Corps to represent the broader international activities of the organization that has since been focusing on delivering durable , long-term solutions to a range of humanitarian and development issues . The organization has been present in varying locations at different times - cumulatively , it reports to have delivered humanitarian assistance in 122 countries
Cambodian genocide
Cambodian genocide
Mercy Corps