Aid charity ready to answer festive calls around globe

In the past 30 years, Mercy Corps has worked in more than 107 nations delivering more than £1 billion worth of relief and development assistance.

Executive director Mervyn Lee said: “Floods, earthquakes, tsunamis and conflicts can strike at any time, taking lives and leaving families homeless and struggling. As the Boxing Day tsunami showed several years ago the holidays are no exception and our teams here in Scotland and around the world are ready to respond.”

Scotland’s international development minister, Humza Yousaf, said: “It’s reassuring to know there are dedicated, committed and skilled teams of people here in Scotland, as well as Scottish aid workers based overseas, who stand ready over the festive period to respond should a major humanitarian crisis occur.”