Our Story →
Our Values
Mercy in Action was never planned, but came about after founders John and Allison Todd had an unexpected encounter with five street boys during a trip to the Philippines in 1995. The boys hadn’t eaten for three days and were begging on the streets. Moved by the plight of children the same age as their son, John and Allison took them for a meal of chicken and rice.
In 2003 Mercy in Action became a registered charity as we began working amidst some of the poorest communities in the Philippines. From those 5 street kids we grew into working with hundreds of homeless children who were being neglected, abused and trafficked on the streets. Many of them have now been supported into education, employment and housing.
Working closely within these marginalised communities we were seeing the underlaying causes of poverty that had allowed children and families to become vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. As a result we grew to encompass projects which are vital for whole communities. Not just responding to a crisis but keeping our focus on long term solutions, advocacy and prevention. Our schooling programme grew to support at-risk children and youth through their entire education, our advocacy for the poor within the local government grew as well as skills training, housing and mentoring for parents and young adults.
Over the years we began to see homelessness and food insecurity rising in the UK. With a growing vision and team our first UK project was launched in 2016 by Laura and Tim Jones. They brought with them 12 years of experience fostering and supporting young mums and babies. Laura and Tim founded Petra Project, providing homely, safe and nurturing housing for homeless mums and babies. After the first home was established in Bath, Petra has grown steadily and now incorporates five houses, a moving on apartment, community support groups, support workers and volunteers.
In 2019 we expanded again with Allison launching Clothesline, a project aimed to provide free quality clothing, shoes and school uniforms to children and young people facing hardship. Shortly after opening we began to see first-hand how food insecurity was impacting our communities. As a result, we partnered with Fareshare south west and opened Action Pantry. Providing fresh food to families who need it, it whilst preventing food waste.
As our projects in the UK and the Philippines continue to grow, our heart behind each one remains the same. Mercy is more than a feeling, it’s an action. For each life we encounter we want to show the same value, love and kindness that John and Allison showed to 5 street children all those years ago.
who we are
None of the work that we do would be possible without our hardworking team leaders. Working alongside them is an amazing group of staff, volunteers and ambassadors.
“Being part of an amazing team is just a bonus. The best thing is being part of the process of transforming the lives of many families supported by Mercy in Action. Truly magnificent.”
Allison Todd - CEO
Allison and her husband John founded Mercy in Action in 1995. From the beginning, Allison’s vision and passion to help the poor has seen Mercy in Action grow into what it has become today! Allison is based in Bath but travels as often as she can to the Philippines. She is an accomplished speaker, seamstress, mother of 5 and grandmother of 20!
Mel King - Clothesline Co-ordinator
Mel has been with Mercy in Action for over 14 years. She has worked in a variety of roles and took on board the challenge of Clothesline back in 2018. When Mel isn’t washing, folding or hanging up clothes, you can find her with her family on their amazing barge along the river!
Tim Rosal - Project Manager
Alongside his wife Emily, Tim involved with the to day running of Mercy in Action in Cebu. He project manages our building projects from offices, family homes to community toilets, his role keeps him busy! He loves unwinding at the end of the day with a game of basketball!
Leah Declan - Drop in Centre Manager
Leah has been a Social Worker for 11 years working with children and their families in and around Cebu. She started working with Mercy in Action in 2011 on the Schooling Programme. In 2019, Leah took on the role of heading up the Drop-In Centre.
Riza Manunday - Social Worker
Riza graduated university with a degree in Social Work, through a scholarship with Mercy in Action. She gained extensive experience and expertise working with Children in Conflict with the Law for the Government of Cebu before joining our team in 2016.
emma scott - petra manager
Emma joined Petra in 2020, the beginning of the pandemic. Coming from a background of women's mental health. She has 15 years experience of childcare and development. Emma now manages the Petra homes and is passionate to support clients into independent living. She has a small family and 2 dogs at home to keep her busy on the weekends!
Rev. Steve Hughes - chaplain
Steve is an ordained minister of the Order of St Leonard, and works with Churches and charities across Bath and the surrounding area, supporting and encouraging them in their Christian journey, and offering pastoral support in his role as chaplain and spiritual mentor. Rev. Steve is married with four children and currently enjoying nine grandchildren.
Fiona Wakely - Action Pantry Co-Ordinator
Fiona lived and worked in Mozambique for 7 years gaining a huge amount of experience in the 3rd sector before moving back to her hometown of Bath. Fiona began her role in 2020 and has since done a fantastic job growing and developing the amazing community at Action Pantry.
Kaye Uymasuy - philippines programs director
Kaye is a licensed social worker. She was first drawn to the work of Mercy in Action when she saw it’s yellow bus packed with happy hopeful faces of street kids . In 2016, she completed an MiA internship and has now been involved with the organization for over 5 years.
Laura Jones - Director, the petra project
Since founding The Petra Project with her husband in 2017, Laura has grown and trained an incredible team. Laura has over 15 years of experience providing supported lodgings to young mums and as a foster carer in Bath. She’s also raised her 3 boys and 2 foster sons.
Emily Rosal - Country Director, Philippines
Emily settled in the Philippines when she was just 17 years old, and has headed up our projects nationally for 12 years. Her enthusiasm and love of her adopted county is infectious. Emily and her husband have raised 6 children in their inter-cultural, multilingual, busy home!
Remsin Silva - Community Schooling Co-ordinator
Remsin was one of the first beneficiaries sponsored through our Schooling Programme. He was also the first in his family to graduate university. He brings a unique perspective and passion for our Schooling Programme, where he has been working for over 4 years.
Renante sato - hr manager philippines
Ren joined Mercy in Action in 2018. He formally worked in the corporate sector and brought his skill and knowledge in communication and supporting people, to his role at Mercy in Action.
Ren has a beautiful family and a secret talent for karaoke!
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility
Mercy in Action is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
At MiA we support a culture that enables employees, volunteers and clients to feel confident about raising concerns about their own and others’ safety and well-being.
We have a zero-tolerance approach to anyone who causes harm or abuse and will thoroughly investigate and respond to any concern and, where appropriate, report such matters to the police and/or local authorities.
MiA regards safeguarding as everybody’s responsibility. Practical ways in which we safeguard our employees, volunteers and clients include:
Safer recruitment procedures
Up to date training for all staff and volunteers
A robust safeguarding policy which needs to be read, understood and signed prior to commencing employment
Effective management to staff and volunteers through supervision, support and training.
Clear procedures to follow when concerns are raised
Working in partnership with other organisations to effectively safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk
Ensure that confidential, detailed and accurate records of all safeguarding concerns are maintained and securely stored
Our policy will be reviewed annually, or in response to changes in legislation and/or government guidance or significant internal changes.
(External – Next review June 2023)
A copy of our safeguarding policy is available on request.
For further information
If you are a member of staff or volunteer of the MiA, you can report a safeguarding concern to our DSL safeguardingmia@mercyinaction.org.uk. Or, if you wish to report a whistle blowing concern confidentially, you can email a.todd@mercyinaction.org.uk.
If you have any concerns regarding safeguarding, please fill out the Safeguarding Concern Form attached above and email it to safeguardingMiA@mercyinaction.org.uk.