Vicki Aken joined Mercy Corps as Country Director for Ukraine in January 2024. Based in Kyiv, Ms. Aken manages an extensive humanitarian, recovery and development portfolio. With funding from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and private donors, Mercy Corps and its Ukrainian partners have provided more than 1,500 business grants to SMEs, entrepreneurs and farmers; invested in renewable energy; offered financial and business-related services; and delivered humanitarian assistance in the form of cash, shelter, evacuation, NFIs, and psychosocial support.
Prior to joining Mercy Corps Ukraine, Ms. Aken managed humanitarian and development programs in conflict and post-conflict countries including Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, and Sierra Leone.