Love Mercy Foundation

What Love Mercy Foundation does

Love Mercy Foundation is an Australian-registered international development charity (ABN 71 142 069 645) founded in 2010 by Australian Olympian Eloise Wellings and Ugandan Olympian and former child soldier Julius Achon. Headquartered in Sutherland, New South Wales, the organisation operates three interconnected programs in northern Uganda — Cents for Seeds (a Grameen-style micro-finance program that lends 30kg of seed plus tools, training, and VSLA inclusion to rural women, with repaid seed loans recycled to subsequent participants), Kristina Health Centre (a Level III health facility in Otuke District being upgraded to Level IV with surgical capacity, treating over 84,000 patients since 2012), and Well Worth It (a clean water program that has drilled 90+ borehole wells, repaired 500+, and installed solar-powered and rainwater harvesting systems serving approximately 150,000 people). A fourth Income Generating Activities stream layers goat rearing, beekeeping, catering, and tailoring micro-businesses on top of the core agriculture program. The locally-led model is staffed by approximately 13 Love Mercy Uganda team members (agronomists, trainers, M&E officers) plus roughly 23 Kristina Health Centre clinical staff, with an Australian board and fundraising team of about 17 employees.

The revenue model is charitable: tax-deductible donations, a tiered digital gift card shop ranging from a $40 seed loan up to an $8,000 build-a-well contribution, event-based community fundraising runs (The Mother Run, Sutherland to Surf, BBBRUN, Clean Water Run Club), regular giving via The Village, workplace giving, gifts in wills, and modest merchandise sales (running apparel, a published biography of Julius Achon, Christmas cards). The organisation is an ACFID Full Member, signatory to the ACFID Code of Conduct, ACNC-registered, and holds a NSW fundraising license. Measurement is anchored by six consecutive years of Huber Social impact reports and an academic partnership with UNSW Sydney on climate-resilient agriculture, while operational implementation partners include Water for Africa and Achon Uganda Children's Fund.

Over 15 years the program footprint has expanded from a single village pilot to 57 parishes across the Otuke, Alebtong, and Lira districts, with 32,412 cumulative women participating in Cents for Seeds, 1,739 safe births at KHC, and quantified wellbeing gains (+8% wellbeing uplift and +15% hope-for-the-future among participants versus non-participants per the 2024 Huber Social report). The strategic posture is one of integrated, evidence-led, locally-led community development rather than technology-platform scaling.

Name

Love Mercy Foundation

Legal name

Love Mercy Foundation

Website

https://lovemercyfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Love Mercy Foundation is an Australian-registered charity founded in 2010 that runs four integrated programs — agricultural micro-finance, a maternal health clinic, clean water well drilling and repair, and income-generating activities — for women and rural communities in Otuke, Alebtong, and Lira districts of northern Uganda.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development / Humanitarian Aid

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Community Food Services (624210), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Agricultural Services (700), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Health & Prevention Program Funding (HLAJALAF), Maternal, Child & Family Health Program Funding (HLAJALAG), Health, Population & WASH Aid Programs (BPADABAC), Nutrition & Food Security (Global Health) NGOs (HLAJAKAH)

Keywords

• International development charity
• Agricultural microfinance programs
• Maternal healthcare services
• Clean water infrastructure
• Community development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Sutherland

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tax-deductible donations and gifts: Love Mercy Foundation operates as a registered charity in Australia (ABN: 71 142 069 645) and ACFID Full Member. Donations are tax-deductible and fund program operations including Cents for Seeds, Kristina Health Centre, and Well Worth It programs.
2. Gift card sales: Digital gift cards sold at fixed price points ($40-$8,000) corresponding to specific program contributions such as seed loans, healthcare outreach, birthing kits, and well construction. Digital gift cards are tax-deductible.
3. Merchandise sales: Sale of branded merchandise including Clean Water Run Club running caps ($29.95), running singlets ($49.95), and books such as 'The Boy Who Runs' ($49.95). Merchandise purchases are not tax-deductible.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Love Mercy Foundation delivers four interconnected community development programs for women in northern Uganda: Cents for Seeds (a self-replenishing agricultural micro-loan program providing 30kg of seeds, tools, training and VSLA financial literacy), Kristina Health Centre (a Level III rural clinic providing maternal healthcare, antenatal care, immunisations and outreach to communities 78km from the nearest hospital), Well Worth It (clean water borehole drilling, repair and rainwater harvesting infrastructure serving approximately 1,500 people per well), and Income Generating Activities (small business groups for goat rearing, beekeeping, catering and tailoring). Programs are funded through tax-deductible donations, digital gift cards, corporate partnerships, events and merchandise sales.

Product overview

Love Mercy Foundation is a nonprofit aid and development organisation offering a portfolio of four interconnected community development programs focused on food security, healthcare, clean water access, and income generation for women in northern Uganda. Its core programs are: Cents for Seeds (a micro-loan seed program empowering women with agricultural resources and financial literacy), Kristina Health Centre (a rural health clinic providing maternal and primary healthcare), Well Worth It (a borehole well drilling and repair program for clean water access), and Income Generating Activities (small business groups providing secondary income streams). In addition to direct programs, Love Mercy operates an online shop selling digital gift cards tied to its programs (seed loans, healthcare outreach days, well drilling/repair, and IGA participation) and branded merchandise including the Clean Water Run Club running apparel and a published biography. All products and programs are designed to work together — clean water supports agricultural yields, healthcare enables safe childbirth, and income-generating activities build economic resilience — forming a holistic, locally-led approach to poverty alleviation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cents for Seeds: Agricultural micro-loan program providing women with seeds, tools, and training to become small-scale farmers and achieve food security and economic independence.
• Kristina Health Centre
• Well Worth It
• Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA)
• Income Generating Activities (IGA)
• Clean Water Run Club
• The Mother Run

Products and services

• Cents for Seeds A self-replenishing micro-loan agricultural program providing women in northern Uganda with 30kg seed loans, gardening tools, agricultural training and inclusion in Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) groups. Recipients typically harvest 150–300kg, enabling food security and income generation; the repaid seeds are passed to subsequent participants, creating a revolving pool.
• Kristina Health Centre A Level III health centre (transitioning to Level IV) providing maternal and child healthcare, antenatal care, safe birthing, immunisations, ultrasound scans, family planning, health outreach and general medical care to communities 78km from the nearest hospital. Over 84,179 patients have been treated and over 1,739 babies have been safely delivered.
• Well Worth It A clean water infrastructure program drilling new borehole wells, repairing inactive water sources and installing solar-powered boreholes (yielding 5x the supply of ordinary wells) and rainwater harvesting systems. Each well serves approximately 1,500 people; more than 90 new wells have been drilled and 500+ repaired, restoring clean water to 150,000+ people.
• Income Generating Activities (IGA) Small business development groups within the Cents for Seeds program where women collaborate on income-generating ventures including goat rearing, beekeeping, catering and tailoring, providing a secondary source of income alongside subsistence farming.
• 30kg Seed Loan Gift Card A $40 tax-deductible digital gift card that funds a 30kg seed loan, gardening tool, financial literacy workshops and VSLA group inclusion for a woman entering the Cents for Seeds program.
• KHC Outreach Day Gift Card A $180 tax-deductible digital gift card funding one Kristina Health Centre outreach day, providing antenatal appointments, ultrasounds, immunisations, family planning and health education to remote Otuke communities.
• Safe Birthing Kit Gift Card A $50 tax-deductible digital gift card providing resources, medical equipment and skilled midwife care for a mother and newborn during childbirth at Kristina Health Centre.
• Build a Well Gift Card An $8,000 tax-deductible digital gift card funding the drilling of a brand new sustainable clean water borehole well in northern Uganda, serving hundreds of women and households.
• Well Repair Gift Card A $300 tax-deductible digital gift card funding the repair of an inactive clean water well, restoring access to safe drinking water for approximately 1,500 people.
• IGA Group Participation Gift Card An $85 tax-deductible digital gift card funding a woman's participation in an Income Generating Activity group, including financial literacy training, startup resources and ongoing support for a small business such as goat rearing, beekeeping, catering or tailoring.
• The Boy Who Runs: The Odyssey of Julius Achon A $49.95 book by award-winning sportswriter John Brant telling the story of co-founder Julius Achon, from child soldier to Olympian. Proceeds support Love Mercy's poverty-reduction programs; not tax-deductible.
• Clean Water Run Club Performance Running Cap A $29.95 moisture-wicking performance running cap in off-white with the Clean Water Run Club green logo, with profits supporting Love Mercy's clean water programs in northern Uganda.
• Clean Water Run Club Performance Running Singlet A $49.95 lightweight, moisture-wicking unisex performance running singlet in a comfort-first fit, with profits supporting Love Mercy's clean water initiative in Uganda.
• Love Mercy Christmas Card Collection (Pack of 5) A $30 pack of 5 illustrated Christmas cards featuring images of women from Love Mercy programs, with each pack providing one seed loan in the Cents for Seeds program.

Quantifiable outcome

• 32,412 women have participated in Cents for Seeds since 2010; over 32,000 women impacted by 2025; 2,550 women have graduated
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• UNSW SydneycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Love Mercy partners with UNSW Sydney (specifically the Drought Resistance Uganda student team) to co-design climate-resilient strategies including water harvesting, irrigation, and agroforestry. UNSW students have installed weather stations to map changing weather data for Cents for Seeds communities.
• Water for AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Love Mercy partnered with Water for Africa to launch the Well Worth It program in 2018, building on Water for Africa's successes in water infrastructure. The partnership enabled Love Mercy to begin drilling new borehole wells after Huber Social Impact Reports revealed that water access was directly correlated with wellbeing among Cents for Seeds participants.
• Huber SocialcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Love Mercy partners with Sydney-based social impact measurement agency Huber Social to conduct annual social impact assessments of Cents for Seeds. 1,200+ surveys are administered each year measuring wellbeing across multiple dimensions, providing data that drives program improvements and reveals insights such as the water-wellbeing connection that led to the Well Worth It program.
• Achon Uganda Children's Fund (AUCF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012AUCF partnered with Love Mercy Foundation to establish and support the Kristina Health Centre, co-founded by AUCF Co-Founder Jim Fee in memory of Julius Achon's mother Kristina. AUCF has continued supporting KHC including donating an outreach vehicle in 2023. AUCF also conducted a 402km bike ride from Entebbe to Lira in partnership with Love Mercy.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Water for Africa: Water for Africa is Love Mercy's Well Worth It implementation partner, drilling and repairing borehole wells across Africa. It is directly comparable as a WASH-focused NGO specializing in borehole infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Opportunity International Australia: Opportunity International Australia provides microfinance and small-business loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries, directly comparable to Love Mercy's Cents for Seeds agricultural micro-loan and VSLA model for women in low-income communities.
• charity: water: charity: water is a US-based nonprofit exclusively funding clean water projects in developing countries, directly comparable to Love Mercy's Well Worth It program in terms of single-cause focus on water access and digital gift-card-style funding model.
• Send Hope Not Flowers: Send Hope Not Flowers is an Australian-founded nonprofit funding safe births and maternal healthcare in developing countries, directly comparable to Love Mercy's Kristina Health Centre maternal health programming and The Mother Run fundraising event.

Broad incumbents

• WaterAid Australia: WaterAid Australia is the Australian affiliate of a global WASH-focused INGO with a similar clean water mission to Love Mercy's Well Worth It program in developing-country contexts, though at much greater scale and across multiple geographies.
• Caritas Australia: Caritas Australia is a large ACFID-member Australian humanitarian and development agency working across food security, water, health, and livelihoods in Africa and Asia, comparable in scope and integrated program model though at significantly larger scale.
• Plan International Australia: Plan International Australia is the Australian affiliate of a global child- and women-focused INGO working on health, education, and economic empowerment, comparable as a multi-program development organization with strong Australian fundraising infrastructure.
• Tearfund Australia: Tearfund Australia is an ACFID member Christian-based international development organization addressing poverty through community development, WASH, and economic empowerment programs in Africa and Asia, comparable in integrated model and Australian fundraising base.
• CARE Australia: CARE Australia is an ACFID member humanitarian organization with integrated programs addressing poverty, health, water, and women's economic empowerment in developing countries, comparable as an Australian-headquartered INGO with similar target demographics and program mix.

Emerging players

• Against Malaria Foundation: Against Malaria Foundation is a highly focused, evidence-driven health intervention nonprofit distributing long-lasting insecticidal nets, comparable to Love Mercy in the disciplined, measurable single-cause focus and digital productized giving model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/love_mercy_foundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/love-mercy-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Love Mercy Foundation