What Oxfam is doing

6 October 2009

Hundreds of thousands of people fled their homes as storms lashed Southeast Asia in late September. Oxfam has rushed aid to the Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia in response to the emergency.

When disaster-affected people have to move into crowded, makeshift camps, conditions can jeopardize public health. Outbreaks of deadly waterborne diseases like cholera can compound the original emergency with a health crisis. Oxfam specializes in providing clean water and sanitation facilities in emergencies, and we are moving quickly to meet these and other needs in the Ketsana-affected region: along with clean water, we will distribute blankets, water containers, soap, cleaning equipment, clothes, mosquito nets, and shelter materials.

In all, Oxfam aims to reach more than 150,000 people in the region with emergency aid.

“Our focus is on public health...especially for women and girls who are disproportionately affected by disasters such as this,” says Arif Jabbar Khan, Oxfam humanitarian coordinator in the Philippines, where Oxfam is focusing its largest aid effort. “Right now, we’re focusing on where needs are the greatest. My biggest worry is the public health. If it’s not addressed quickly, it could lead to another disaster.”