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Disasters & conflicts

As a humanitarian organization, our mission is to do whatever we can to reduce suffering and save lives during emergencies—whether they are caused by conflict or by natural events such as earthquakes, floods, or drought. To move fast and efficiently, we partner with local groups who know the people, the land, and the political context of the region in which the disaster strikes. Our network of partners stretches around the world.

Even before a disaster strikes, Oxfam is working in innovative ways to reduce people's vulnerability to emergencies by helping them prepare to respond and to build their resiliency. When disaster strikes around the world, we and our partners respond quickly with life-saving assistance. Once the immediate danger has passed, we work to rebuild lives and reduce the risk of future disasters.

Oxfam is developing a public health program that will allow us to use scientific data to design better ways of responding to emergencies. We will be carrying this initiative into our regional offices and working with local partner organizations. We will also be building new relationships with academic institutions both in Boston and abroad.

The term "livelihood" means how people make their living: how they reliably earn money and get food to meet their family’s basic needs. Livelihoods are central to how people get by in normal, nonemergency times, but they are also a key part of how people cope in disasters and how people recover afterward.

Responding to disasters when they occur is a crucial part of Oxfam's humanitarian mission. But finding ways to help communities prepare for emergencies and prevent natural events from becoming disasters is the cutting edge of our work.

Don't cut ordinary Haitians out of planning Haiti's future!
World leaders and financiers will meet in New York this month to map out Haiti's reconstruction. But community leaders and poor people from Haiti haven't yet been invited. Call on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to push the meeting's organizers to give Haitian citizens and community leaders a seat at the table and a voice in the deliberations. It's a major chance to turn things around for Haiti.
Host an Oxfam America Hunger Banquet® event
Raise awareness and help fund Oxfam's work by hosting a Hunger Banquet® in your community! Few experiences bring to life the inequalities in our world more powerfully than an Oxfam America Hunger Banquet® event. Organizers and participants alike can experience firsthand how our decisions affect others in the world.
Join Oxfam's Humanitarian Action Team
Join a core group dedicated to creating lasting change by influencing US legislation on humanitarian issues such as the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the earthquake in China, and the global food crisis.
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Oxfam team assesses the damage in south Chile
Oxfam's team arrives in Chile to assess damage
Tsunami warning passes as staff move in to Chile
Oxfam urges foreign ministers to cancel Haiti's debt
Oxfam relief efforts continue in Haiti
Radiohead Concert to Benefit Oxfam America’s Work in Haiti
MEDIA ADVISORY: Oxfam humanitarian response in Haiti - interviews available this weekend
Oxfam America mobilizes celebrities, new media to raise emergency funds for Haiti
Haiti earthquake: One week later, aid agencies facing challenges
MEDIA ADVISORY: Oxfam media availability in Haiti
Oxfam teams in Haiti delivering aid
On the ground in Haiti: Oxfam’s humanitarian coordinator describes the scene
Oxfam staff member killed in Haiti quake
Coldplay joins Oxfam appeal for Haiti earthquake
Oxfam team in place for Haiti earthquake response
World needs to act now to prevent new Sudan war, ten aid agencies warn
Poverty and unemployment fuel the conflict according to 70 percent of Afghans
President Karzai’s new government must deliver on schools, midwives and police say aid agencies
Oxfam America launches Asia Pacific Emergency Appeal
Oxfam welcomes climate bill as a step toward addressing needs of the hardest hit
Multi-agency report reveals disparity in living conditions for Louisianans
A third of Afghans at risk of hunger show need for urgent aid reforms, says Oxfam
DRC: Clinton should highlight rape and justice issues
Pakistan: Three months after clashes began, Oxfam International emphasizes need for voluntary and safe returns of displaced people
Rape, attack, torture surge in eastern Congo, says new Oxfam survey
Obama's visit to Africa: Time for a new partnership founded on transparency and shared responsibility
New report reveals shared experiences of African Americans and Latinos
Oxfam boosts aid effort to thousands fleeing new fighting in Somalia
Pakistan faces greatest internal displacement of people in its history; Oxfam doubles aid effort
Grave concerns over conditions for civilians who escaped Sri Lanka's war zone
Thousands at risk as families flee Pakistan conflict
UN-backed military operation in eastern Congo likely to cause widespread suffering for thousands of civilians warns Oxfam
Thousands of homes burned in new atrocities in Eastern Congo, villagers tell Oxfam
Oxfam International aids thousands displaced by Sri Lankan conflict
Piracy must not overshadow humanitarian crisis at donor meeting
Number of people affected by climate disaster up 54 percent by 2015
Eastern DR Congo as bad as 2008, says Oxfam
Agency scales up to provide water and sanitation to 150,000 newly displaced people
Troop surge in Afghanistan must not endanger civilians, warn aid agencies
Oxfam warns of devastating impact for Afghan civilians if violence intensifies
Humanitarian crisis imminent in Somali refugee camp, Oxfam warns
Oxfam Great Britain pulls back international staff to Khartoum while it appeals decision to revoke registration
Oxfam GB confirms that license to operate in northern Sudan revoked
New Zimbabwe government must prioritize worsening humanitarian crisis
UN appeal on Gaza: Access for aid just as crucial as funding
Israel denies Gaza more than 50 percent of minimum daily needs; provision of pasta and dates also denied entry arbitrarily, Oxfam charges.
Oxfam to President Obama: New strategy must avert humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan
School in a time of cholera? Health risk threatens return to school for Zimbabwean children
A unilateral ceasefire is no guarantee of safety for civilians
Iraqi women in the grip of 'silent emergency' despite security gains, warns Oxfam
A surge of state aid for women and their families, investment in basic services, urgently needed; 75 percent of widows interviewed not receiving pension.
Affordable housing needs to be part of disaster planning, says Oxfam America
As new hurricane season arrives, urgent needs remain unaddressed
G20 must put fight against poverty at the center of global economic reforms
Global leaders must not squander historic opportunity for reform.
Bold leadership is needed to turn the tide of poverty
Oxfam applauds Congress for passing Hurricane Housing Recovery Act
Gulf Coast advocates play key role in passage of legislation
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Earthquake in Haiti Fact Sheet
No country can withstand disasters like the one that has rocked Haiti, let alone one saddled with deep poverty and minimal infrastructure. We know the communities we work with are strong and determined, and will respond to this disaster as they have others. We have a shared responsibility to ensure that Haitians have the resources they need to avoid unnecessary suffering.
OXFAMExchange Spring 2009
The power of resilience
OXFAMExchange Winter 2009
These are extraordinary times
OXFAMExchange Fall 2008
A root revolution in Cambodia
US Gulf Coast Recovery Program Fact Sheet
An overview of Oxfam America's continuing effort to rebuild the Gulf Coast
OXFAMExchange Spring 2008
Raising a generation without fear
Darfur Crisis Fact Sheet
An overview of the continuing humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
OXFAMExchange Fall 2007
Moving Toward Lasting Solutions in Gambia
Saving Lives
Disasters, and the way we respond to them, can be catalysts for social change—a chance to create lasting solutions to poverty and injustice.
Working together to end poverty and injustice
An overview of Oxfam America and our approach to poverty relief and lasting social change.
Oxfam in the Horn of Africa
Drought. Conflict. Low crop prices. These are among the realities that poor people across the Horn of Africa face on a daily basis. But with new tools for channeling water, building peace, and influencing markets, people are beginning to wrest control over their lives.
Oxfam in West Africa
Across the vast Sahel and down through the lush rainforests of Ghana, there is a growing sense of possibility.
OXFAMExchange Winter 2007
Creating Peace
Oxfam in Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean
All across this diverse and beautiful territory, new faces of leadership are emerging. Women, rural communities, and small farmers are adding their voices to the political dialogue, calling on their governments: Hear us now.
OXFAMExchange Spring 2006
Challenging Injustice
OXFAMExchange Winter 2006
The Year of Disasters
Oxfam in South America
To their government officials and to the corporations who want to exploit their lands and natural resources, the indigenous and rural people of South America have a simple, yet important message: "We are here."
OXFAMExchange Spring 2005
Aid Working: After the Tsunami
OXFAMExchange Winter 2005
Come Together: Building a movement to overcome poverty and change the world
OXFAMExchange Fall 2004
Troubled Waters: Focus on Oxfam's water and sanitation work
OXFAMExchange Spring 2004
Engendering an Equitable Society: Focus on Women's Rights
OXFAMExchange Fall 2003
Ross Gelbspan on Climate Change, The Fast for a World Harvest Turns 30, Hurricane Mitch Five Years Later
OXFAMExchange Spring 2003
Red Tomato, ethnic discrimination and the Mayan defense, clearing landmines in Afghanistan, and community radio breathes life into democracy in Senegal
OXFAMExchange Winter 2003
Mary Robinson on human rights, functional literacy in West Africa, and saving the family farm
OXFAMExchange Fall 2002
What's in your coffee? Oxfam's coffee campaign. Plus Afghanistan, Make Trade Fair campaign, and the Hopi people's struggle for clean, safe drinking water.
OXFAMExchange Spring 2002
Oxfam launches the Make Trade Fair campaign
More publications
Reconstructing Haiti
A summary of recommendations for moving forward following the January 12, 2010 earthquake.
Why are humanitarian advocates leading on aid reform?
AidNow series
Rescuing the Peace in Southern Sudan
The next 12 months will be critical for the future of Sudan. As the country marks the fifth anniversary of the signing of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended a devastating civil war, southern Sudan has seen a major upsurge in violence.
The Cost of War
Afghan experiences of conflict, 1978-2009
Protect and serve or train and equip?
US security assistance and protection of civilians
Band aids and beyond
Oxfam calls for a shake-up in the way the world deals with food crises in Ethiopia and beyond.
Missing pieces? Assessing the impact of humanitarian reform in Pakistan
A Portrait of Louisiana
Louisiana Human Development Report 2009
The new adaptation marketplace
Climate change and opportunities for green economic growth
Waking the Devil
The impact of forced disarmament on civilians in the Kivus
Building Common Ground
How shared attitudes and concerns can create alliances between African-Americans and Latinos in a post-Katrina New Orleans
Rebuilding Gaza
Putting people before politics
The Aftershock of Cyclone Nargis
Credit Crunch in the Delta
One Year On
Oxfam reports on its emergency and reconstruction projects
The Right to Survive
The humanitarian challenge for the twenty-first century
Caught in the Conflict
Civilians and the international security strategy in Afghanistan
Meeting humanitarian needs on the Kenya border with Somalia
Collaboration in Crises
Summary report: Lessons from the Oxfam International tsunami research program
Ten Point Plan to Change Course in Afghanistan
Oxfam America's memo to President Obama
A Portrait of Mississippi
Mississippi Human Development Report 2009
Tsunami Fund end of program report
Oxfam's final report on its four-year response to the tsunami disaster of December 2004.
Listening to disaster-affected communities
An executive summary of "Collaboration in Crises"
Reducing vulnerability to HIV before and after disasters
Tsunami research brief: An exploration of how the tsunami and its aftermath led to an increase in vulnerability to HIV in coastal India.
Deepening community engagement
Tsunami research brief: A study of disaster preparedness programs in Sri Lanka that points to the importance of listening carefully to communities.
Lessons in disaster management
Tsunami research brief: An examination of the Sri Lankan government's disaster management policies, which contributed to planning and reform.
Sheltering people after disasters
Tsunami research brief: An assessment of shelter conditions in India that led to the release of government funds for repairs.
Improving livelihoods after disasters
Tsunami research brief: Studies of paddy agriculture and the coconut fiber industry in Sri Lanka point to ways aid providers can help improve incomes.
Ending the R&D Crisis in Public Health
Out of Site
Building better responses to displacement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by helping host families
For a Safer Tomorrow
This report, based on Oxfam International's experience in most of the world's conflicts, sets out an ambitious agenda to protect civilians in times of warfare.
The Middle East Quartet
A progress report
Mission incomplete
Why civilians remain at risk in eastern Chad
Mirror on America
How the state of Gulf Coast recovery reflects on us all—Oxfam's report on the status of Gulf Coast recovery three years later.
In Her Own Words
Iraqi women talk about their greatest concerns and challenges.
The Gaza Strip: A Humanitarian Implosion
Deepening poverty, severe decline of basic services, and destruction to the economy have resulted from the recent blockade.
Community Peacebuilding in Afghanistan
A case for a national strategy
Afghanistan: Development and Humanitarian Priorities
Oxfam International Third Year Report on the Tsunami Response
Sink or Swim
Why Disaster Risk Reduction is central to surviving floods in South Asia
Rising to the humanitarian challenge in Iraq
Between Hope and Fear in Northern Uganda
Challenges on the ground and an urgent need for peace
Understanding the Effect of the Tsunami and its Aftermath on Vulnerability to HIV in Coastal India
A tsunami research journal article
Gender Mainstreaming During Disasters
A tsunami research journal article
A Fragile Future
Why scaling down MONUC too soon could spell disaster for the Congo
Oxfam International Humanitarian Policy Notes
These policy notes describe key issues for humanitarian organizations in the twenty-first century and provide recommendations derived from our experience working in the field as well as in the policy arena.
Arms Without Borders
Why a globalized trade needs global controls
Free, Quality Education for Every Afghan Child
With the establishment of democracy, the main symbol of Afghanistan's regeneration lay in the dream of educating every child–boy and girl. However, there remain many obstacles to achieving this dream.
The Coir Industry in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka
A tsunami research journal article
Disaster Management Policy and Practice
A tsunami research journal article
Forgotten Communities, Unmet Promises
An unfolding tragedy on the Gulf Coast
Causing Hunger
An overview of the food crisis in Africa
Consequences of the Proliferation and Misuse of Small Arms and Light Weapons
Ammunition: The Fuel of Conflict
Cuba: Weathering the Storm
Lessons in risk reduction
Afghanistan Education Report Card
More research
Menu of event ideas
Want to do something to support Oxfam America’s work, but don’t know where to start? We’ve put together a wide range of time-tested event suggestions from Oxfam supporters around the country.
In harm's way: Oxfam America's game on rethinking natural disasters
Oxfam America Organizing Guide
Tips for taking action in your community
Oxfam America House Party Guide
Tools for hosting a high-impact event
Take Action: Democratic Republic of Congo
According to Jan Egeland, the UN humanitarian chief in DRC from 2003-06, casualties in Congo amount to "a tsunami every month, year in and year out, for the last six years." Yet since Egeland made this statement in 2005 about the crisis in Congo, the situation remains grim, and the Congolese people are being subjected to unrivaled brutality.
More tools for activists
Oxfam on the ground in Haiti: Captured in photos
One month after the earthquake, Oxfam is providing water, latrines, plastic sheeting, and relief materials–as well as cash payments for work—to thousands who have gathered in temporary camps, both within the city and in hard-hit outlying areas. And we will continue to scale up our efforts.
From Congo with love
Photographer Rankin found humanity in abundance on his return to Congo in 2009 when he asked villagers to tell him about the people and things they love.
Oxfam on the ground in Haiti: New beginnings
The Haitian people have begun tackling the hard work of recovery. Many are eager to contribute, looking for opportunities to earn money, to meet people's basic needs—opportunities like assembling family kits.
Haiti Podcast: January 29, 2010
Mark Fried, Oxfam spokesman in Haiti, reports on the conditions in a camp for displaced people in Port-au-Prince.
Haiti podcast: January 26, 2010
Mark Fried, Oxfam spokesman in Haiti, reporting from a hospital in Port-au-Prince.
Oxfam on the ground in Haiti: Scaling up
An estimated one million people in and around Port-au-Prince have lost their homes, forcing many into makeshift temporary camps. Oxfam is providing essentials like clean water, shelter materials, latrines, supplies like soap, and cooking implements to tens of thousands of these displaced people.
Avoiding a food crisis in rural Haiti
Oxfam’s Yves Gattereau talks about how the January 2010 earthquake poses a threat to the country’s already shaky food supply.
Video: Making the water flow
Oxfam distributes water to thousands of displaced Haitians.
Haiti podcast: January 17, 2010
Audio from Louis Belanger, the Humanitarian Media Officer for Oxfam, who is in Port-au-Prince Haiti.
Haiti podcast: January 16, 2010
Audio from Louis Belanger, the Humanitarian Media Officer for Oxfam, who is assessing the situation in Haiti.
Video: Earthquake in Haiti requires major humanitarian response
Earthquake survivors urgently need basic services. Oxfam is on the ground in Haiti with 200 people preparing to support rescue efforts and respond with safe water, sanitation services, and shelter material. According to the UN, one third of Haiti’s 9 million people are believed to have been affected. As we pass the 48-hour mark, the need for clean water is now acute.
Video: The need for water is acute
Without water, people cant last much beyond three days. Thats why Oxfam focuses much of its emergency response on rushing to provide survivors with a safe supply.
Video: Haiti at risk
Just under 80% of Haiti's 9.6 million people live on less than $2 per day. About half of Haiti's population lacks clean drinking water. These images, taken in Haiti in 2009 by photographer Jeff Antebi, illustrate that a majority of Haitians were struggling to get by before the earthquake struck.
In the grip of drought
Ethiopians find ways to fight back
Conflict surges in Congo
Atrocities are being committed against villagers in remote areas of Eastern Congo, where fighting between the Congolese army and the FDLR rebel group continues. At least 250,000 people have been forced to leave their homes since January.
Sexual violence in DR Congo
Oxfam's striking short film, shot in eastern Congo in 2008, elevates the stories of women working to overcome brutality and asks viewers to take action by joining a growing community of people who will not stand by any longer.
Update on conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Michael Gratton, from Oxfam Quebec, reports on the needs of displaced people around Goma.
Update from DRC, Part 2
Samual Ngabe, Oxfam's humanitarian coordinator in Goma, gives a first-hand account of what's happening in DRC. Part 2 of 3.
Update from DRC, Part 1
Samual Ngabe, Oxfam's humanitarian coordinator in Goma, gives a first-hand account of what's happening in DRC. Part 1 of 3.
Update from DRC, Part 3
Samual Ngabe, Oxfam's humanitarian coordinator in Goma, gives a first-hand account of what's happening in DRC. Part 3 of 3.
Sharon's story
Sharon Hanshaw helps women speak out and prepare for future storms in post-Hurricane Katrina Biloxi, MS
Predictable, multiyear aid is life-saving in difficult contexts
An interview with Melissa Phillips, NGO Secretariat Coordinator in Juba, Southern Sudan.
Darfur Q & A Part 4
Part four of Oxfam's Darfur Q&A series. Mike Delaney, Oxfam's Director of humanitarian response, and Scott Stedjan, our Senior policy advisor, answer your questions.
Darfur Q & A Part 3
Part three of Oxfam's Darfur Q&A series. Mike Delaney, Oxfam's Director of humanitarian response, and Scott Stedjan, our Senior policy advisor, answer your questions.
Darfur Q & A Part 2
Part two of Oxfam's Darfur Q&A series. Mike Delaney, Oxfam's Director of humanitarian response, and Scott Stedjan, our Senior policy advisor, answer your questions.
Darfur Q & A Part 1
Part one of Oxfam's Darfur Q&A series. Mike Delaney, Oxfam's Director of humanitarian response, and Scott Stedjan, our Senior policy advisor, answer your questions.
A Seat at the Table
Step into the world where food is often scarce and difficult decisions have to be made every day.
A house for Miss Betty
An innovative housing program in the US Gulf Coast led by Oxfam America partner TRAC is taking housing in flood-prone areas to new heights.
In border village in Gambia, hardships hit everybody
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El Salvador: Communities unite after Hurricane Ida

El Salvador: Communities unite after Hurricane Ida

With their crops washed away along with their fertile soil, villagers in El Sauce face a long recovery.

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  Oxfam emergency response experts assess quake in Chile

Oxfam emergency response experts assess quake in Chile

The five-member team, including water engineers, will be ready to help local partners who can respond to the 8.8-magnitude temblor.

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For Emile Hirsch, Zimbabwe is a place of challenges—and hope

For Emile Hirsch, Zimbabwe is a place of challenges—and hope

In April, the actor saw firsthand the devastating consequences of the cholera outbreak that gripped the country as its water and sewer systems collapsed.

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Big challenges in Haiti

Big challenges in Haiti

Raymond C. Offenheiser, Oxfam America’s president, just returned from a visit to Haiti, and offers his analysis of the challenges facing the country and recommendations to Haiti and the international community for meeting them.

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Helping Haiti through the power of community

Helping Haiti through the power of community

From bake sales to skydiving, Oxfam America supporters found creative ways to join the relief effort.

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Rankin in Congo: 'Their humanity was what I wanted people to notice'

Rankin in Congo: 'Their humanity was what I wanted people to notice'

In 2009, celebrity photographer Rankin returned to Congo where he captured the love stories and portraits of people struggling through years of conflict in the eastern provinces.

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The long road home

The long road home

As the rainy season approaches, providing emergency shelter materials to those who have lost their houses is one of Oxfam's top priorities.

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First phase of Haiti rehabilitation to focus on water, sanitation, and shelter

First phase of Haiti rehabilitation to focus on water, sanitation, and shelter

Early assessments help Oxfam plan out the first six months of our post-earthquake assistance.

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Interview: Steve Abbot, public health engineer

Interview: Steve Abbot, public health engineer

An interview with one of Oxfam’s engineers in Port-au-Prince describes how volunteers at a camp for earthquake survivors pitched in to build latrines.

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