What Oxfam is doing

October 2010

Fighting hunger has long been at the core of Oxfam's mission. The name "Oxfam" comes from the original British postal abbreviation for the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief in Oxford, UK, whose early efforts included an appeal in spring 1945 to help survivors of the Dutch "hunger winter."

Since then, we've helped people overcome hunger in hundreds of countries worldwide. Instead of short-term handouts, we promote change "from the bottom up": through hundreds of grassroots organizations around the world. Through years of experience, we've developed an array of solutions that allow us to respond to food crises quickly, using tools that can also help strengthen local markets. Among other projects, we support people’s efforts to plant community gardens, stock cereal banks, diversify their crops, and learn more sustainable growing techniques.

We're also calling on our leaders to change the laws and practices that contribute to world hunger. For example, in many humanitarian emergencies Oxfam responds to, food is often one of people's most urgent needs, but they can't wait months for it to be shipped from abroad. We're calling for a reform of our current system of international food aid in order to make it faster, more flexible and cheaper.

In the long term, we can fight hunger by urging governments and companies to invest in farmers, especially those living in poor and marginalized communities. These investments must focus on women: their knowledge, their energy, and their entrepreneurial drive. And we must support innovative, sustainable farming techniques that protect our food supply in a changing climate.