Oxfam America

OXFAMExchange Fall 2005

lmcfarlane — 2009-04-30T19:32:57Z

For some people in the developing world, the chance to overcome poverty takes the form of pipes and pumps to irrigate fields. For others, it's the savings group that allows them to put aside income for bigger goals and to borrow money when they need it. It's electricity and a freezer. It's learning to read and write. It's a chance to sell cotton or corn at a profit.

The stories that follow testify to the fact that aid can be used effectively—in Africa and beyond. By investing directly in people, by helping them gain access to education, credit, and natural resources, by challenging the policies that perpetuate poverty, Oxfam puts the systems in place that can end poverty. Without this work—and your support—people remain hungry, poor, and lacking meaningful ways to change their lives.

Together, we have the chance to make that change.

OXFAMExchange Fall 2004

mborum — 2009-04-30T19:55:30Z

Today, more than one billion people worldwide lack access to a safe water supply—and that number is growing rapidly. This is an issue that concerns all of us, for we all rely on water to stay alive. But it is an issue of particular immediacy for those who live and work in rural areas, where water is used not just for drinking and sanitation, but also for irrigating fields, putting fish on the table, and generating income. When water supplies are threatened, rural communities are often the most affected—and have the most to lose.

From flooding in Haiti to drought in Ethiopia, water has long been central to Oxfam's work. Our emergency water systems are a hallmark of our agency. And our efforts to help communities access water for farming and fishing enable people to realize security.

But in recent decades, some extraordinary water pressures have emerged, as water resources are being swallowed up by dams, mining, and other commercial projects. The result is that, for the villages along the rivers, in the watersheds, and on the floodplains of East Asia being swamped or dried up by dams…for the indigenous people and farmers of South America whose rivers, lakes, and wells have been destroyed by mining…water is quickly becoming a major issue—and a major issue for Oxfam.

OXFAMExchange Spring 2002

mborum — 2009-04-30T21:11:13Z

On April 11, in a noise heard far beyond the borders of the Hong Kong harbor, Oxfam crushed a shipping container emblazoned with various trade injustices that Oxfam is fighting to abolish.

Amid cheers from a throng of enthusiastic supporters and international media, Make Trade Fair won the day.

Oxfam's trade campaign was launched.

Within hours of the Hong Kong debut, events were held in 25 cities including Brussels, Dublin, Geneva, Mexico City, San Salvador, and Washington, D.C. These events ranged from press conferences and symposiums to a rock concert in London’s Trafalgar Square.

Oxfam's trade campaign seeks to unite concerned citizens around the world in calling for fair trade policies that will help move millions of people out of poverty.

Nobel Prize Professor Amartya Sen, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and musician and social activist Bono were among those who endorsed the campaign. "Oxfam has got it right," said Bono. "It wouldn't cost much to change the rules of trade so that poor countries can work their way out of poverty. But the world's leaders won't act unless they hear enough people telling them."

Also in this issue of EXCHANGE, writers Frances and Anna Lappé discuss their book Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet, and we bring you updates on Oxfam's work with water and sanitation, drought in Ethiopia, and indigenous women in the highlands of Peru who are speaking out after decades of violence.