What We Do
Oxfam America works on the scene, helping people gain the hope, skills, and direction to create a new future. We are also active in the global arena, addressing social injustice through our advocacy, public education, and emergency assistance programs.
Cyclone Aila struck Bangladesh and India with torrential rains and tidal surges that caused massive flooding. Oxfam partners are rushing essential aid to the survivors.
As fighting intensifies, hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis have fled their homes. Oxfam is working to provide essentials to the people in greatest need.
Oxfam and local partners are building latrines and rushing clean water and hygiene supplies to those who have been displaced by violence.
Suffering continues on an almost unimaginable scale. Millions are living in makeshift shelters in crowded camps or on the edge of towns and villages.
Climate change, energy costs, and biofuel demand are driving food prices through the roof, particularly impacting the poor, who spend most of their income on food.
Oxfam and local partners are providing Gazans food, clean water, medical assistance, and public health services, and repairing water and sewage systems damaged in the conflict.
Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo has cost nearly 5.4 million lives. Many have fled to neighboring countries or temporary camps, and government stability is fragile.
Oxfam's response to the devastating 2004 tsunami was our largest humanitarian response ever, with over 2.5 million people receiving vital aid and recovery assistance.
Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991. Periodic conflict between rival factions has forced massive displacements of people and severely disrupted the economy.
Following the tsunami of Dec. 2004, Oxfam launched a research program to study a wide range of issues related to the disaster response, which has strengthened our programs and pointed the way to improving aid effectiveness.
Zimbabwe is in the grip of a cholera epidemic that is threatening the health of over 300,000 people, worsening an already dire economic situation.
2008 China earthquake recovery
A devastating earthquake in the Sichuan region of China in 2008 killed nearly 70,000, injured 350,000 and caused the evacuation of 15 million people.
2007 Bangladesh cyclone recovery
Cyclone Sidr left more than 3,000 people dead, destroyed or damaged 1.4 million houses, and affected more than 8 million people. Without a massive response, Bangladesh will face its worst crisis in decades.
Oxfam seeks to create equitable solutions to the crisis, including greenhouse gas reduction and financial assistance for the most vulnerable communities.
Right to Know, Right to Decide
Poor communities often have no say in the extraction of resources from their land, and receive little information about these projects. Oxfam is calling on oil, gas, and mining companies to respect their rights and operate transparently.
US foreign aid under-performs and often fails to reach the people who need it most. Oxfam seeks reform of US foreign aid to make it more efficient, more modern, and more focused on ending global poverty.
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita spurred Oxfam America's first relief and recovery effort in the US. Oxfam is working with local partners in the Gulf Coast to address the needs of the most vulnerable residents and communities.
The poorest people often find vital drugs priced out of reach—despite promises from the WTO to make medicines affordable and available to all. Oxfam is asking governments and drug companies to make affordable medicine a reality.
Poor countries are already suffering from the effects of climate change. Oxfam seeks to create equitable solutions to the crisis, including greenhouse gas reduction and financial assistance for the most vulnerable communities.
Photo: mborum
Oxfam seeks fair government policies and corporate practices in the oil, gas, and mining industries, and supports the right of communities to participate in decisions about the use of natural resources.
Photo: mborum
US foreign aid under-performs and often fails to reach the people who need it most. Oxfam seeks reform of US foreign aid to make it more efficient, more modern, and more focused on ending global poverty.
Photo: mborum
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. We partner with local groups in a network that stretches around the world.
Photo: mborum
Having a safe place to save or access to a small loan can help a family work its way out of poverty. Oxfam America has pioneered a microfinance model called Saving for Change, which self-replicates on a large scale and at a low cost.
Photo: mborum
Nearly a billion people are short of food, 37 million of whom live in the United States. Oxfam is working on solutions to ensure that no one, no matter where he or she lives, has to go to sleep hungry.
Photo: mborum
An uneven and often incompetent recovery effort has left many residents of the US Gulf Coast struggling to rebuild. Oxfam is leading efforts to ensure the needs of the most vulnerable are fully addressed.
Photo: mborum
Farm workers in the US are often subjected to mistreatment and exploitation. Oxfam seeks to expose sweatshop conditions and human rights violations in America's fields.
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More than one billion people lack access to a safe water supply, and that number is growing. As water supplies are threatened, rural communities are most affected—and have the most to lose.
Photo: mborum
World trade could be a powerful force for reducing poverty, if poor people could sell their products at a decent price. But unfair trade agreements and agricultural subsidies hamper efforts to reduce poverty in poor countries.
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We are hopeful that the new administration will re-engage with the international community, lead the fight against global poverty, and create positive long-term change that will result in a more prosperous, secure world.
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The factors that make people vulnerable to poverty and HIV/AIDS are similar, including a lack of access to health care and education; violence; racial and gender discrimination; and other human rights violations.
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In many areas of the world there is little respect for minorities or indigenous people. Oxfam specializes in the training and strengthening of organizations that call for changes in discriminatory policies targeting minority groups.
Photo: mborum
Oxfam helps farmers and native communities gain legal title to their land, manage it in environmentally friendly ways, and defend it against pollution and other threats.
Photo: mborum
Seventy percent of those living below the poverty line are women. Oxfam helps women and girls overcome gender discrimination, realize their potential, and become decision-makers and leaders in their communities.
Photo: mborum
For the world's small-scale farmers, farming can be a precarious way of life. From surviving climate change to being paid a fair price, Oxfam helps family farmers around the world earn a decent living.
Photo: mborum
Global Reach
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In Cambodia, USAID helps citizen groups protect their legal rights
Support to the Community Legal Education Center (CLEC) helps USAID foster an environment where citizens can have a voice in their government and demand broader accountability.
Camp conditions in Somalia are among worst this aid worker has ever seen
Shelter, clean water, food, medicine—all of these are needed in camps for displaced people in Somalia.
Getting results from our aid: Rethinking what we measure
In the midst of an economic crisis, US policy makers are more prone to ask, "Are we actually getting results from our foreign aid?"
With wood scarce in Darfur, a new stove promises good things for women and the environment
Fuel-efficient stoves that burn less wood will benefit both women in Darfur and the environment there.
Drought and conflict have left more than three million people dependent on aid in Somalia. A senior policy advisor for Oxfam America calls it the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
A journey to Zimbabwe with Emile Hirsch
As the fight against cholera continues in Zimbabwe, a public health worker documents her travels alongside the actor and Oxfam Ambassador.
Small loans make a big difference for women in Afghanistan
Oxfam America's sister organizations are working hard to help women in drought-prone areas of Afghanistan find ways to improve their lives.
Though safe from the fighting, those who fled to camps face hardship and deprivation.
Ethiopia celebrates Earth Day with films, lectures, and discussions
Oxfam America helped to organize a three-day event that raised local awareness about the consequences of climate change in Ethiopia.
