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.
Syrian conflict and refugee crisis
The fierce fighting in Syria has uprooted millions of people from their homes. Oxfam and our partners in the region are assisting many of those who have taken refuge in Lebanon and Jordan.
Armed conflict in Sudan has driven millions from their homes. Oxfam and partners are providing access to crucial aid like clean water, seeds, and the means to earn an income.
Poor and erratic rains, failed harvests, and soaring food prices set the stage for a severe food crisis in the Sahel region of West Africa in 2012, placing more than 18 million people at risk.
For many of the 13 million people affected by the food crisis that hit East Africa in mid-2011, the hardship is not over. Though good rains came to many areas in late 2011, millions of people continue to need support to recover.
In October 2011, a torrential, nine-day storm caused massive flooding, but Oxfam's decade-long investment in El Salvador deepened the capacity of partners and communities to care for their own.
On January 12, 2010 a major earthquake struck Haiti near the capital of Port-au-Prince causing catastrophic destruction in the western hemisphere's most impoverished nation.
Oxfam is helping people survive catastrophes like hurricanes and earthquakes, and the dangerous upheavals of war. Learn about Saving Lives 24/7.
For the second year, massive floods are inundating millions of acres of land in Pakistan. Oxfam is rushing aid to the region, supporting search-and-rescue, planning food distribution, and supplying clean water and sanitation facilities.
Some progress has been made in Afghanistan, but continued conflict and insecurity have added to the hardships that make it one of the poorest countries in the world.
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.
Responding to disasters is a crucial part of Oxfam's humanitarian mission. But finding ways to help communities prepare for and prevent natural events from becoming full-scale disasters is at the cutting edge of our work.
Oxfam's GROW campaign aims to build a better food system: one that sustainably feeds a growing population and empowers poor people to earn a living, feed their families, and thrive.
Oxfam's Right to Know Right to Decide campaign challenges international oil, gas, and mining companies to respect a community’s right to revenue transparency and free, prior, and informed consent.
Oxfam America is working to deepen the US government’s commitment to making poverty-reducing foreign aid more effective.
Since a series of terrible blows hit the Gulf Coast—from hurricanes Katrina and Rita to the BP oil spill—Oxfam has been helping people rebuild and restore their communities and ecosystems.
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.
A growing portion of Oxfam America's work involves collaboration with new allies, including strategic engagement with the private sector.
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.
Worldwide, nearly one in seven people now suffers from chronic hunger. Oxfam is working on solutions to ensure that no one, no matter where he or she lives, has to go to sleep hungry.
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.
Insurance and rural resilience
With financial tools, such as insurance, farmers can improve their well-being.
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.
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.
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.
Global Reach
Features Subscribe | View All
Alexis Nkurunziza, Transparency Expert
A researcher and human rights defender is leveraging a tiny investment of US foreign aid to open up budgets in Rwanda.
Oxfam very concerned about violent acts in Guatemala
Join Oxfam in demanding that the Guatemalan government protect the lives and rights of all its citizens.
Screaming out loud: Syrian women tell stories of war and struggle
Citizen journalists elevate the voices of their refugee communities.
Women and the big business of chocolate
Chocolate is a $100 billion industry, but most cocoa farmers live on less than $2 a day. Get the facts and find out how you can help.
Majeda Begum Shiru, Local Leader
A formerly quiet woman is leveraging a tiny investment of US foreign aid to enable women to speak loudly and powerfully to improve health and education in Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Top 10 things you need to know about Oxfam
Here are the most important facts about Oxfam America: what we do, how we do it, and how you can get involved in our mission.
Savings groups: Building a movement
Experts to convene at Washington, DC, conference to map future of savings groups
Sowing the seeds of a better future
In Haiti’s lush Artibonite Valley, combating hunger and rural poverty may come down to a four-letter word: rice.
For Syrian refugees, a long-awaited trip to the store
Many Syrian refugees in Lebanon are living with little protection from extreme winter temperatures. An Oxfam partner is providing essentials—and choices.
Follow us online