What Oxfam is Doing
Oxfam America is working to increase the effectiveness of US foreign aid by placing the voices and priorities of poor people at the center of aid policy and practice. Through analytical and field research, we will bring out the hopes and concerns of intended beneficiaries, implementing partners, aid professionals, other donors, and host governments. Through political advocacy, we will ensure that these voices are heard by policy makers who have the power to make US foreign aid more effective in the fight against global poverty. more »
What You Can Do
- Download Foreign Aid 101, a quick and easy guide to understanding US foreign aid.
- Learn more. Download Smart Development, Oxfam’s briefing paper on making aid work.
- Read about aid on the ground. Our Smart Development in the Field Reports share perspectives from aid providers and aid recipients.
- Get involved. Join our Aid Reform mailing list
- Meet Oxfam's Aid Reform team. Learn more about the team of policy analysts and communications professionals currently working on the Aid Reform initiative.
Video
The United States foreign aid apparatus has not undergone a significant overhaul since the John F. Kennedy administration. In this edition of Bloggingheads.tv, Mark Leon Goldberg of UN Dispatch and The American Prospect, chats with Ray Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America, about how we can bring US foreign assistance and foreign aid practices into the 21st century.
Smart Development in Practice
The Humanitarian Response Index: Where we stand
Just how effective is US humanitarian aid? |
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Measuring the right results: The real strength of the Millennium Challenge Corporation
Senate appropriators are recommending severe cuts in funding for the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). Yet since 2004, the MCC has a clear record of delivering tangible results by rewarding countries that make reforms to fight poverty and promote economic growth. |
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From Mozambique, lessons on how PEPFAR can be integrated into a country’s own health system
PEPFAR’s evolving role in Mozambique is a model for countries that have only just begun to hold donors accountable to their national health priorities. |
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Dispatch from the Field: Diogo Milagre, Mozambique
"The donors tell us they want to listen. Is this true or is it just rhetoric?" |
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Aid transparency: When developing countries lead, will the US follow?
A new Web site in Mozambique is attempting to address the problem of donor transparency. |
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In El Salvador, USAID program grows a new generation of rural entrepreneurs
By building on local knowledge—and adapting to local conditions—USAID and Fintrac help farming communities overcome poverty. |
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Building on Strength in Afghanistan
Far from hopeless, the Afghan people are determined to build a peaceful future—and US foreign aid can help. |
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Q&A on Aid in Afghanistan
Oxfam’s policy advisor, Matt Waldman, talks about how we can make aid more effective in Afghanistan. |
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Listening and Learning to Improve Aid
As part of the Listening Project, Oxfam America talks to community members about their experiences with international aid—and gains some valuable insights. |

