What Oxfam is Doing
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FINDING LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS TO POVERTY
Oxfam supplies emergency aid to communities when needed, but we also work to help people improve their means of making a living, thereby fostering their self-sufficiency.
In Sudan, where conflict in the western part of the country has forced more than two million people to flee their homes, Oxfam will work with local groups to help families rebuild their livelihoods when they are finally able to return home.
In Ethiopia, Oxfam funds local organizations that teach farmers to grow drought-resistant crops and employ new techniques and improved veterinary services for their livestock. A variety of water projects, including water pumps, spring rehabilitation, and even camels for water transport, are helping farmers and their families survive in arid conditions.
In 2002, Oxfam kicked off our What's That In Your Coffee? campaign in Ethiopia with a special conference in the capital city of Addis Ababa. The campaign exposes the hardships coffee farmers in Ethiopia have endured since the global crash in the price of coffee. Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has endorsed the Global Rescue Plan developed by Oxfam, which commits more resources to gaining organic certification for Ethiopian coffee farmers, helping them get a better price for their coffee, and lowering taxes for coffee exporters.
In 2003, Oxfam partner Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperatives Union declared a $770,000 profit after its first year of operation. Seventy percent of the dividend was shared with all members of the cooperatives according to their contribution. The minimum that one coffee farmer received from the profits was $64B, which is enough to send three children to school for one year or feed a family for three months. Oxfam America assisted Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperatives Union in its marketing efforts, helping to cover costs associated with exporting its coffee.