Blogs & Stories

A Diary of an Oxfamer from Syria.

by Dania Kareh | Oxfam in Syria | March 14, 2023

In Kenya, rains have failed for four years consecutively, resulting in acute hunger and extreme vulnerability of local communities.

by Oxfam Canada | March 1, 2023

The war has devastated Ukraine while people in the most vulnerable corners of the world continue feeling its catastrophic ripple effects.

by Oxfam | August 24, 2022

The economic impacts of the war in Ukraine – including unprecedented food and energy price inflation – are being felt by the most vulnerable in our deeply unequal world.

by Oxfam Canada | April 26, 2022

Karen Sander, the Chair of the Board of Oxfam Canada, traveled to Bangladesh with senior and program staff from Oxfam. This is her story.

by Karen Sander | December 2, 2021

India is experiencing a deadly wave of coronavirus deaths, and hospitals are unable to meet the demand for treatment.

by Oxfam Canada | April 28, 2021

Oxfam continues its work to assist families surviving a decade of war in Syria, but every day in Syria is a struggle to survive.

by Dania Kareh | March 15, 2021

As the world grapples with the economic fallout from COVID-19, women domestic workers are experiencing an even further slide into poverty.

by Oxfam Canada | January 19, 2021

Explaining my love of Beirut is equal parts tricky and hard. Since leaving the city, I have spent my life thinking of how and when to return.

by Mayssam Zaaroura | August 21, 2020

Sexual and reproductive health services, including safe abortion, are essential, life-saving care, which does not change in times of crisis.

by Lara Cousins | April 28, 2020

This open letter is a call for urgent action from doctors and nurses on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

by Oxfam Canada | April 14, 2020

When Cyclone Idai swept across Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe on March 14, 2019, it was deemed one of the worst cyclones ever to hit Africa, killing over a thousand people…

by Kate Higgins | March 13, 2020

How do you talk about your period? Sure, menstruation may not be a common topic amongst friends on a Friday night but when it does crop up — do you…

by Paula Baker | May 28, 2019

A female architect from Bangladesh collaborates with Rohingya women refugees to design safer hygiene and sanitation facilities.

by Oxfam Canada | March 4, 2019

In Uganda’s Bidibidi refugee resettlement camp, one woman is helping others make money—and heal—through a jewellery-making group. Forced from their homes after three years of brutal civil war in South…

by Luna Allison | June 20, 2018

Seven long years after the Syria crisis began, the situation remains bleak. Individual children, women and men continue to bear the brunt of a conflict marked by enormous human suffering,…

by Luna Allison | March 15, 2018

Right now, millions of families around the world are facing severe food shortages, fleeing their homes in search of safety, and navigating life without access to safe, clean water. These…

by oxfamcanada | November 27, 2017

Oxfam is responding to major emergencies around the world, and we are also helping lead a movement to shift more power, skills, and funds into the hands of local humanitarians.…

by Luna Allison | October 12, 2017

Partners and community define our humanitarian work.  Her excitement was contagious. Renata Dia stood at the base of the brand new water tap. The solar-powered water system was only a…

by oxfamcanada | August 19, 2017

Yemen’s human-made catastrophe is forcing people to make stark live or die choices. Yemenis, already on the tipping point after more than two years of war, are now being forced…

by Oxfam Canada | August 16, 2017

When Sylvie’s husband died of disease in Buporo refugee camp, it was not only heartbreaking for this young mother and her four children. It was also terrifying. Sylvie’s days became…

by Oxfam Canada | June 19, 2017

What do words like “food insecurity” and “famine” actually mean? Our graphic below explains. And when it comes to hunger, understanding is action. If we know what these words mean…

by oxfamcanada | April 19, 2017

This fund will support Canadian and international organizations currently hard at work helping those in need in the affected countries and neighbouring regions. Understand how this fund works. This is…

by Oxfam Canada | March 24, 2017

And they aren’t alone in facing profound challenges: Countless other families are striving to rebuild their lives and communities after two years of ISIS occupation. I was there to visit…

by oxfamcanada | January 27, 2017

Last week, Canadians came together to celebrate their country’s 149th birthday. This week, South Sudan marks 5 years as an independent nation. Yet, for many there is little to celebrate.…

by oxfamcanada | July 7, 2016

We know that clean water saves lives, but in order to access it, people need to be able to safely transport and store it. That’s why a better bucket makes…

by Oxfam Canada | June 14, 2016

By Melanie Gallant, Oxfam Canada’s Media Relations Officer Whether through civil war or other forms of conflict, natural disasters or climate related disasters such as drought, the global scale of…

by oxfamcanada | June 14, 2016

Written by Julie Delahanty Executive Director, Oxfam Canada Canadians couldn’t have asked for a more optimistic start to 2016 than to begin the new year knowing that our country will…

by oxfamcanada | January 12, 2016

By Stella MadeteOxfam in South Sudan Monica has not been home in Malakal for almost two years. She has not seen or spoken to two of her four children either.…

by oxfamcanada | October 23, 2015

Written by Julie Lafrenière Women’s Rights Knowledge Specialist On September 15th, 2015 in Ottawa there was an important event featuring three female Nobel Peace Laureates: Shirin Ebadi (Iran), Mairead Maguire…

by Oxfam Canada | September 15, 2015

Privthyva was born April 25th – an hour after the earthquake. In rural Dolakha, even in good times, women do not give birth in a hospital. A few, lucky women…

by oxfamcanada | August 19, 2015

An end to the fighting would go a long way toward solving the challenges so many families now face in meeting their basic needs.   In South Sudan, only 55…

by oxfamcanada | July 24, 2015

Last summer, 16 year old Eba'a Hamouda watched terrified as the bombs fell all around her in Gaza. Since then she has used her love of drawing and writing to…

by oxfamcanada | July 7, 2015

Written by: Adeline Guerra, Regional Campaigns and Communications adviser Children hide behind water tanks while clothes dry outside flimsy tents in the Mediterranean sunshine. We have arrived at a refugee…

by oxfamcanada | June 20, 2015

Written by Sarah Rooney, Oxfam Canada’s intern and 3rd year law student at University of Ottawa. As we see the poignant images coming out of Nepal’s catastrophic earthquake, it’s important…

by oxfamcanada | May 1, 2015

By Shaheen ChughtaiOxfam’s Deputy Head of Humanitarian Policy and Campaigns Kathmandu was ever a disaster-in-waiting. The densely populated capital of one of the world’s poorest countries clings to the slopes…

by oxfamcanada | April 26, 2015

An Oxfam staff worker has written a blog about what life has been like in Yemen for the past week. She is based in Sanaa. Oxfam has been working in…

by oxfamcanada | April 16, 2015

A week ago when Cyclone Pam hit, families in Etas did their best to hide from the ferocious storm, taking shelter in small churches and in neighbours’ homes that were…

by Amy Christian | March 23, 2015

Four years since it began, the Syrian crisis continues to deepen, and the human suffering is greater than ever before. Women and children are particularly affected by the violence. Satellite…

by oxfamcanada | March 14, 2015

This morning, the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), the world’s biggest event in over a decade aimed at tackling the devastating impacts of hazard events on lives, livelihoods…

by Ben Murphy | March 14, 2015

Noor, 30, fled the war in Syria with her handicapped husband and two children, a girl, 4, and a boy, 3. She is a teacher by training and has set…

by oxfamcanada | March 11, 2015

Eight years ago, Rebecca Elija moved to South Sudan with her father and little sister, leaving the rest of the family in Khartoum, Sudan. Although she has been in part…

by oxfamcanada | March 5, 2015

Make It Happen: Stories From south sudan Stella's story “I hope that I don’t continue writing about war and destruction. I want peace to come so that I can write…

by oxfamcanada | March 5, 2015

December 26, 2014 marks the 10 year anniversary of the 9.1 Richter Scale earthquake that struck the western coast of the Indonesian province of Northern Sumatra. It was the third…

by Oxfam Canada | December 18, 2014

  Agnes Nyantie’s unassuming manner hides a spirit that will be key in overcoming Liberia’s Ebola crisis. The 42 year old mother of five goes on her daily door to…

by oxfamcanada | November 5, 2014

Ebola is with us – here and now. It is an invisible foe. It is transmitted through bodily fluids, like sweat, saliva, blood and urine. Living in Liberia right now…

by oxfamcanada | October 21, 2014

“I see the climate is changing a lot. Before it wasn’t like this.” Climate change is already having an impact on the ability of communities to feed themselves – communities…

by oxfamcanada | October 17, 2014

Blog post by Winnie Byanyima – Oxfam International’s Executive Director Across South Asia and Southeast Asia, millions of small family farms are the bedrock of national food security. But the…

by oxfamcanada | October 15, 2014

Bright peeled paint covers humidity stains on the walls. An old bed has been pushed into a corner. Thin mattresses are strewn on the floor. Clothes hang on a lonely…

by oxfamcanada | September 9, 2014

Despite the ceasefire, there remain enormous humanitarian needs in Gaza. The bombing of the past seven weeks has caused massive damage to water supplies. Hundreds of thousands of people are…

by oxfamcanada | September 5, 2014

By Cathy Stephen I am the Technical Advisor for the Liberia WASH Consortium, a group of six international NGOs, managed by Oxfam, working together to provide and advocate for water…

by oxfamcanada | August 22, 2014

by Martin Butcher Around 1,500 people a day are killed in conflicts and armed violence across the globe, and among that loss are humanitarian aid workers who were trying to…

by oxfamcanada | August 19, 2014

“Rather than being a human, be a humanitarian” ― Kowtham Kumar K Today, August 19th, is World Humanitarian Day. Currently, Oxfam is responding to over 35 humanitarian crises around the…

by oxfamcanada | August 19, 2014

An entire generation of children in Gaza is growing up like Salama, knowing little but airstrikes and destruction. The UN estimates that at least 360,000 children in Gaza will need…

by oxfamcanada | August 12, 2014

After nearly a month of bombardment, Gaza’s food supplies are running low and an entire year’s harvest is at risk. In many markets, fresh food and vegetables are scarce. Cucumbers,…

by Oxfam Canada | August 9, 2014

by Àngela Corbalán Palm oil is everywhere, in food and everyday items you don’t even realize. It’s in your morning bowl of cereal, your afternoon biscuits, your dinner pizza, in…

by oxfamcanada | July 3, 2014

by Winnie Byanyima As famous footballers from across the globe are competing for the World Cup in Brazil, millions of fans from Africa are among the 3.2 billion tuning in…

by oxfamcanada | June 23, 2014

by Dorah Ntunga Last December, Nyakuoth was living happily in South Sudan, with her husband and five children. At 27 years-old, one of Nyakuoth’s wishes was to one day visit…

by oxfamcanada | May 9, 2014

by Caroline Gluck When typhoon Haiyan hit the central Philippines last November, killing more than 6,000 people and destroying millions of people’s houses and livelihoods, people like fisherman Lionel Advincula,…

by oxfamcanada | April 30, 2014

by Ann Witteveen I was last in Juba in South Sudan in February 1999. At that time, it was a northern held town in southern Sudan and there was only…

by oxfamcanada | April 22, 2014

As the third anniversary of the Syria crisis approaches, it is impossible not to be affected by the plight of millions of children caught in the cross-fire, fleeing with families…

by oxfamcanada | March 13, 2014

When I touch the sensitive subject of security, all I see is discomfort and eyes wandering off to avoid mine. On Friday (21 February) I met with another young woman,…

by oxfamcanada | February 24, 2014

by Farah Karimi Welcome to the youngest nation in the world, South Sudan. A place burdened with a violent and painful history of armed combat for independence, and the poorest…

by oxfamcanada | February 18, 2014

by Steve Cockburn Moussa – not his real name – stood with his last pile of groundnuts, just one of three traders left in a vast, empty market that, before…

by oxfamcanada | February 14, 2014

by Anna Kramer, Oxfam America Oxfam invited typhoon survivors to share their self-portraits. The results aren’t what you’d expect. Be honest: raise your hand if you haven’t taken a selfie…

by Oxfam | February 10, 2014

There is something almost surreal about the setting for the Syrian peace talks. Montreux is breathtakingly beautiful, the snow-topped Swiss Alps rising starkly over Lake Geneva. Yet this is where…

by oxfamcanada | January 23, 2014

by Grace Cahill Not yet three years old and only beginning to know what peace feels like, the world’s newest country—South Sudan—is again in the throes of extreme violence. Since…

by oxfamcanada | January 17, 2014

Typhoon Haiyan caused widespread damage to livelihoods. Among the worst affected, was coconut farming with millions of trees being uprooted, damaged or destroyed. One coconut farmers association estimated the damage…

by oxfamcanada | January 9, 2014

Oxfam started distributing 400 tons of rice seeds in six rural municipalities south of Tacloban on 12 December 2013, to help farmers win their ‘race against time’ to avoid missing…

by oxfamcanada | December 12, 2013

By Cherian Matthews, Regional Director of Oxfam in Asia I have just returned from the typhoon-ravaged areas of Daanbantayan and Bantayan Island in Cebu province of the Philippines. When I…

by oxfamcanada | November 26, 2013

The response we’ve had to the Philippines typhoon has been phenomenal so far, but we’ve also had a number of you get in touch asking if you can do anything…

by oxfamcanada | November 14, 2013

by Joel Bassuk Amidst the horrific images (which I’ll not link to here) coming out of Syria this week, the UN has announced that more than one million children from…

by oxfamcanada | August 23, 2013

  Meet Liqaa. She’s a 23 year old English literature graduate from Syria. She’s recently married, and expecting her first child soon. She’s also the face of a new global…

by oxfamcanada | July 29, 2013

by Melissa Ekdom-Delorme Saturday evening I spent reconfiguring my toilet to a 4L flush and filling small bottles and jugs of water carefully portioned for drinking and cleaning. I was…

by Oxfam Canada | May 10, 2013

  April 2013 – Adapting to life in Jordan’s sprawling desert refugee camp, Za’atari, is hard for all refugees, but especially so for those with disabilities and special needs.  …

by oxfamcanada | April 17, 2013

  What do Toblerone and Tropicana have in common? The same as Coca-Cola, Cheerios and Cadbury’s and Oreos, Pringles and Pop Tarts. They’re all made by the “Big 10” food…

by oxfamcanada | February 26, 2013