Blogs & Stories
Is it possible to practice good hygiene without clean water? Huguette Yago faces a challenge of titanic…
COVID-19 has been overwhelming. Like many people these days, I am up at night, worried about what…
PANDEMIC. Until February 2020, this word was one without much meaning for anyone born before 1918 –…
This open letter is a call for urgent action from doctors and nurses on the front lines…
It is hard to imagine what the world will look like a few months from now. But…
Emergency Response, Refugees and Internal Displacement by [wpbb-else] [wpbb…
It’s hard to believe that one year after Cyclone Idai, more than 100,000 people in Mozambique and…
For the last two years, I’ve become more and more deeply involved with Oxfam Canada. I now…
My name is Susan Grace Duku. I am 33 years old and I have spent 21 of…
How do you talk about your period? Sure, menstruation may not be a common topic amongst friends…
Emergency Response, Refugees and Internal Displacement by [wpbb-else] [wpbb…
In this post, we learn about how much of a difference it makes in the lives of…
Iffat Tahmid Fatema, 28, is a humanitarian public health worker for Oxfam’s Rohingya refugee response in Bangladesh.…
In Uganda’s Bidibidi refugee resettlement camp, one woman is helping others make money—and heal—through a jewellery-making group.…
On April 25, 2015, a massive 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal that left nearly 9,000 people dead and…
Seven long years after the Syria crisis began, the situation remains bleak. Individual children, women and men…
Months after marking four years of devastating war, South Sudan has reached another critical point: more South…
Right now, millions of families around the world are facing severe food shortages, fleeing their homes in…
In Yemen, cholera is killing one person every hour. Over half of them are children. Since late April…
Oxfam is responding to major emergencies around the world, and we are also helping lead a movement…
For the first time in more than a decade, the United Nations reported a sharp increase in…
Partners and community define our humanitarian work. Her excitement was contagious. Renata Dia stood at the base…
Sometimes we harm the people we try to help. As humanitarians we deliver life-saving assistance to people…
Yemen’s human-made catastrophe is forcing people to make stark live or die choices.Yemenis, already on the tipping…
Millions of people have been displaced from their homes in South Sudan. They are facing hunger and…
A large double-decker truck is quickly making its way towards Garadag from Fadigaab, in the south of…
What do words like “food insecurity” and “famine” actually mean? Our graphic below explains. And when it…
Nyal, South Sudan was previously a quiet town known for its mango and palm trees. Two years…
For every eligible donation made by individual Canadians to registered Canadian charities between March 17th and June…
When Syrian refugee Feras Almouqdad, 29, received a call inviting him to undergo the vetting process to…
And they aren’t alone in facing profound challenges: Countless other families are striving to rebuild their lives…
Written by María José Agejas, journalist in the Communication Department of Oxfam Intermón. Jean Robert looks around,…
Last week, Canadians came together to celebrate their country’s 149th birthday. This week, South Sudan marks 5…
On Monday June 20, 2016, we marked World Refugee Day, standing with refugees around the world, from…
We know that clean water saves lives, but in order to access it, people need to be…
Written by Ann Witteveen, Humanitarian Manager, Oxfam Canada.I grew up in the 70’s when commercials for ‘feminine…
By Melanie Gallant, Oxfam Canada’s Media Relations Officer Whether through civil war or other forms of conflict,…
Ethiopia is experiencing its worst drought in 50 years. The El Niño weather system, exacerbated by climate…
Written by Julie Delahanty Executive Director, Oxfam Canada Canadians couldn’t have asked for a more optimistic start…
by Joelle Bassoul, Media Advisor for Oxfam in Beirut Hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria have seen…
By Stella MadeteOxfam in South Sudan Monica has not been home in Malakal for almost two years.…
I have a lot to be thankful for. Good health, a loving family, a home and a…
Written by Julie Lafrenière Women’s Rights Knowledge Specialist On September 15th, 2015 in Ottawa there was an…
The searing images of three-year-old Alan Kurdi have moved through cyberspace and galvanized reaction around the world.…
Privthyva was born April 25th – an hour after the earthquake. In rural Dolakha, even in good…
Somalia hasn’t been in the news much in the past couple of years – which is largely…
An end to the fighting would go a long way toward solving the challenges so many families…
Eid is upon us. But it doesn’t feel like Eid. Fighting in Yemen has not ceased throughout…
Last summer, 16 year old Eba'a Hamouda watched terrified as the bombs fell all around her in…
Amidst bombings and shortages in fuel, food and vital supplies, a group of Yemeni women came together…
Written by: Adeline Guerra, Regional Campaigns and Communications adviser Children hide behind water tanks while clothes dry…
By Lisa Rutherford (press office, Oxfam Great Britain) The 7.9 magnitude earthquake on 25th April left the country…
Written by Sarah Rooney, Oxfam Canada’s intern and 3rd year law student at University of Ottawa. As…
1. As of today, many people are still in dire need.The earthquake that struck Nepal on April…
By Shaheen ChughtaiOxfam’s Deputy Head of Humanitarian Policy and CampaignsKathmandu was ever a disaster-in-waiting. The densely populated…
“We feel like leaders”, “I am no longer the same”, “We are together now”, “we know we…
An Oxfam staff worker has written a blog about what life has been like in Yemen for…
Syrian civil society leader and astrophysicist Rim Turkmani may live in the UK, where she is raising…
By Amy Christian in Port VilaTwenty minutes drive east from Port Vila is a community called Etas.…
“No matter how much the ground shakes, we will remain calm in our hearts.” Quote from a…
Four years since it began, the Syrian crisis continues to deepen, and the human suffering is greater…
By Ann WitteveenCanadians know about extreme weather!Just ask anyone in the Maritimes about this winter or the…
By Ben Murphy, Humanitarian Advocacy Lead, Oxfam AustraliaMarch 14, 2015This morning, the World Conference on Disaster Risk…
Mariam, 33, mother of five, gazes out of her tent at the snow capped mountains and the…
Noor, 30, fled the war in Syria with her handicapped husband and two children, a girl, 4,…
By Daniel GorevanIgnored Security Council resolutions, escalating conflict and political inertia: Syria’s suffering civilians deserve better.Enormous numbers…
Make It Happen: Stories From south sudan Rebecca’s story “Getting an education is my number one priority”…
Make It Happen: Stories From south sudanMary's story“The first thing I share on the radio is the…
Make It Happen: Stories From south sudanStella's story“I hope that I don’t continue writing about war and…
By Ann WitteveenAid organizations and staff have long known that humanitarian crises affect men and women differently,…
Life on the other side of the line The challenges of Ebola quarantines in Freetown and how…
Agnes Nyantie’s unassuming manner hides a spirit that will be key in overcoming Liberia’s Ebola crisis.…
Alima Jamboria is a Community Health Worker and Chairperson of the Community.I'm a Community Health Worker in…
Ebola is with us – here and now. It is an invisible foe. It is transmitted through…
First she kept her own family together. Then she became a spokesperson for family farmers around the…
“I see the climate is changing a lot. Before it wasn’t like this.” Climate change is already…
Blog originaly published by Oxfam America As the Ebola outbreak in West Africa continues to claim lives…
Blog post by Winnie Byanyima – Oxfam International’s Executive Director Across South Asia and Southeast Asia, millions…
Almost 3,000 people have died and there are more than 5,000 other suspected and confirmed Ebola cases.…
Bright peeled paint covers humidity stains on the walls. An old bed has been pushed into a…
“To reach the Jordanian border, we walked for more than an hour at night. I was holding…
Despite the ceasefire, there remain enormous humanitarian needs in Gaza. The bombing of the past seven weeks…
In Gaza, delivering safe water is filled with danger. “I’ve heard the sound of explosions while driving…
By Cathy StephenI am the Technical Advisor for the Liberia WASH Consortium, a group of six international…
When people think of Gaza, they rarely think of a hub of technological innovation. But for the…
by Martin ButcherAround 1,500 people a day are killed in conflicts and armed violence across the globe,…
Could you cope with just 35 litres of water, the equivalent of one 5 minute shower, a day?…
“Rather than being a human, be a humanitarian” ― Kowtham Kumar K Today, August 19th, is World…
On World Humanitarian Day Pieter Struijf, Oxfam’s Program Manager for Jonglei, writes about the challenges of delivering…
by Arwa Mhanna Salama Shamali is just six years old, yet he has already lived through three…
by Arwa Mhanna We tell our children that schools are places where they can make their hopes…
After nearly a month of bombardment, Gaza's food supplies are running low and an entire year's harvest…
by Aimee Brown Today marks South Sudan’s third year of independence. But in the past seven months,…
by Àngela Corbalán Palm oil is everywhere, in food and everyday items you don’t even realize. It’s…
Jenny Enarsson, Oxfam's Syria crisis response gender advisor, explains why including Syria's women in negotiations is critical…
by Winnie Byanyima As famous footballers from across the globe are competing for the World Cup in…
A group of Oxfam executive directors and board chairs recently took to the fields of Cuba, traveling…
by Dorah NtungaLast December, Nyakuoth was living happily in South Sudan, with her husband and five children.…
by Ed Pomfret New emergencies seem to hit the world on a monthly basis. Right now we…
by Caroline Gluck When typhoon Haiyan hit the central Philippines last November, killing more than 6,000 people…
by Stephanie Burgos, Oxfam America As international negotiations on what constitutes responsible agricultural investment are set to…
by Ann Witteveen I was last in Juba in South Sudan in February 1999. At that time,…
What an amazing display of support for the #WithSyria campaign for the third anniversary of the Syria…
As the third anniversary of the Syria crisis approaches, it is impossible not to be affected by…
Popular British graffiti artist Banksy has shown his support for the #WithSyria campaign by reworking his iconic…
When I touch the sensitive subject of security, all I see is discomfort and eyes wandering off…
“This resolution should not have been necessary”, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon told the 15 member…
by Farah KarimiWelcome to the youngest nation in the world, South Sudan. A place burdened with a…
“Even if peace would come, we cannot return home. We are not safe.” These words, spoken by a…
by Steve Cockburn Moussa – not his real name – stood with his last pile of groundnuts,…
by Shaheen Chughtai, Oxfam Great Britain Nestling between picturesque snow-capped mountains and the shimmering waters of Lake…
by Anna Kramer, Oxfam America Oxfam invited typhoon survivors to share their self-portraits. The results aren’t what…
by Jane Beesley We might feel aggrieved when we’ve gone out of our way to do something…
There is something almost surreal about the setting for the Syrian peace talks. Montreux is breathtakingly beautiful,…
Things are heating up in Montreux, on Lake Geneva in Switzerland, where Oxfam campaigners are amongst the…
by Grace CahillNot yet three years old and only beginning to know what peace feels like, the…
We witnessed a continuing barrage of natural disasters, such as floods, hurricanes and cyclones. And conflicts around…
Typhoon Haiyan caused widespread damage to livelihoods. Among the worst affected, was coconut farming with millions of…
This post was written by Lan Mercado, Oxfam’s Deputy Regional Director in Asia. She served as Oxfam’s…
Oxfam started distributing 400 tons of rice seeds in six rural municipalities south of Tacloban on 12…
It was the kindness of strangers. When Aziz fled from the Syrian conflict to Lebanon, he heard…
By Cherian Matthews, Regional Director of Oxfam in Asia I have just returned from the typhoon-ravaged areas…
By Abbi Luz Note: This is a shorter version of the original blog, which can be found…
The response we’ve had to the Philippines typhoon has been phenomenal so far, but we’ve also had…
Oxfam’s early assessment team has sent through this report from Cebu island, Philippines. Meet the Mondejar sisters:…
by Joel Bassuk Amidst the horrific images (which I’ll not link to here) coming out of Syria…
by Anna Kramer, Oxfam AmericaLook closely at the photo above. Notice anything different about those lampposts? In…
Meet Liqaa. She’s a 23 year old English literature graduate from Syria. She’s recently married, and expecting…
by Ann Witteveen Since 1970 the number of people exposed to floods and tropical cyclones has…
by Melissa Ekdom-DelormeSaturday evening I spent reconfiguring my toilet to a 4L flush and filling small bottles…
Last week the UN revealed for the first time that more than a quarter of a million…
April 2013 – Adapting to life in Jordan’s sprawling desert refugee camp, Za’atari, is hard for all…
A short distance from Zaatari, a sprawling camp for Syrian refugees, lies a road full of small…
What do Toblerone and Tropicana have in common? The same as Coca-Cola, Cheerios and Cadbury’s and…
To respond nimbly to disasters, especially those that don’t grab headlines, Oxfam Canada has a general…
Agathe Nougaret, is a French Urban Planner who has lived and worked in Haiti since December 2010.…
Soap, a water container, a mosquito net, and a cooking pan were among the objects on display…
This post was published by Oxfam International on August 3, 2012. 3 August, 2012—The world’s largest commodity traders are…
Since the first warnings of drought and poor harvests in Africa’s Sahel region in late 2011, communities…
The following post appeared in the February 2, 2012 edition of the Huffington Post.This year, the Sahel region…
By Caroline Gluck I wasn’t looking forward to returning to Haiti. Two years ago, I was one…
by Tim Gore This blog posting orginally appeared at blogs.oxfam.org In the early hours of Sunday…
by Ian Sullivan This blog posting originally appeared at blogs.oxfam.org Negotiators at the UN climate talks…
by Ian Sullivan This blog posting originally appeared at blogs.oxfam.org The climate negotiations in Durban are…
Robert Fox, Oxfam Canada’s Executive Director, reports from the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, taking…
The United Nations have unpacked the bunting and draped the decorations around Durban, South Africa, for…
On Monday I was demonstrating in the streets of Nice. The demo was large by Canadian standards,…
A World Food Day conference at the University of British Columbia featured a fabulous array of…
Rural women have been struggling for access to land in Nicaragua for decades. Last year, the National…
by Jennifer Brammer Oxfam Canada volunteers in PEI recently helped to raise money for our East Africa…
by Jo Salilba de Chery Susan Tomovcik has convinced her community to dig deep. Deep enough…
By Jo Salilba de Chery When we arrived at The Old Spaghetti Factory for its 40th Anniversary…
by Robert Fox The first families moved into Ifo II yesterday. Finally. For the families, this…
by Robert Fox There is no famine in Ethiopia but there are growing numbers of hungry…
by Robert Fox Flying low over Ethiopia, I am reminded how beautiful a country it is:…
by Robert Fox Sitting in a crowded tent, sheltered from the midday sun, in a camp…
by Louis BelangerOxfam InternationalIt’s been more than 10 days since parts of Somalia were announced by the…
Leaving Addis Ababa and traveling south I could feel the weight of the urban giant recede as…
Introductions and first impressions are now a thing of the past, whether I like it or…
At a news conference last week, I told reporters about choosing where to place latrines so that…
Vaccines were in the news this week after donors pledged a whopping US$4.3 billion over five years…
What image comes to mind when we think about the aid workers desperately trying to get food,…