Blogs & Stories

Learn about the definition and causes of famine, and explore ways to support Oxfam in stopping and preventing it.

by Elena Sosa Lerín | July 14, 2023

A firsthand account of what a difference Oxfam Canada supporters are making to a community in Amhara, northern Ethiopia - a region that has been through so much.

by Jennifer Alldred | May 24, 2023

Thirteen million people in southern Türkiye have been affected by three massive earthquakes with roughly one million of whom are now living in shelters and tens of thousands more are…

by Colin Carey | Oxfam America | March 10, 2023

When responding to emergencies, we work with local partners to support people when they need it most and stay for the long term to rebuild.

by Oxfam Canada | February 10, 2023

Humanitarian needs are at an all-time high worldwide, but woeful underfunding hinders humanitarian action.

by Oxfam Canada | August 18, 2022

Countries in the Horn of Africa are enduring severe hunger, with near-famine conditions in some areas, due to conflict, climate-induced weather shocks (flooding in some countries, drought in others) and…

by Oxfam | February 28, 2022

Close to seven million need humanitarian assistance across Tigray, Amhara and Afar communities in Ethiopia.

by Oxfam | November 12, 2021

After six years of war, Yemen remains the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

by Oxfam Canada | March 25, 2021

Thanks to all our supporters and partners, we've reached almost 10 million people in 58 countries with water, sanitation, hygiene promotion and public health support.

by Oxfam Canada | March 11, 2021

While many communities and countries are still firefighting the COVID-19 crisis, several governments, including here in Canada, have begun outlining their blueprints for our social and economic recovery.

by Kate Higgins | September 24, 2020

Is it possible to practice good hygiene without clean water? Huguette Yago faces a challenge of titanic proportions in this COVID-19 pandemic—a lack of water. “Without water, there is no…

by Oxfam Canada | June 8, 2020

The global community is saying ‘no one is safe until we are all safe’ but safety is a relative concept, depending on your location and reality.

by Simmi Dixit | Oxfam Canada | April 20, 2020

Existing inequalities mean the most marginalized people around the world are at the greatest risk with COVID-19.

by Lauren Ravon, Oxfam Canada | March 20, 2020

After an alarming UN report saying a record-breaking 71 million people have been displaced by war in 2018, Susan Grace Duku, founder of Refugee Women and Youth Aid in Uganda,…

by Susan Grace Duku | Founder of Refugee Women and Youth Aid | June 20, 2019

Cyclone Idai has caused widespread destruction and left communities in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi in urgent need of life-saving humanitarian assistance.

by Oxfam Canada | April 12, 2019

Iffat Tahmid Fatema, 28, is a humanitarian public health worker for Oxfam’s Rohingya refugee response in Bangladesh. I started working for Oxfam last year at the height of the emergency…

by oxfamcanada | August 16, 2018

On April 25, 2015, a massive 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal that left nearly 9,000 people dead and destroyed or damaged more than 850,000 homes. Transportation and communications were severely disrupted.…

by Luna Allison | April 25, 2018

Months after marking four years of devastating war, South Sudan has reached another critical point: more South Sudanese are hungry than ever before. One million people are now on the…

by Luna Allison | March 7, 2018

In Yemen, cholera is killing one person every hour. Over half of them are children.  Since late April 2017, the cholera epidemic has spread to nearly every corner of the…

by Oxfam Canada | October 23, 2017

For the first time in more than a decade, the United Nations reported a sharp increase in hunger around the world. Reacting to the news, Oxfam International’s executive director Winnie…

by Luna Allison | September 19, 2017

Sometimes we harm the people we try to help. As humanitarians we deliver life-saving assistance to people who need it, but sometimes, the way we provide that assistance can inadvertently…

by Luna Allison | August 18, 2017

Millions of people have been displaced from their homes in South Sudan. They are facing hunger and acute food insecurity as a result of on-going conflict. Oxfam is responding to…

by Luna Allison | June 19, 2017

A large double-decker truck is quickly making its way towards Garadag from Fadigaab, in the south of Somaliland. It is carrying nine families and what is left of their herds:…

by oxfamcanada | April 27, 2017

Nyal, South Sudan was previously a quiet town known for its mango and palm trees. Two years of extended fighting in the surrounding areas however, has forced thousands of people…

by Luna Allison | March 24, 2017

When Syrian refugee Feras Almouqdad, 29, received a call inviting him to undergo the vetting process to be resettled in the United States, he was over the moon. Today, he…

by oxfamcanada | February 3, 2017

Written by María José Agejas, journalist in the Communication Department of Oxfam Intermón. Jean Robert looks around, still unable to believe his eyes. “I never saw anything like it, the…

by oxfamcanada | November 4, 2016

On Monday June 20, 2016, we marked World Refugee Day, standing with refugees around the world, from Syria to Burundi. Just two days later, we stood together in solidarity once…

by oxfamcanada | June 25, 2016

Written by Ann Witteveen, Humanitarian Manager, Oxfam Canada. I grew up in the 70’s when commercials for ‘feminine hygiene products’ were a rarity and even when shown were often so…

by oxfamcanada | June 14, 2016

Ethiopia is experiencing its worst drought in 50 years. The El Niño weather system, exacerbated by climate change, comes off the back of 12-18 months of erratic or failed rains.…

by Oxfam Canada | June 8, 2016

by Joelle Bassoul, Media Advisor for Oxfam in Beirut  Hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria have seen another winter descend on the Middle East, for some this is their…

by oxfamcanada | January 8, 2016

I have a lot to be thankful for. Good health, a loving family, a home and a gratifying job. But like many, I often take these blessings for granted.  This…

by Oxfam Canada | October 10, 2015

Somalia hasn’t been in the news much in the past couple of years – which is largely good news – but just because there aren’t headlines doesn’t mean there isn’t…

by oxfamcanada | August 5, 2015

Eid is upon us. But it doesn’t feel like Eid. Fighting in Yemen has not ceased throughout the month of Ramadan – in fact it intensified. The upcoming holiday is…

by oxfamcanada | July 16, 2015

Amidst bombings and shortages in fuel, food and vital supplies, a group of Yemeni women came together for an unconventional demonstration against the war… and the lack of women’s rights.…

by oxfamcanada | July 6, 2015

By Lisa Rutherford (press office, Oxfam Great Britain) The 7.9 magnitude earthquake on 25th April left the country reeling, killing over 8,000 people, injuring more than 18,000 and leaving 2.8 million…

by oxfamcanada | May 19, 2015

1. As of today, many people are still in dire need. The earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25 may be over, but survivors still face serious hardships. The quake…

by oxfamcanada | April 30, 2015

“We feel like leaders”, “I am no longer the same”, “We are together now”, “we know we can do it” – these are the voices of women leading the urban…

by oxfamcanada | April 23, 2015

Syrian civil society leader and astrophysicist Rim Turkmani may live in the UK, where she is raising her young children while juggling her academic duties with her peacebuilding activities, but…

by oxfamcanada | March 24, 2015

Women are often disproportionately affected by disasters, due to gender inequality and discrimination, and women’s leadership is critical in efforts to address the mounting challenge of rising disasters around the…

by Shafqat Munir | March 16, 2015

Climate change is gathering intensity around the world, and all of us should pay close attention to the global gathering in Sendai Japan where experts and world leaders debate how…

by Ann Witteveen | March 14, 2015

Mariam, 33, mother of five, gazes out of her tent at the snow capped mountains and the icy mud encircling the dwellings in the informal camp where she settled with…

by oxfamcanada | March 11, 2015

By Daniel Gorevan Ignored Security Council resolutions, escalating conflict and political inertia: Syria’s suffering civilians deserve better. Enormous numbers have had to flee violence in Syria. People of all political…

by oxfamcanada | March 11, 2015

Make It Happen: Stories From south sudan Mary's story “The first thing I share on the radio is the message of peace”Mary Nyidur – Journalist, Radio presenter, Minkaman   “Life…

by oxfamcanada | March 5, 2015

By Ann Witteveen Aid organizations and staff have long known that humanitarian crises affect men and women differently, depending on their roles in society and the particular nature of the…

by oxfamcanada | February 5, 2015

Life on the other side of the line The challenges of Ebola quarantines in Freetown and how Oxfam is helping By Melanie Gallant When working in communications and media relations,…

by oxfamcanada | December 6, 2014

Alima Jamboria is a Community Health Worker and Chairperson of the Community. I'm a Community Health Worker in Tengeh Town Community. We learnt how to wash hands properly because that…

by oxfamcanada | October 23, 2014

First she kept her own family together. Then she became a spokesperson for family farmers around the world. Many of us are fortunate enough to be able to choose our…

by oxfamcanada | October 20, 2014

Blog originaly published by Oxfam America As the Ebola outbreak in West Africa continues to claim lives and now ranks as the largest in history, here are answers to some…

by Oxfam Canada | October 15, 2014

Almost 3,000 people have died and there are more than 5,000 other suspected and confirmed Ebola cases. People infected with Ebola have a 50 percent chance of survival, and there…

by oxfamcanada | September 24, 2014

“To reach the Jordanian border, we walked for more than an hour at night. I was holding my 2-months old son tightly, my heart pounding with fear. When I got…

by oxfamcanada | September 9, 2014

In Gaza, delivering safe water is filled with danger. “I’ve heard the sound of explosions while driving from one shelter to another. I feared that the next bomb would fall…

by oxfamcanada | August 25, 2014

When people think of Gaza, they rarely think of a hub of technological innovation. But for the past few years Oxfam has been working with Gaza’s University College of Applied…

by Oxfam Canada | August 20, 2014

Children who, in their native Syria, used to play water games and swim, are now sitting listlessly under the shade to protect themselves from the blistering sun. In Jordan, a…

by Oxfam Canada | August 19, 2014

On World Humanitarian Day Pieter Struijf, Oxfam’s Program Manager for Jonglei, writes about the challenges of delivering aid in rural South Sudan and the crucial role played by the local…

by oxfamcanada | August 19, 2014

We tell our children that schools are places where they can make their hopes and dreams come true. But today in Gaza, schools have become places of desperation – a…

by Arwa Mhanna | August 11, 2014

by Aimee Brown Today marks South Sudan’s third year of independence. But in the past seven months, the sense of unity that brought its people together in 2011 has been…

by oxfamcanada | July 9, 2014

Jenny Enarsson, Oxfam's Syria crisis response gender advisor, explains why including Syria's women in negotiations is critical for the peace process. A few days after the high-profile summit on ending…

by oxfamcanada | June 26, 2014

A group of Oxfam executive directors and board chairs recently took to the fields of Cuba, traveling with the Oxfam in Cuba team to Holguin, east of Havana. The bus…

by oxfamcanada | June 3, 2014

by Ed Pomfret New emergencies seem to hit the world on a monthly basis. Right now we are grappling with situations in the DRC, South Sudan, Sudan, Central African Republic…

by oxfamcanada | May 7, 2014

by Stephanie Burgos, Oxfam America As international negotiations on what constitutes responsible agricultural investment are set to get underway in Rome next month under the auspices of the UN’s Committee…

by oxfamcanada | April 24, 2014

What an amazing display of support for the #WithSyria campaign for the third anniversary of the Syria crisis – congratulations one and all for a truly moving display of solidarity!…

by Oxfam | March 20, 2014

Popular British graffiti artist Banksy has shown his support for the #WithSyria campaign by reworking his iconic image of a little girl with a balloon, entitled “There is Always Hope“,…

by oxfamcanada | March 11, 2014

“This resolution should not have been necessary”, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon told the 15 member states of the UN Security Council on their unanimous adoption of a resolution…

by oxfamcanada | February 24, 2014

“Even if peace would come, we cannot return home. We are not safe.”  These words, spoken by a grandmother who I met at an IDP camp in South Sudan, demonstrate…

by oxfamcanada | February 17, 2014

by Shaheen Chughtai, Oxfam Great Britain Nestling between picturesque snow-capped mountains and the shimmering waters of Lake Geneva lies the Swiss town of Montreux, which hosted the opening day of…

by oxfamcanada | February 12, 2014

by Jane Beesley We might feel aggrieved when we’ve gone out of our way to do something for someone and receive no word of thanks afterwards. I’m sure most of…

by Oxfam | February 8, 2014

Things are heating up in Montreux, on Lake Geneva in Switzerland, where Oxfam campaigners are amongst the hundreds of diplomats, journalists, civil society and solidarity groups gathering for the beginning…

by oxfamcanada | January 22, 2014

We witnessed a continuing barrage of natural disasters, such as floods, hurricanes and cyclones. And conflicts around the world have again torn apart the lives of millions of people, trapping…

by oxfamcanada | January 14, 2014

This post was written by Lan Mercado, Oxfam’s Deputy Regional Director in Asia. She served as Oxfam’s Country Director in the Philippines from 2001-2009. It was written with contributions from…

by oxfamcanada | December 13, 2013

It was the kindness of strangers. When Aziz fled from the Syrian conflict to Lebanon, he heard about a farmer who allowed Syrian refugees to camp on his land. “How…

by oxfamcanada | December 9, 2013

By Abbi Luz Note: This is a shorter version of the original blog, which can be found at theabsterabbi.com When Oxfam’s rapid assessment teams came back from Leyte and Eastern…

by oxfamcanada | November 20, 2013

Oxfam’s early assessment team has sent through this report from Cebu island, Philippines. Meet the Mondejar sisters: Nelia, Sarah Jane and Rizza Mae. The sisters and their friends are all…

by oxfamcanada | November 13, 2013

by Anna Kramer, Oxfam America Look closely at the photo above. Notice anything different about those lampposts? In fact, the lights in the background of the photo—which was taken in…

by oxfamcanada | August 10, 2013

  by Ann Witteveen Since 1970 the number of people exposed to floods and tropical cyclones has doubled and the latest climate science indicates worse to come.  Volatility in food…

by oxfamcanada | May 23, 2013

  Last week the UN revealed for the first time that more than a quarter of a million people died in Somalia over 18 months from October 2010-April 2012. These…

by oxfamcanada | May 8, 2013

  A short distance from Zaatari, a sprawling camp for Syrian refugees, lies a road full of small nurseries growing vegetables and olive trees. Khaled runs one of them. These…

by oxfamcanada | April 11, 2013