Blogs & Stories
Protecting women’s rights: Women in the Afghan Police Force Imagine being a woman in Afghanistan victimized by…
The monsoon season is usually a welcome event for Sundari and her neighbours. Every year, it brings…
Written by Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director, Oxfam International.These are restless, exciting, and frightening times to be a…
It can be particularly challenging as a young woman leading men in many African societies. As a…
“You can’t change the past, but you can change the future.” – Rubina Rubina has been through…
Oxfam has come to know Rajiah as a leader when she was unanimously selected to represent her…
Gender inequality is the most serious and pervasive form of discrimination in the world. While this affects…
First published in the Toronto Star, February 20, 2018. When I joined Oxfam Canada as its executive…
** Trigger warning: violence against women, sexual misconduct, and prostitution **The full Haiti 2011 Investigation Report can…
The #MeToo campaign is empowering survivors across the globe to share their stories.Sexual abuse and violence against…
What is Oxfam, what do we do, and how do we do it? Here’s the information you…
Since August 25, over 600,000 Rohingya refugees have crossed over into Bangladesh’s southeastern districts. More than half are…
Right now, millions of families around the world are facing severe food shortages, fleeing their homes in…
Following the Harvey Weinstein allegations, I kept hearing the same refrain as more women added their voices…
“Do not get married if you are a child, because you do not yet understand about the…
Emily Kirby recounts her experience as an Oxfam Ambassador for the Stand As One campaign – a…
This summer, Coldplay invited Oxfam volunteers on their World Tour to encourage fans to get involved with…
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…
If the world turned upside down and we replaced all the women with men, and all the…
Forced migration separates families. It wrenches children from their parents and grandparents, separates siblings, forces partners to…
Written by Julie Delahanty, Executive Director, Oxfam Canada Driving through Larache in Northern Morocco I was struck…
Written by Christine Hughes, Women’s Rights Knowledge Specialist, Oxfam CanadaWomen’s movements in over 125 countries – including…
The moral poverty of the America First idea lies in the false choice it presents: are you…
Each year the rich and powerful descend upon Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum – and…
Oxfam’s new inequality report, which found that just 8 men own the same wealth as half the…
Do you remember the last time you felt confidence in yourself and your voice? This feeling swept…
Written by Julie Delahanty, Executive Director of Oxfam Canada. First published in The Hill Times on July…
What is Equal Pay Day all about anyway?On April 19th 2016, The Ontario Equal Pay Coalition marks…
Written by Chiara Capraro and Francesca Rhodes, originally published on openDemocracy, April 7, 2016 The world is…
Last month, Prime Minister Trudeau attended the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New…
While President Obama's visit has put Havana in the spotlight, more remote communities are preparing for earthquakes…
by Julie Delahanty,Executive Director of Oxfam Canada We'll leave it to the courts to decide the fate…
Oxfam made headlines this week with our stats on wealth inequality, particularly the finding that the 62…
Written by Winnie ByanyimaExecutive Director, Oxfam InternationalYet again I am attending the World Economic Forum in Davos,…
Photo: Women in Nepal, one of the countries that will be part of Oxfam Canada’s new 5-year program that will…
On October 19th, 2015, Canadians told the world they were ready for something different. Prime Minister Justin…
By Julie Lafrenière, Women’s Rights Specialist at Oxfam Canada. In South Sudan, domestic violence is widespread and…
By Bailey Reid, Women’s Rights Campaigner, Oxfam Canada Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) programs are popular among development…
Written by Julie DelahantyExecutive Director, Oxfam CanadaEarly reviews of last night’s Munk Debate on foreign policy have…
Written by Kelly Bowden National Campaigns Manager, Oxfam Canada That’s why Oxfam teamed up with the Up…
Written by Julie DelahantyExecutive Director, Oxfam CanadaElection season is heating up. The leaders debate on economic policy…
Written by Julie LafrenièreWomen’s Rights Knowledge SpecialistOn September 15th, 2015 in Ottawa there was an important event…
Making “Cuba’s Hour” Count for Cubans by Marianela Gonzalez, communications officer for Oxfam in Cuba. Since December 17th, Cuba has…
Written by Kelly Bowden, National Campaign ManagerIf you ask political parties or the media, this election is…
Somalia hasn’t been in the news much in the past couple of years – which is largely…
The world’s most powerful political leaders will be quietly absent from the UN Financing for Development Conference…
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…
Today is World Public Service Day. Around the world, governments and citizens are marking the contribution of…
Written by Sarah Rooney, Oxfam Canada’s intern and 3rd year law student at University of Ottawa. As…
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…
I was born and raised in Congo (D. R) until my family immigrated to Winnipeg.Three years ago,…
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…
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,…
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…
Women and Climate Change: Stories of EMPOWERMENT Rosario’s story The Santa Rosa Community is made up of…
If there is one person on the planet who embodies what Oxfam is all about, it’s Ipaishe.…
Women and Climate Change: Stories of EMPOWERMENTLanggin's storyLanggin is 20 years old and has lived in the…
By Ann WitteveenAid organizations and staff have long known that humanitarian crises affect men and women differently,…
From Nigeria to Canada to the UK gender-based violenceknows no bordersBlog by: Chioma Akuabia Ukwuagu Programme Officer,…
Worldwide violence against women and girls is a widespread human rights violation. Oxfam is part of a…
First she kept her own family together. Then she became a spokesperson for family farmers around the…
Food. It’s one of life’s great pleasures. We think about it all the time. Most of us…
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 Jasmine Lum Over the past school year, Oxfam Canada clubs on university and college campuses across Canada…
An inside look at the food giant’s bold new commitments on land rights. Monique van Zijl is…
by Simon Starling It was boiling hot last Friday afternoon when I heard the news. I was…
by Winnie Byanyima It could be the opportunity of a generation. The world can be proud of…
by Noah Gottschalk, Oxfam America A lanky boy wearing torn shorts and ill-fitting black sandals adorned with…
What does it feel like to be a refugee, forced to flee to an unfamiliar country and…
by Lauren Ravon and Lise MartinLast week the international community was shocked when two little girls in…
by Emily Brown, Oxfam Great Britain Yesterday I shared with you a new animation on women’s political…
by Emily Brown, Oxfam Great Britain Have you ever felt like no one is listening to you?…
A group of Oxfam executive directors and board chairs recently took to the fields of Cuba, traveling…
by Melanie Gallant A couple of months ago I biked 350 kilometres under the Cuban sun, cutting…
by Winnie Byanyima I have joined global decision makers in Maputo this week for the IMF and…
by Chloe Safier “Women’s leadership is a fundamental part of Oxfam’s work, and our commitment to putting…
by Caroline Gluck When typhoon Haiyan hit the central Philippines last November, killing more than 6,000 people…
photo: Oxfam Americaby Coco McCabe, Oxfam AmericaYadira Leticia Tziná Mendoza explains why she’s taking on a taboo…
In the current discussions around this week’s first High-Level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development…
by Winnie Byanyima People want dignity, people want rights In the global survey World We Want 2015,…
by Françoise Venni This year the World Economic Forum (or WEF) for the Latin America region was…
by Winnie ByanyimaThe evidence is clear: Strong development and the achievement of women’s rights are intrinsically bound…
When enough of us speak out, companies listen. Today PepsiCo proved this.After nearly 6 months of campaigning,…
Photo: (l-r) Nicole Kieley, Oxfam Canada board member; Debbie Forward, President of the Newfoundland & Labrador Nurses'…
Can Oxfam tackle gender inequality in conflict-affected countries? Here, Louie Fooks explains why working on gender inequality is…
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…
by Lina HolguinToday, mining companies and civil society organizations came together to ask the Government of Canada…
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…
by Melanie Gallant Violence against women and girls is an attack on human rights – it ruins…
Statement by Robert Fox, Oxfam Canada Executive Director In South Africa, every six hours a woman is…
by Meyer BrownstoneMy first and most memorable encounter with Nelson Mandela coincided with a moment marking one…
As part of the international campaign “16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence,” Oxfam in Mali, Wildaf – a…
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…
A month ago, Oxfam launched the second action of our Behind the Brands campaign asking three of…
By Julie Thekkudan, Gender Justice – Lead Specialist, Oxfam IndiaIndia is a land of many contrasts where…
Yesterday was World Food Day. It was also an exciting day for the Behind the Brands campaign,…
People around the world rely on land, literally, for their bread and butter. Land grabs, however, are…
Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Associated British Foods (ABF) have had varied reactions to Oxfam’s new report, Sugar Rush,…
As global demand for sugar increases, so does the rush for land to grow it. Oxfam has…
by Rachel George What is a land grab? Land grabs are huge purchases of land by banks,…
When Funeka Soldaat went to the police after being raped, they beat her and put her in…
by Melanie Gallant Maxaquene is an impoverished neighborhood on the outskirts of Maputo, the capital of…
by Carsten Völz, Oxfam International Humanitarian DirectorThe Global Humanitarian Assistance report is eagerly anticipated by some of…
by Vanita Suneja The recent flash floods in Uttrakhand have already claimed around 1000 lives and…
by Winnie Byanyima I feel very privileged to have joined Oxfam International just as we adopt our…
by Ann Witteveen Since 1970 the number of people exposed to floods and tropical cyclones has…
Last week the UN revealed for the first time that more than a quarter of a million…
by Karen A. MurraySo, I just got back from a week of walking through the Sahara Desert. …
With your help, Oxfam has been campaigning since September on land grabs, as part of our…
It’s been a busy few months for Oxfam campaigners, and it’s all been leading up to…
by Jo Whitaker Meet Patricia. She’s a mother of six from a small town called Casiguran…
by Hannah Stoddart At the beginning of its Land and Poverty Conference this week, the World Bank Group…
In the once tranquil Casiguran municipality of the Philippines, a powerful local political dynasty has started…
Small-scale women farmers are the backbone of Africa’s food system, but, as corporations buy up huge swathes…
by Caroline Gluck Amid a sea of male construction and site workers in Jordan’s sprawling Zaatari…
by Ann Witteveen It doesn’t take as long as you might think to get from my…
by Nidhi Tandon The first and greatest violence is the systematic exclusion of people – a great number of people – by society.…
A new UN report released today on Women’s Rights and the Right to Food puts the…
The Behind The Brands campaign launch kicked off with a call for Mars, Mondelez International and…
There’s been a great response to the Behind the Brands launch. Consumers clearly care about the…
Originally published on Oxfam's Southern Africa BlogOn February 14th, people around the world will be rising up…
What do the Pantheon, Parliament Buildings, CN Tower, Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Lincoln Memorial have in…
Signal Hill in St. John’s. Parliament in Ottawa. The CN Tower in Toronto. SOLD! Can you imagine…
First question: How does Oxfam take the potential for gender-based violence into account when planning cash…
Well-known activist filmmaker and television journalist, Avi Lewis, was in Saskatoon on January 29th to help launch…
Oxfam and 100 allies in the United Kingdom have launched a new campaign targeting the G8 summit…
Violence against women and girls affects us all – it ruins lives, weakens communities and is a…
A story from the field by Robert Fox, Oxfam Canada Executive DirectorThe school perches perilously at the…
Silvia has something many women in Nicaragua want: title to the land she works.by Robert FoxBecause she…
Dona Catalina has seen a lot of strife in her lifetime. So it's a pleasure to sense…
Robert Fox, Oxfam Canada's Executive Director, met with a group of women in Guatemala who are planting, processing…
@ravens_point thank you so much! The jellyfish that I saw had a lot to do with that…
This post was written by Jessica Marsh, Program Assistant Intern at Oxfam Canada in SaskatoonOn August 23rd,…
Soap, a water container, a mosquito net, and a cooking pan were among the objects on display…
Dear world leaders, “While we do our good works let us not forget that the real solution…
Oxfam’s Head of Arms Control, Anna MacDonald, on the final week of ATT negotiations: The final week…
This post was written by Ishmael Beah, author of “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier” and…
This blog post was written by Emily Bush, Oxfam Canada Policy and Outreach Intern – Halifax On…
Oxfam’s Anna MacDonald reporting on the Arms Trade Treaty negotiations in New York The third week of…
This post was published by Embassy Magazine on July 11, 2012As we mark the one-year anniversary of…
Oxfam’s Anna MacDonald reports that states continue to delay on getting text on the table, while campaigning…
This blog post was written by Biraj Swain (Lead-GROW/Food Justice Campaign, Oxfam India and co-editor cum author of…
This post is from Channel 4 News UKDavid Grimason has been calling for tighter controls on the trade…
This post was written by Bryce Wylde, alternative medicine expert, clinician, television host, educator, author and philanthropist.…
Mark Fried, Oxfam Canada June 11, 2012—On behalf of the Canadian members of the Control Arms…
This post was written by Ariel Taylor, Policy and Outreach Intern, Oxfam CanadaJune 6, 2012—In July, leaders…
This presentation was delivered by Mark Fried, Policy Coordinator, Oxfam Canada to the Finance Committee on May…
My mother is the heart of our family, the one with the big picture view who keeps…
“I have never been introduced to the concept of food as a right—very interesting” – Ottawa participant in…
This post was originally published on Canadian Living on May 9, 2012 Between choices of flowers…
The International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender Violence in Conflict campaign is led by the women Peace Laureates…
This post was written by Mark Fried and originally published in Huffington Post on April 27, 2012Wednesday,…
The last year’s events have demonstrated the immense power that grassroots organizing, social media, and collective power…
At three in the afternoon, a black pick-up truck came to a halt on the grass pitch…
Despite the passage of laws that recognize women’s rights, there remain numerous barriers to gender equality in…
One way of reaching the public about Oxfam’s great work around the world is through celebrities who…
This blog post was published on Huffington Post on March 12, 2012.Since the mid-2000s, Oxfam and our…
The following op-ed was published in the Huffington Post on March 7, 2012. It didn’t get much…
The following op-ed was published in the Halifax Chronicle Herald on March 8, 2012. Let me tell you a story…
Janet Rhymes and Jesse Firempong Oxfam Canada, Maritimes More than 220 bleary-eyed Maritimers woke up extra early…
by Mark Fried, Policy Coordinator, Oxfam Canada Oxfam supporters who have been with us since 2006 will…
Blair Redlin For many people around the globe, February 14 is a day to invest time and…
by Tim Gore This blog posting orginally appeared at blogs.oxfam.org In the early hours of Sunday…
by Yohanka Valdés Despite the social transformations that have contributed to advancing women’s rights in Cuba…
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…
by Conor Costello This blog post originally appeared at blogs.oxfam.org Saturday, December 3rd was not a normal…
by Ian Sullivan This blog originally appeared at blogs.oxfam.org So the first week of #COP17, Durban Climate…
Putting food on the table can be a challenge for many people and families around the…
by Angélique Kidjo The following blog originally appeared at blogs.oxfam.org There is an old African riddle…
by Ian SullivanThis blog originally appeared at blogs.oxfam.orgRecently we bought you news about the Trans-African Caravan of…
As I sit in the closing plenary at Busan, I sense more relief than celebration. An agreement…
by Lauren Ravon The first of a series of Big Food Conversations organized by Oxfam Canada…
by Tim Gore This blog originally appeared at: blogs.oxfam.org It’s now two years since the frantic…
By Robert FoxWhat was to be a showcase announcement on gender equality at the High Level Forum…
The following article originally appeared in the Toronto Starby Mark FriedEnvironment Minister Peter Kent may relish another…
by Alun McDonald Originally published by Oxfam International on November 9, 2011 The Trans African…
The G20 summit is over. Furious final negotiations occupied Friday morning, with journalists peddling rumours and…
If the measures championed by Oxfam, some other international organizations and some individual countries had been…
By now the pictures are all over the world. What is more de rigeur for the…
On Monday I was demonstrating in the streets of Nice. The demo was large by Canadian standards,…
Rural women have been struggling for access to land in Nicaragua for decades. Last year, the National…
A little over a year ago and a half ago, I worked closely with dozens of other…
Before arriving in Ethiopia last week, I knew of the country’s reputation, as one of Africa’s…
by Robert Fox Flying low over Ethiopia, I am reminded how beautiful a country it is:…
On the third day of the 2011 Women’s Worlds conference, the opening panel was welcomed by…
$1 for a kilo of beautiful avocados. $1.60 for a litre of 2% milk. A cabbage or…
By Lauren Ravon Policy Advisor Oxfam Canada has decided to put women front and center in its…
by Michelle Gentile Donor Stewardship Officer There are so many actions that we, as Canadians, can take…
By Robert Fox Executive Director As I was strolling through the Ottawa farmers’ market, filling my basket…