South Sudan's brutal four-year civil war has left four million people displaced and killed thousands. It has also forced millions into poverty and is pushing people to their absolute limits. Oxfam aid worker Tim Bierley shares some of the horrific stories that have become almost commonplace in the country.
In this edited extract from the book Practical Visionaries, Susan Blackburn explains how Oxfam’s predecessor, Community Aid Abroad (CAA), began working with Aboriginal communities in Australia more than 40 years ago.
"I can hear children crying as they listen to the thunderous shelling and mortars". Moutaz Adham, Oxfam's Country Director, Syria shares his view of the escalating Syrian crisis from on the ground in Damascus.
Recent events have shed light on a sector-wide issue that has violated the values at the core of our identity and work. Our leadership is completely committed to ensure this never happens again. Here’s how.
Our work advancing women’s rights, especially in situations of vulnerability, is central to Oxfam’s identity. We’re horrified by what has emerged about the abuse that took place by a group of men employed by Oxfam in the humanitarian response to the Haiti earthquake. The actions of these men do not represent Oxfam.
"All charities need to be absolutely alert and active in looking at how we're recruiting people, how we're vetting them and how we're actually ensuring the culture of the workplace in the countries we work in is one that upholds our values or code of conduct" Helen Szoke told the ABC this morning.
For many, the word “Rwanda” triggers memories of harrowing tales of civil war that dominated headlines in the 1990s. This chaotic time in Rwandan history left many thousands of women widowed, traumatised and living in poverty. That’s why we are implementing a life-changing project that brings together vulnerable women, offers them support, and trains them to breed and rear pigs to supplement their income.
Poverty is a complex problem with many causes and symptoms. We’ve found a simple and effective remedy for poverty in Rwanda: pig waste. Biogas - produced from pig waste - is an innovative energy source that is cheap, renewable and efficient. It eases the burden of time-consuming, unpaid domestic work for women and girls, so they can focus on more productive activities.
Like all loving mothers, Epaphrodite wants the best for her children. But she and her family live in Rwanda, one of the world’s poorest countries — a place where poverty is widespread and many struggle to make ends meet. Together, we can provide families like Epaphrodite's a pathway out of poverty.
More than half of the 626,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are women and girls. There are 120,000 pregnant women and new mothers. Shompa*, Marjina* and Kahinoor* are three such women. These are their stories.
