Category: In the field
Follow stories from communities we’re working with around the world.
![Photo: Iyad al Baba/Oxfam Photo: Iyad al Baba/Oxfam](https://www.oxfam.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/GazaDestruction2_648x431.jpg)
Oxfam staff in Gaza flee their homes
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The crisis in Gaza has affected everyone living there — including our own Oxfam colleagues, working in incredibly difficult and dangerous circumstances to deliver safe water and food to thousands of families in need. Many of our staff and partners have themselves been forced to flee their homes with their families. They fear for their family’s safety and their children’s future. Read more »
![During a brief 12 cessation of hostilities, families returned to Shujaiya in eastern Gaza, scene of
some of the heaviest Israeli bombing. Thousands of families fled the area and were only now
able to return to see the massive damage to homes and infrastructure, and search for the
bodies of missing family members. About 150 bodies were uncovered from beneath the rubble,
bringing the death toll over 1,000. Photo: Iyad al Baba/Oxfam. Photo: Iyad al Baba/Oxfam.](https://www.oxfam.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Gaza_Ceasefire-blog_648x431.jpg)
The destruction of Gaza, a first-hand account
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Arwa Mhanna travelled around Gaza City in during a brief window of calm. She shares her experiences: “The ceasefire lasted only 12 hours, and as I write the violence has returned. On Monday, Al Shifa hospital — where I met so many brave people — was hit, with many casualties being reported. I don’t know if the people I met are alive or dead.” Read more »
![Ambulances, hospitals and emergency medical staff have also come under attack. 18 healthcare facilities have been damaged, as well as numerous ambulances. Medical staff are working in incredibly difficult and dangerous conditions to try and save lives. Photo: Iyad al Baba/Oxfam Photo: Iyad al Baba/Oxfam](https://www.oxfam.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/GazaHospitals_800x533.jpg)
Medical staff in Gaza struggle to cope with rising casualties
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With the crisis in Gaza mounting, hospitals are struggling to cope with the growing influx of casualties. Three quarters of the dead and wounded are civilians, including many women and children. Read more »
![Thousands of people flee Israeli airstrikes and ground attacks in Shujaiya, eastern Gaza, which has some of the heaviest destruction so far. Around 190,000 people have had to flee their homes so far but there is nowhere safe for them to go. Photo: Iyad al Baba/Oxfam Photo: Iyad al Baba/Oxfam](https://www.oxfam.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/WomeninGaza_800x533.jpg)
Women in Gaza describe life under airstrikes
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The crisis in Gaza is having a devastating impact on civilians who represent approximately 75 per cent of the casualties so far. Oxfam partner WCLAC (the Women’s Centre for Legal Affairs and Counselling) is collecting testimonies from women in Gaza to describe their lives and fear under the ongoing Israeli airstrikes. Read more »
![Ayad Gharab, 31, sits with his wife Nawal, 28, as he holds their baby, Farida, six months. Nawal is a mother of three. Together they share a one room house that has no running water or electricity, in Abreen. The family left their home in Idlib, Syria after two of their children were injured by a cluster bomb they were playing with. Photo: Sam Tarling/Oxfam Photo: Sam Tarling/Oxfam](https://www.oxfam.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Nawal_Frieda_SamTarling_800x533.jpg)
Why we left Syria
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Ayad came home from work that day to find his children crawling on the floor, unable to walk. When he found out what had happened, he knew in that moment they had to leave Syria. He couldn’t bear the idea of anything else happening to his children. Nawal and the children packed up their things and began the long journey to Lebanon. Read more »
![Photo: Rodney Dekker/OxfamAUS](https://www.oxfam.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/201439speakerstourposter28129web.jpg)
Growing food in a changing climate, Vanuatu comes to Australia
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Vanuatu. An idyllic paradise in the South Pacific, where thousands of Australians go each year to bask under the sun in balmy breezes, snorkel through vibrant coral reefs and enjoy gourmet food. But for Shirley (Oxfam) and Mala (CARE International in Vanuatu), Vanuatu is home, and behind the covers of the glossy holiday brochures lies […] Read more »
![Photo: Jen Duffy/Oxfam AU Photo: Jen Duffy/Oxfam AU](https://www.oxfam.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/KilimanjaroSummit_Team1_600x429.jpg)
“The most breathtaking sight I have ever seen”
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Thanks to Inspired Adventures, two teams of incredible Oxfam supporters have attempted the Mount Kilimanjaro Summit —raising an incredible $185,000 for Oxfam’s development work around the world. Read a first-hand account about their adventure. Read more »
![Children wash their hands at the Oxfam water tanks at Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan. Photo: Anastasia Taylor-Lind/Oxfam Photo: Anastasia Taylor-Lind/Oxfam](https://www.oxfam.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Syria_Tobearefugee_Anastasia-Taylor-Lind_800x533.jpg)
What does it feel like to be a refugee?
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What does it feel like to be a refugee, forced to flee to an unfamiliar country and dependent on humanitarian assistance to survive? How do you know where to turn, who to trust for accurate information and how to meet the basic needs of your family? Read more »
![Kulang Choul is three years old, the same age as South Sudan, which today (9 July) marks its third anniversary of independence. Photo: Andreea Campeanu/Oxfam Photo: Andreea Campeanu/Oxfam](https://www.oxfam.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Kulang_800x533_Andreea-CampeanuOxfam-.jpg)
Three years on, what does the future hold for the children of South Sudan’s independence?
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Kulang was only days old when South Sudan was thrust into existence as the world’s newest country three years ago. For Kulang’s parents, Elizabeth and Gatluack Choul, an independent South Sudan offered hope and prosperity for their baby boy. But today that dream lies shattered. The family live trapped in a displaced peoples’ camp while fighting continues to rage on across their homeland. Read more »
![Photo: Xavier Vahed Oxfam AU Photo: Xavier Vahed Oxfam AU](https://www.oxfam.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Helen_Woza_XavierVahedOxfamAU_800x533.jpg)
The difference you could make today
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1.5 million children die as a result of poor hygiene, poor sanitation and unsafe water each year (UN 2013). Thanks to Oxfam supporters, Oxfam is a world leader in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Dr Helen Szoke, Chief Executive of Oxfam Australia, visited WASH projects in South Africa last year. She found out first-hand how your support has the capacity to change lives for good. Read more »