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Typhoon Washi victims who are made homeless after their houses were swept away by flash floods rest at an evacuation center in Cagayan de Oro in the southern Philippines December 18, 2011. Rescuers searched for more than 100 people still missing in the southern Philippines on Sunday after flash floods and landslides swept houses into rivers and out to sea, killing almost 500 people in areas ill-prepared to cope with deadly storms. The cities of Cagayan de Oro and nearby Iligan on Mindanao island were worst hit when Typhoon Washi slammed ashore while people slept late on Friday and early Saturday, sending torrents of water and mud through villages and stripping mountainsides bare. REUTERS/Erik De Castro (PHILIPPINES - Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY)

Oxfam sends experts to Philippines in wake of typhoon Washi

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As the death toll passes 1,000 from the devastating tropical storm that hit the southern Philippines on Sunday, Oxfam has sent in emergency responders to determine the region’s humanitarian needs. A team of ten experts are on the ground in Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City to assess the water and sanitation conditions, after […] Read more »
Photo: John Sones/OxfamAUS

Clean water saves lives: Maree’s story

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It’s easy to get caught up in the material anxieties of the holiday season. For a bit of perspective we bring you the story of Maree, a 23-year-old Cambodian woman living with her mother in the Takeo district of Cambodia. Maree doesn’t own any land, so she travels 90 km to Phnom Penh to work […] Read more »
Photo: John Jones/OxfamAUS

Clean water saves lives: Bhoomy’s story

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Running water is one of those little things in life that we depend on without really considering. But stop and think for a minute: If you couldn’t turn the on tap, would you even know the location of your nearest water source? For Bhoomy Deungmarny the answer is the KaPanh River, about 400 metres from […] Read more »
Photo: John Sones/OxfamAUS

Clean water saves lives: Oeun’s story

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Kut Oeun, a 35-year-old mother of four in rural Cambodia, is the face of our 2011 Water Appeal. But she’s more than just a face on a campaign. Oeun and her family spoke to Oxfam Australia at length about life in their village, particularly the struggles that come from having limited access to clean water. Read more »
Photo: John Sones/OxfamAUS

Since you asked

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Often, stories about aid work raise as many questions as they answer. So this year we’re trying something new with our annual water appeal. In addition to giving you first-person accounts from the people we work with, we’re also introducing an interactive Q&A feature. Read more »

Waiting for water

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Carly Sheehan travels to the village of Dillo in Ethiopia, where Oxfam is currently reaching over 8,500 people with clean water. Read more »

All hands to the pump

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It’s a race against time to get water equipment constructed before refugees arrive in a new camp near Dolo Ad, a village in the far south of Ethiopia, not far from the Somali border. Read more »

Cleaning to a new beat

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A whole lot of shaking going on: in her latest dispatch from East Africa, Oxfam Australia’s Chee Chee Leung describes the unique method refugees in Dadaab use to keep their jerry cans clean… Read more »

Smiling in Dadaab

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Amid the challenges and frustrations of life at Dadaab refugee camp, there are also some good reasons to smile, as these heart-warming videos attest. Read more »

Cash-for-work in Kenya: Building latrines at Dadaab camp

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Our cash-for-work program in Dadaab is not only helping refugees earn vital income, but is also giving them a sense of purpose and dignity in conditions where it can be difficult to stay positive. Read more »