Category: Emergencies

Oxfam campaigners are amongst the hundreds of diplomats, journalists, civil society and solidarity groups gathering for the beginning of the long awaited ‘Geneva 2’ peace talks for Syria in the tranquil town of Montreaux, on Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Police are patrolling the edges of a security fence which rings the buildings where the talks […] Read more »

2013 was an immensely difficult year for the people of Syria, the most devastating in a conflict now almost three years long. You can take action now to help people affected by the violence. This time last year, around 500,000 refugees had fled Syria to neighbouring countries. Now, this has more than quadrupled to an […] Read more »

While Australia is in the midst of a hot summer, tens of thousands of Syrians forced to flee their homes are struggling through a long, bitterly cold winter – the worst to hit the Middle East in decades. Oxfam is there providing support to over half a million refugees. Written by Vanessa Parra – humanitarian […] Read more »

We were thinking it was the end of our lives. I was worrying about my family because my family were living near the shore. Read more »

I saw the signs before I saw the damage. As we drove northward on the Filipino island of Cebu to the hard-hit city of Daanbantayan a week after the typhoon, young children lined the streets, holding up pieces of cardboard that said “Please help, we need food and water.” Read more »

The Oxfam rapid assessment team flew into Samar, the first place to be hit by Typhoon Haiyan. Here are some photos of the scenes they saw, and the Oxfam team’s preparation to respond. Read more »

There are still body bags beside the road, and as the clean up continues the bodies are still being discovered. There is so much to do, so it is important for Oxfam that we concentrate on what we do best, and what is needed at this early stage of the recovery. Read more »

It was heartening to see a further distribution of much needed aid in the Daanbantayan area yesterday and to have another opportunity to talk with people from the villages. People were very grateful for access to further hygiene kits and water containers so that water can be purified for drinking. Read more »

As we came closer to the area where the typhoon had made its impact, things began to change. There were trees uprooted, electricity poles tipping perilously at an angle, through front yards of small houses, sugar cane crops looking like untidy haircuts and coconut trees snapped off at the half way mark. Read more »

I have just finished my first day in Cebu, spending it with the Oxfam team on the ground. We need fuel, volunteers and transport. You know from news reports that some areas are much harder to access than others. Read more »