Phillipines: Lorna Antiola with corn plants. Photo: ©Elizabeth Stevens/Oxfam
Philippines
Oxfam supports communities in the Philippines to overcome poverty and inequality.
The Philippines is in a climate emergency. Cyclones, flooding, landslides. Rising seas. It’s ranked number one on the World Risk Index for 2025, meaning it’s the most likely country in the world to experience disaster from extreme climate shocks (as well as living through other negative impacts from climate change).
These pressures threaten lives, homes, crops and livelihoods. And for families living in rural communities, recovery can be harder. The challenge is greater still for women and girls in these communities.
Despite this, the Philippines is also known for strong and highly capable local leadership. When you donate to countries like the Philippines, you’re backing long-term, locally driven action.
Oxfam works alongside local partners to advance climate justice, strengthen women’s leadership, and improve access to inclusive humanitarian assistance after major cyclones.
Help communities adapt, protect their rights and influence decisions that affect their future.
Why your support matters in the Philippines
The Philippines spans more than 7,600 islands. Many are remote and mountainous. Some you can only reach by boat. When extreme weather events hit, communities can be cut off from food markets, health clinics or even clean water.
It’s also now ranked #1 globally for disaster risk. That means the country is exposed to frequent and severe climate extremes that place immense strain on public infrastructure and essential services.
These climate shocks damage crops, disrupt transport routes and push up food prices. Rural families (who often rely on agriculture or fishing) feel these pressures first. The national economy is growing, but inequality persists. Many households remain just one typhoon or crop failure away from financial hardship.
UN Women Asia-Pacific agrees that women, girls and gender diverse people face even steeper barriers: more unpaid care work, fewer income opportunities, less access to information and resources, and higher protection risks during crises.
There’s still hope. Filipino communities are also driving powerful responses. Local organisations, women leaders and youth groups strengthen preparedness, map local risks, and build renewable energy systems. They also support peace and governance efforts in the newly formed Bangsamoro, and advocate for economic and climate initiatives that reflect lived experience in all its diversity.
Others are helping people recover after severe cyclones with inclusive protection services, planning, and support to restore livelihoods. These efforts save lives, increase resilience (especially for underserved community groups) and support communities to influence decisions that affect them.
Oxfam works alongside these groups to help make sure locally led solutions reach the people most affected — from climate adaptation and renewable energy advocacy to women’s rights, peacebuilding and inclusive humanitarian recovery. Your donation for countries like the Philippines supports community leadership in all these areas, helping people stay safe, strengthen their rights and remain in control of their own futures.
How Oxfam is working in the Philippines
Supporting a just and inclusive energy transition
Through the regional Influencing Just Energy Transition (I-JET) program, Oxfam works with local partners in the Philippines to strengthen renewable energy advocacy. Partners use updated analysis to engage in ASEAN processes and speak with institutions such as the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. This helps ensure national and regional energy decisions are more just, transparent and centred on people’s rights.
Local partners: Oxfam Pilipinas, ASEAN Centre for Energy, (XEA) Climate Action Network Southeast Asia
Supporting locally led preparedness and community resilience
Across disaster-prone areas, Oxfam works with community organisations to strengthen preparedness. This includes developing early warning systems and other initiatives that help communities respond before extreme weather escalates (often led by women and youth). Grounding decisions in local knowledge makes risk reduction practical and rooted in lived experience.
Oxfam acknowledges the support of the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) and the Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP).
Donate to countries like the Philippines to stand with a powerful, capable group of people working together to improve their futures at the frontline of the climate emergency.
Key focus areas
Climate Justice
Supporting community-led adaptation, renewable energy advocacy and efforts to reduce climate risk.
Gender Justice
Strengthening women’s leadership, rights claiming and participation in local and regional decision-making.
Economic Inclusion
Backing initiatives that expand more just livelihood opportunities and women’s economic empowerment.
Why choose Oxfam
We work alongside local Filipino leaders and organisations who understand the challenges and the solutions. When you support Oxfam with a donation for the Philippines, you’re backing:
Local partnerships
Every program is grounded in community knowledge and led by local organisations.
Long-term resilience
From climate advocacy to disaster preparation and gender justice, we focus on lasting impact (not just emergency relief).
Proven accountability
As a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), Oxfam follows the highest standards of transparency and effectiveness.
A regional approach
Our work in the Philippines is part of a wider strategy, ensuring solutions are shared, connected and led by the Asia-Pacific region itself.
Justice over charity
We support communities to lead their own future. It’s not about charity. It’s about justice, dignity and equal rights.
How your donation helps
Every donation to Oxfam supports community-led programs around the world. Here’s what your support can help make possible:
- Stronger disaster preparedness — through community-led planning, early warning systems, and local training
- Support for women leaders — especially in peacebuilding, governance and community organising
- Access to clean water and sanitation — critical during disasters and for long-term health
- Local climate solutions — from adaptation and food security initiatives to renewable energy advocacy
- Stronger regional advocacy — helping communities engage in ASEAN processes and discussions on more just energy transitions
Your donation is more than a moment of support. It’s a commitment to a more just and resilient future for the world’s most at-risk nation.
Donate to countries like the Philippines now
Help us work for justice and equality. For a world where everyone can earn a reliable income and have access to clean water and a viable food network (especially as climate shocks occur more frequently).
By donating today, you can back the leadership of Filipino communities facing climate extremes head-on. Every contribution can help provide practical tools, long-term support, and build better systems for the future.
Donate now to support climate action and gender justice to countries like the Philippines.
Learn more about Oxfam’s work in the region
Want to understand the bigger picture? Explore how Oxfam works across the Asia-Pacific region to support community-led climate action and push for global systems that put justice first.
Discover Oxfam’s gender equality work, or our stance on climate justice. Read about how we’re working with partners across the globe to support local solutions to climate change and gender inequality.
You can also explore our current appeals or learn more about how we work in Fiji, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.
