Blogs

After the atrocities committed on October 7, 2023, Israel’s escalation in Gaza is the most brutal onslaught of violence carried out against Palestinians during the 57-year-long Israeli occupation. Before the latest escalation of violence, over 80% of the population in Gaza relied on some form of humanitarian aid for survival, and life in the Gaza Strip was characterised by the almost total restriction on travel and trade, and the absence of social safety nets and livelihood opportunities. However, life for the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped inside Gaza has turned into an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.  

On 18 - 19 March, the EU, UN, EU countries, INGOs and partners will meet in Brussels to discuss and shape the humanitarian agenda. At this third edition of the European Humanitarian Forum, the implications of the current, most pressing humanitarian crises will be explored, focusing specifically on the humanitarian funding gap and on neglected crises worldwide. The Forum comes at a critical moment with staggering humanitarian needs and right before the June European Parliament elections.  

Due to the occupation and illegal blockade by the Israeli government, Palestinians have been living under insecurity and oppression for years. In recent days, violence has increased, resulting in many Palestinian as well as Israeli civilian casualties.

On June 6th, the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, located about 70 km east of Kherson, Ukraine, was severely damaged by explosions, leading to widespread flooding and triggering a massive humanitarian and environmental crisis. One month on, Oxfam’s priority is still to ensure the safety of the affected communities. We are working in close collaboration with our local partners, who are at the forefront of the response efforts.

In past years, Oxfam was able to provide Dignity Kits to women refugees. These include soap and other hygiene items, as well as underwear and menstrual pads. Row notes that refugees are missing this support, discontinued due to budget cuts. “We have no money to buy this in the market,” Row says. “And, as we are women, we need Dignity Kits."

Women are at the heart of the food production systems. Yet, women food producers are held back by barriers that prevent them from feeding their families and reinvesting in their livelihoods. Oxfam together with indigenous women, farmers and women food producers convened and create a space to exchange knowledge, wisdom and a vision for a better, just and feminist food system. We demand a fair #feministfoodsystem that empower women food producers, indigenous people and small-scale farmers! #FeministPower  

The shock of the earthquake piled on top of 12 years of brutal war marked by crumbling infrastructure, financial collapse, Coronavirus, soaring food prices, and a recent cholera outbreak, forcing more and more people deeper into the bridge of poverty.

Roma refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine face even more challenges getting the help they need than other displaced people, due to discrimination, language barriers and cultural differences. We spoke to some Roma refugees in Moldova to hear their concerns.

This Pride Month we partnered with artists and activists from different corners of the world, who speak about gender justice and inclusion, to share our take on queer joy. Queer Joy Manifesto represents a vision of a world where LGBTQIA+ people are seen and treated as equals, queer leadership is recognized and queer community is celebrated. In this blog we explore what it means in more detail, and invite you to share this vision with others.

As a global movement fighting for an equal and just world for everyone, we at Oxfam are celebrating Pride month as a way to express gratitude to our LGBTQIA+ partner organizations and activists for their contribution to social progress, human rights and equality. Here’s our take on what queer joy is and why we need more of it.

As the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence begins, Oxfam gender justice lead for Central America and LGBTQIA+ activist, Natalia Marsicovetere, spells out the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on LGBTQIA+ people in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that governments can take extraordinary measures to protect their citizens when spurred to action. We need to see more of this to address gender-based violence. We need to make the world safer for women, girls, and LGBTQI+ people. Here are five brilliant questions you asked about Oxfam’s recent report and our work on gender justice.

Rebecca Shadwick, Oxfam global campaigner, spoke with Rosebell Kagumire, editor at African Feminism, about the pandemic’s impact on women, freedom from physical and structural violence, and women's leadership in the recovery. They talk economic violence, social norms and shifting power for real inclusion.

143 displacement camps have sprung up in recent years around Marib city, in Yemen. Each time there is an escalation in fighting, a new wave of people flee towards the city and its surrounds, which now hosts over one million displaced people. We urgently need funding to provide them with lifesaving assistance.

A year on since the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a global pandemic, the virus has had far ranging impact on marginalized Rohingya refugees. The over-riding lesson has been how Rohingya refugees braved the new challenges of the pandemic with incredible determination and resilience. Here are four things to know about how residents of the world’s largest refugee camp have braved Covid-19.

A year after WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, the virus has laid bare the stark gender inequality that continues to shape our world. Despite being at the forefront of the response, women have borne the brunt of this crisis. On International Women's Day, we must reflect on why this happened and why it is absolutely critical for women and girls to have an equal voice and co-lead in rebuilding after COVID-19.

In Colombia, local politics is about more than planning decisions and wastewater – it is literally a matter of life or death. Tania Hernandez Téllez, 41, is willing to sacrifice everything to play her part

The Covid-19 pandemic has been called “the great equalizer”. However, the past twelve months made it clear that the most excluded, oppressed, and vulnerable groups, such as girls and women in all their diversity, have been disproportionately affected by its impact. How can we build a more equal and resilient world?

What if, just for one day, guns in wars zones across the world fell silent? That is the goal of Peace Day; every year on 21st September, people come together all round the world to build a culture of peace and demand that all armed parties observe a 24-hour ceasefire. This year there is added urgency, 2020 has been a year like no other and we desperately need an end to conflict so that we can focus on our common enemy of the pandemic.

Since March 2020, schools in Uganda have been closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Bidibidi refugee settlement, one of the largest in the world hosting over 280,000 refugees mainly from the Equatoria region in South Sudan, more than 80,000 children have been affected.