Blogs

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."

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.

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.

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.

In a country with an exhausted economy and its healthcare facilities decimated, it’s not only about fighting the virus itself but about withstanding its aftershocks. As a result of the lockdown, many people, who already live hand-to-mouth, have been unable to make a living. A crisis within a crisis.

The arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic to our Pacific shores once again brought to light the weakness of public health systems in our region. The reality is that our health systems are not ready for this crisis.