health and sanitation

In rich countries, clean water is so plentiful and easily available that we simply take it for granted. Yet around the world, diseases from unsafe water kill more people each year than any other cause, making this one of the world’s most urgent health issues. Water is central to almost every aspect of Oxfam’s work.

Iraq is a fragile state with 4 million people still in need of humanitarian assistance and the coronavirus pandemic is likely to exacerbate vulnerabilities. In light of this, Oxfam’s work is more crucial than ever. Along with our partners, we work closely with local authorities and communities, as well as supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Huguette Yago manages the supply of water and sanitation equipment, as well as organizing hygiene awareness sessions for displaced people in north-central Burkina Faso. With her team, she's working around the clock to prevent the spread of coronavirus which could be devastating in camps where the lack of water poses huge challenges.

In Gaza less than four percent of fresh water is drinkable and the surrounding sea is polluted by sewage. Yet the international community is failing to do enough to protect the health and dignity of almost 2 million people who have nowhere else to go. Read the story.

Two and a half years after the devastating destruction in Gaza, this paper analyses the effectiveness of the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) in improving access to water, health and sanitation services and identifies urgent steps that should be taken. 

Food, shelter and clean water are needed urgently by people in southern Haiti following the destruction caused by Hurricane Matthew last week. Oxfam fears that the current death toll of at least 800 will increase further. The international community must act immediately to mitigate the loss of entire harvests and to counter any possible spikes of cholera. Oxfam is sending 3 tons of water purifying supplies to Haiti.

As Oxfam teams access the most affected areas in Haiti, the destruction left by hurricane Matthew is more evident, as well as the urgent humanitarian needs of those affected.

Oxfam is using its in-country aid stocks to provide essential household items and portable toilets to families hit by the Sri Lankan landslides and flood. A team of Oxfam aid workers is assessing the scale of the crisis and how best the agency can provide further help. Initial plans for Oxfam's response are estimated to be in the region of $350,000. 

Oxfam water filtering equipment that will be vital in preventing the spread of waterborne disease in the weeks following Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston has arrived on the ground in Fiji, as Oxfam steps up its response.

Women in Nepal are living in fear of abuse because of the lack of privacy and security afforded by temporary shelters, Oxfam said today.