health

Faced with the coronavirus pandemic, Oxfam has geared up its entire humanitarian aid delivery system to help the most vulnerable communities. Despite access restrictions, we are working around the clock with our local partners to deliver vital assistance to curb to spread of the virus and help protect people from its economic impact. You can help.

The first fatality has been confirmed and the number of cases is soaring, now over 1,000.

Billionaire fortunes increased by 12 percent last year – or $2.5 billion a day - while the 3.8 billion people who make up the poorest half of humanity saw their wealth decline by 11 percent, reveals a new report from Oxfam today.

This second edition of the Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index is based on a new database of indicators, now covering 157 countries, which measures government action on social spending, tax and labour rights – three areas found to be critical to reducing the inequality gap.

The coronavirus pandemic has swept across a world that was already profoundly unequal.The Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index 2020 shows that no country in the world was doing enough to tackle inequality prior to the pandemic. This is helping to fuel the crisis and has increased the vulnerability of people living in poverty, especially women.

New Oxfam research shows that four pharmaceutical corporations – Abbott, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co (MSD), and Pfizer – systematically hide their profits in overseas tax havens. This activity could deprive developing countries of more than $100 million every year – money that is urgently needed to meet the health needs of people in these countries.

Kpatua, a village of about 120 households located in the farthest northeastern corner of Ghana, is not on the national electricity grid. Oxfam in collaboration with a local partner is working on a renewable solar energy project which provides clean water, lights, and the potential for more improvements.

This statement was read by Shane Stevenson, Oxfam’s Country Director in Yemen, on behalf of Oxfam and 21 other international NGOs currently working in Yemen.

INGOs are delivering life-saving humanitarian assistance to millions of vulnerable Yemenis, despite the complex and serious nature of the security situation and sustained bureaucratic access constraints.

Despite an impressive economic growth since 2005, poverty still affects millions of people’s lives in Kenya. But extreme inequality is not inevitable, it is a matter of political choice. The Kenyan government can reduce it to sustainable levels and ensure a more equal and prosperous future for all Kenyans.

Almost one-third of the Senegalese population is between 10 and 24 – the age in which most people become sexually active. However, sexuality education is very limited, which makes young people vulnerable to unwanted pregnancies or HIV. Implemented by Oxfam, the Connecting 4 Life program has been conceived to fill this gap through an innovative approach.