water and sanitation

Renewed violent clashes involving non-state armed groups have exacerbated the hunger and
protection crises in the Democratic Republic of Congo, leaving 10 million people in urgent
need of humanitarian assistance, warned Oxfam, CARE International and the Danish Refugee
Council today.

Six years after the establishment of the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism, people in Gaza continue to live on the brink of disaster as a result of 13 years of the Israeli blockade. The water, sanitation and health sector remains significantly damaged, with Gaza facing the complete collapse of its wastewater treatment system.

On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared Covid-19 a pandemic. A year on. The disease affected us all in different and unpredictable ways, and hit Oxfam too. But because of the belief and goodwill of our amazing supporters and partners we emerge having helped 14 million people around the world. Here's a snapshot of the past year of our work.

Coronavirus is threatening us all. With each day, in every family, community and country, more of us are being personally affected by it. To beat the pandemic and avert harm to the lives of billions we must work together. We need to act across all countries and for every person. Fighting for some but not others is not an option. It only fuels risk for us all.

Droughts, storms, floods, disease and war — 2019 saw its fair share of disaster and conflict, but at the same time millions of us stood up and stood together to call for climate change action, an end to injustice, an end to poverty, and to raise the voices of the vulnerable. With your help, we continued to work hard to save lives and build a better future for all.

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.

The Fizi territory, in the South Kivu region, is one of the most inaccessible places of DRC. And here, Oxfam is building a 96-kilometers-long gravity-fed water supply system, that taps into a river source in Mitumba mountain ranges. The project will reduce the burden on women and girls and leave them with more time to go to school and undertake other responsibilities in the community.

Beginning on 25 August 2017, over 700,000 Rohingya refugees fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh seeking safety and lifesaving assistance. While safe from the violence they were subjected to in Myanmar, Rohingya women continue to face huge protection risks and challenges.

A survey of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh has found that more than half are almost completely unprepared for the floods, landslides and disease that accompany the monsoon weather, with women most at risk.

Aid workers are in a race against time to stop the rapid spread of disease as thousands of Rohingya people arrive in Bangladesh every day.