Blogs

Women and girls across Ukraine are suffering the impacts of the war. With the escalated attacks on civilian infrastructure including energy infrastructure, access to essential services has become more difficult.

Two years since the escalation of war in 2022, Ukraine is struggling to support those who are most vulnerable across the country. In 2022, as a result of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine’s gross domestic product (GDP) fell by almost 30%. With five million people internally displaced (IDP’s) , providing services for those in need is getting more complicated.  There is a shortage of housing for those whose homes were destroyed, and many people cannot support themselves.

Oleksandra, 22, is a community social worker on gender-based violence. She is a part of the dynamic team of Rokada, a Ukrainian charitable foundation that works with internally displaced people (IDPs) and other vulnerable communities whose lives have been strongly affected by the war.

Israel’s escalation in Gaza is the most brutal onslaught of violence carried out against Palestinians. 

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.  

The chocolate industry is one of the most profitable sectors amongst global food value chains. So much of this wealth and profits are concentrated for the big chocolate companies, their shareholders and their CEOs. While the people who are at the forefront of chocolate productions continue to lose out. 

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 European Union has adopted a new approach to foreign policy dubbed the “Global Gateway,” supported by a new European Financial Architecture for Development (EFAD). These policies are a direct response to the state of permacrises that the world finds itself in. It seeks to inject 180-300 billion euros over a period of six years into the EU’s partner countries in the form of infrastructure projects, a green transition and digitalisation.