aid

In response to the nationwide ceasefire in Syria, Oxfam hopes it will provide a welcome respite for Syrian civilians who have faced unremitting violence and deliberate deprivation of aid. Russia and the USA must make sure their agreement translates to a real and lasting halt to violence in Syria, said the agency. 

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. 

The international community must plug a $2 billion funding gap for countries hit by El Nino-related drought and storms. These have left a staggering 60 million people around the world facing crop failures and worsening hunger.

World-wide development organization Oxfam will send its first shipment of aid tomorrow to those people most affected from the 7.8 earthquake that struck Ecuador last Saturday.

Development aid has reached an all-time high, but with 900 million people still living in extreme poverty much more needs to be done, says Oxfam.

Oxfam has today suspended all of its operations in the Moria camp, on the Greek island of Lesvos, in response to the deteriorating treatment of migrants due to the recent deal struck between the EU and Turkey. The Greek authorities are transforming reception facilities into detention centers, where people will be held pending their mass return to Turkey.

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.

Access to clean water and sanitation will be one of the greatest needs in Fiji’s Tropical Cyclone Winston response, and must be prioritised, Oxfam said today. Clean water for drinking and hand washing is essential for the prevention of waterborne diseases after a disaster.

In response to billions of dollars being pledged by governments today to help Syrians engulfed in the country's conflict, Andy Baker, Regional Program Manager for Oxfam's Syria crisis response said: "The London conference is a potential turning point. But while money for aid is vital, it will not solve the crisis."

Millions of poor and vulnerable people face hunger and poverty this year and next because of record global temperatures, droughts and erratic rains in 2014 and 2015, compounded by the development of possibly the most powerful El Niño on record.