haiti

The floods that have engulfed Pakistan over the last week are a mega disaster and the world needs to mount a mega response to ensure the millions affected get the help they need, international aid agency Oxfam said today as it called for a “gear shift” in the response to the crisis.

International aid agency Oxfam today announced that its Humanitarian Haiti earthquake appeal was closing due to the overwhelming generosity of the public worldwide. Oxfam has received approximately $100m for its emergency work in Haiti.

G7 finance ministers meeting in Canada this weekend must agree to a Financial Transaction Tax to leverage billions needed to help poor nations deal with the impact of the global economic crisis.

To help raise funds for Oxfam's response to the Haiti earthquake, actress Scarlett Johansson has designed a handbag. Part of the profits will be donated to Intermon Oxfam.

Oxfam has started to employ people affected by Haiti’s earthquake to clean up camps and improve their living conditions. This “cash-for-work” effort began on Sunday and will expand this week across the nine sites serving 80,000 people.