IMPACT
HUMANITARIAN ACTION
Back in the village, we used to cultivate our land.
We were living in our homes, working, planting, eating, and drinking from our land – we were very happy. Now, when we are stable in a place, thinking that we can stay safely, we find that we have to move again.
"Yesterday, I took my daughter to the hospital. I walked 45 minutes, as there’s no public transportation. My daughter got tired walking under the hot sun. The doctor informed us she is malnourished.
He told us to come back regularly, but I can’t afford the transportation nor the milk for her. We have no regular income, as there is no work. Life goes like this – but we struggle to live."
– Mofadal
When war broke out in Yemen, Mofadal and his family were forced to move. They lost all their belongings during the journey. Mofadal’s wife struggled to breastfeed, in the stressful conditions. As the family was forced to move time and time again, Mofadal could not find a regular job.
He dreams of sending his children to university, but with the continuing war, those dreams are becoming increasingly remote.
Around the world, millions of people are suffering the consequences of conflict and disaster. An estimated 108.4 million people were displaced worldwide at the end of 2022. And despite more than enough food produced to feed everyone on the planet, an estimated 783 million people worldwide still go hungry.
OUR WORK
PARTNERING WITH COMMUNITIES IN THE FACE OF CRISIS
We work together to protect and save lives. Our focus is on working with people and communities in situations of vulnerability before, during and after crises.
Humanitarian needs reached record levels in 2022–23, intensified by the global impact of the war in Ukraine, the effects of the climate crisis and the lasting economic impact of the Covid pandemic on crises in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Extreme weather events and rising costs of food, energy and agricultural goods deepened inequalities and again showed the importance not only of responding, but of addressing the root causes of emergencies.
We believe that humanitarian responses are more effective and efficient when led by people in the affected communities and countries themselves.
We invested in strengthening leadership of national and local actors and responded in Pakistan and Ukraine, prioritizing a shift of power.
We also worked with local and international allies in advocating towards key humanitarian donors, many of which have now adopted guidelines changing how they will work with thousands of local civil society organizations. And our advocacy continues to be driven by local groups.
Giving power to people affected by crisis starts with understanding their needs.
This is why we continue to widen the use of the Community Perception Tracker and strengthen consultation and participation mechanisms that support all humanitarian actors, for example through Sani Tweaks.
To further strengthen the agency of people and promote respect and dignity, over 23% of Oxfam humanitarian spending was transferred through cash and vouchers assistance in 2022.
This further supports the role of local groups and the transfer of power, for example with group cash transfers to crisis-affected populations, ensuring they can make decisions on their spending individually as well as in groups.
Giving power to people affected by crisis starts with understanding their needs.
This is why we continue to widen the use of the Community Perception Tracker and strengthen consultation and participation mechanisms that support all humanitarian actors, for example through Sani Tweaks.
To further strengthen the agency of people and promote respect and dignity, over 23% of Oxfam humanitarian spending was transferred through cash and vouchers assistance in 2022.
This further supports the role of local groups and the transfer of power, for example with group cash transfers to crisis-affected populations, ensuring they can make decisions on their spending individually as well as in groups.
With conflicts growing and lasting longer, protecting people from threats is essential.
Among key Oxfam initiatives in 2022 was a project with the NEAR network that provided local humanitarians in some of the worst conflicts with tools and training to advocate for better protection of civilians.
Facing the hunger crisis in East Africa, Oxfam provided aid to affected communities and worked with partners to analyze the terrible cost of inaction in a crisis that, despite warnings and alarms, was ignored for too long by those in power. We worked to raise the alarm over the crisis, issuing press releases and blogs and briefing policy makers directly on the impact of the drought on people who are in a vulnerable position, particularly women and herder communities.
OUR WORK ACROSS THE WORLD
EAST AFRICA
Responding to severe hunger
More than 44 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan. And the number of people facing severe hunger – 28 million – has more than quadrupled in the last five years.
Climate breakdown, characterized in East Africa by erratic rains, has prolonged a serious drought that started in 2021, compounding the already dire humanitarian situation caused by conflicts, the Covid pandemic and the worst plague of locusts in 70 years.
The war in Ukraine and its impact on global food systems, energy prices and the global economy has exacerbated the situation; food prices have increased by up to 40% in some countries. Over 13 million people have been displaced from their land in search of water and pasture, while millions have had to flee their homes because of conflicts in the region.
Oxfam and partners are providing millions of people with life-saving support in the region. We are also helping communities to become more resilient to the climate breakdown, working on rehabilitation programs and developing sustainable solutions for the future.
SYRIA
The largest refugee crisis in the world
Since the start of the Syrian civil war over a decade ago, hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost. More than 12 million people have fled their homes, many displaced more than once. More than 5 million refugees live in neighboring countries, including Jordan, Lebanon, and Türkiye, the majority living in extreme poverty. Schools, hospitals and homes have been destroyed, neighborhoods lack clean running water and sanitation, food prices have skyrocketed, and the economy is on the brink of collapse.
While the conflict is no longer on the scale once seen in Syria, over 80% of Syrians are living below the poverty line. Many women now find themselves the breadwinner of the family and face challenges of finding enough food; over 12 million women, men, and children go to bed hungry every night.
Oxfam is working in eight of Syria’s 14 governorates. Our operations focus on providing clean water to conflict-affected people through the rehabilitation of water infrastructure, importing water by truck while repairing local water sources.
We provide some families in the most vulnerable positions with cash to meet their urgent needs. We distribute food where needed and support farmers with training, seeds and seedlings to grow food and make a living.
UKRAINE, MOLDOVA, ROMANIA, POLAND
Wounds of War
The impact of the war in Ukraine has been devastating. From 24 February 2022, the start of the large-scale armed attack by the Russian Federation, to 30 July 2023, the war has caused 9,369 deaths and 16,646 injuries, alongside widespread destruction of key infrastructure, such as hospitals, schools and water installations. The conflict has displaced about 14 million people, mostly to Poland, Romania and Moldova. Of those fleeing, 90% have been women, children and elderly people. Many of them have been traumatized by war, separation and their long, gruelling journeys, compounded by familiar challenges facing all refugees – enduring awful living conditions, overcoming language barriers and challenges in accessing legal advice.
People are at risk of trafficking, extortion and gender-based violence. Those at most risk include minority groups such as the Roma, LGBTQIA+ people, those from countries outside Ukraine and the EU, and young women and children traveling alone.
Oxfam is funding and working with around 35 local civil society organizations, supporting humanitarian work in Ukraine and neighboring countries.
Together we have delivered life-saving assistance and protection through water and sanitation, shelter, food, cash distribution, legal assistance, counseling, and integration services such as language and job search support.
SYRIA, TÜRKIYE
Paying the price twice
Oxfam is working with communities and local partners following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked southeast Türkiye and northern Syria on 6 February 2023. Some areas of Hatay, Türkiye’s southernmost province, were virtually flattened. Many of the buildings that did not collapse were left riddled with cracks and will have to be demolished. This destruction has left millions of people homeless in an area already deeply affected by over a decade of war. While many have left the area and are staying with family, more than a million people are either living in overcrowded emergency shelters or in tents.
Among the survivors most exposed to shocks from the emergency were Syrian refugees, who had moved to Türkiye over the last 12 years to escape civil war. Türkiye hosts the largest number of refugees in the world – about 3.7 million people, and the 11 provinces affected by the recent earthquake host more than 1.7 million refugees. Many refugees had already established new lives in Türkiye but had to go back living in temporary housing until they can get back on their feet.
Oxfam has planned a three-year response. In the long term, we will work with our partners to create job and income-generating opportunities to help people support themselves following the disaster.
PAKISTAN
The worst floods on record
Unprecedented floods ravaged areas of Pakistan from July to September 2022. Homes, farmland, livestock and vital infrastructure were swept away. Classified by the World Health Organization as Pakistan's worst floods on record, the disaster caused the deaths of at least 1,700 people; 33 million lost their homes, land or jobs.
The initial humanitarian response focused on life-saving needs, especially in Balochistan and Sindh, the provinces that were worst hit. Oxfam’s response was led by local partner organizations such as LHDP, MDF, SAFWCO, SPO, TKF, the women’s rights organizations ARTS Foundation and SHADE, and advocacy and influencing partners Indus Consortium and SDPI.
Women, girls and non-binary people were disproportionately affected by the crisis; damage to buildings meant walking to community latrines, and girls were reluctant to access them (or families reluctant to allow them to) at night. Urgent rebuilding work included new latrines and other sanitation facilities. Oxfam partners also distributed dignity kits, including menstrual products, alongside mosquito nets, winterization kits, buckets, and other hygiene products. Social protection activities included setting up women-friendly ‘safe spaces for learning’ to allow education and knowledge-sharing within a secure environment.
Multi-purpose cash assistance and grants for agriculture, kitchen gardens, livestock and small businesses have been key in helping people re-build their livelihoods and get back to a normal life. A year on, an estimated 10.5 million people are still food insecure. But families are gradually getting back to rebuilding their homes.
GREECE
Legal action for fair asylum procedures
Millions of women, men and children fleeing war, persecution, disaster and poverty have entered or passed through Greece in search of safety and a better life in Europe. Oxfam has for years been concerned about poor living conditions, overcrowding and lack of medical care for people in reception centers on the Greek islands; people who need to navigate complex legal systems, often while suffering the effects of trauma, poor health and disability.
With other organizations concerned with human rights, we issued a joint legal complaint in September 2020. In March 2022 we published a report on the ‘prison-like’ centers in Samos, working with the Greek Council for Refugees. In May, we issued a briefing highlighting what seemed to be a two-tier refugee response in Greece’s response to people fleeing Ukraine, as evidence emerged of multiple incidents of violent ‘pushbacks’ of asylum seekers from elsewhere. In July the EU Ombudsman launched an enquiry into the EU-funded ‘closed-control access’ centers, which asked the European Commission how it ensures respect for fundamental rights in these centers. Oxfam was chosen among a handful of organizations by the Ombudsman to contribute to the inquiry.
In a major step forward in January 2023, the European Commission announced that it had launched infringement proceedings against the Greek government. Infringement cases are lengthy processes, but we hope that this will bring an end to arbitrary detention practices, improved reception conditions, and more accessible asylum procedures for refugees.
WEST AFRICA
Harnessing data to combat food crises
Oxfam, with allies and partners, plays a key role in the development of a system to help people in West African communities prevent and manage acute food shortages.
The Cadre Harmonisé (Unified Framework) was initiated over 20 years ago, and has developed into a unique, evidence-based system. It uses data such as staple food prices, agropastoral season monitoring and household vulnerability to analyze live trends in food and nutrition insecurity, helping to identify which areas are at acute risk of food crisis.
Governments and NGOs can then use these insights to draw up crisis response plans, put out alerts, advocate for the financing of responses and design public messaging to address food shortages. Inclusive quarterly consultations with civil society, governments, institutions and donors ensure national and regional coordination on the response.
In 2022, Oxfam supported national and regional civil society coalitions to participate in the process, and to adopt the Cadre Harmonisé. With national and regional civil society organizations, Oxfam developed advocacy notes to alert donors to the food crisis in the Sahel, which has helped increase the level of funding for response plans. Up to November 2022 Oxfam, with Save the Children and Action Against Hunger, succeeded in mobilizing nearly 52 million Euros to assist people affected by the food crisis in Nigeria and Sahel.
VENEZUELA
Perception matters
Oxfam’s Community Perception Tracker (CPT) has since 2018 been used to gather and understand perceptions (ideas and comments) during disease outbreaks and therefore improve our emergency work.
But in Venezuela we took a step forward in 2023, shifting from a Covid-19 focus to a more holistic approach that places communities at the center of decision-making. The CPT has enabled partners and Oxfam to respond better to people’s preferences. The new CPT does not ask questions but opens a safe space for discussion where people share what they want us to know about themselves. This has enabled deeper learning about what communities need most.
In addition to this, the process of active listening has strengthened the partner’s relationship with communities; and people shared more personal perceptions as trust increased.
From the work in Venezuela, we learned that empowering communities can only start with a transparent, humble and honest attitude, giving people more agency. We also learned not to frame questions in technical categories, which often hinder people’s ability to share. Finally, we learned that we need to ensure that our actions directly address people’s perceptions, and to improve our design of community action plans.
CHAD
Groundbreaking ways with ground water
Clean water is the essence of human life. But getting water flowing in remote and crisis-affected arid areas can be a huge challenge.
In Chad, where the number of displaced people has tripled since 2020, access to water is a complex challenge. Water is plentiful in shallow wells and boreholes, but mostly unfit for human consumption because it is saline. And trucking water over long distances often ends up too expensive for displaced people – and uses fossil fuels. Globally, there are very few examples in the humanitarian sector of successful sustainable projects to make water safe and affordable. International humanitarian assistance is temporary, so any initiative needs to consider the long-term technical and financial viability and environmental impact.
With support from donors and partners, Oxfam is using solar-powered desalination to provide clean water in remote areas. Purifying water by desalination was not, historically, ideal, because of its technical complexities and installation and maintenance costs. Reverse osmosis (RO) desalination – a system using filters and membranes to separate brine and fresh water – is a proven, mature technology which Oxfam has used in Iraq, Kenya, OPT, Somaliland, Syria and Yemen. But in the last ten years, more sustainable solar-powered RO has been made more reliable and affordable by a new generation of photovoltaic products.
While thousands of people in Chad are in dire need of clean water, logistical and technical challenges have blocked sustainable solutions – until now. Last year Oxfam carried out a feasibility study, leveraging our own WASH Innovation Fund, which provides kick starter funds for ground-breaking work in water and sanitation. The study, in 2022, concluded that solar-powered reverse osmosis treatment can supply safe water at significantly lower cost than the current practice of water trucking; but there are obstacles to overcome. One of our learnings was that desalination systems need technical expertise that cannot be expected from community management committees, and we need to partner with professional organizations, to manage them.
The study has now informed a three-year implementation plan which aims to supply five to ten liters of safe water per person per day to 10,000 people in the Lake Chad Basin, through eight installations, and at significantly lower cost than any other solution implemented before.
We aim for the Chad project to become a model replicable in other humanitarian contexts to meet the water needs of countless communities – and all powered by renewable energy.
EAST AFRICA
Responding to severe hunger
More than 44 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan. And the number of people facing severe hunger – 28 million – has more than quadrupled in the last five years.
Climate breakdown, characterized in East Africa by erratic rains, has prolonged a serious drought that started in 2021, compounding the already dire humanitarian situation caused by conflicts, the Covid pandemic and the worst plague of locusts in 70 years.
The war in Ukraine and its impact on global food systems, energy prices and the global economy has exacerbated the situation; food prices have increased by up to 40% in some countries. Over 13 million people have been displaced from their land in search of water and pasture, while millions have had to flee their homes because of conflicts in the region.
Oxfam and partners are providing millions of people with life-saving support in the region. We are also helping communities to become more resilient to the climate breakdown, working on rehabilitation programs and developing sustainable solutions for the future.
SYRIA
The largest refugee crisis in the world
Since the start of the Syrian civil war over a decade ago, hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost. More than 12 million people have fled their homes, many displaced more than once. More than 5 million refugees live in neighboring countries, including Jordan, Lebanon, and Türkiye, the majority living in extreme poverty. Schools, hospitals and homes have been destroyed, neighborhoods lack clean running water and sanitation, food prices have skyrocketed, and the economy is on the brink of collapse.
While the conflict is no longer on the scale once seen in Syria, over 80% of Syrians are living below the poverty line. Many women now find themselves the breadwinner of the family and face challenges of finding enough food; over 12 million women, men, and children go to bed hungry every night.
Oxfam is working in eight of Syria’s 14 governorates. Our operations focus on providing clean water to conflict-affected people through the rehabilitation of water infrastructure, importing water by truck while repairing local water sources.
We provide some families in the most vulnerable positions with cash to meet their urgent needs. We distribute food where needed and support farmers with training, seeds and seedlings to grow food and make a living.
UKRAINE, MOLDOVA, ROMANIA, POLAND
Wounds of War
The impact of the war in Ukraine has been devastating. From 24 February 2022, the start of the large-scale armed attack by the Russian Federation, to 30 July 2023, the war has caused 9,369 deaths and 16,646 injuries, alongside widespread destruction of key infrastructure, such as hospitals, schools and water installations. The conflict has displaced about 14 million people, mostly to Poland, Romania and Moldova. Of those fleeing, 90% have been women, children and elderly people. Many of them have been traumatized by war, separation and their long, gruelling journeys, compounded by familiar challenges facing all refugees – enduring awful living conditions, overcoming language barriers and challenges in accessing legal advice.
People are at risk of trafficking, extortion and gender-based violence. Those at most risk include minority groups such as the Roma, LGBTQIA+ people, those from countries outside Ukraine and the EU, and young women and children traveling alone.
Oxfam is funding and working with around 35 local civil society organizations, supporting humanitarian work in Ukraine and neighboring countries.
Together we have delivered life-saving assistance and protection through water and sanitation, shelter, food, cash distribution, legal assistance, counseling, and integration services such as language and job search support.
SYRIA, TÜRKIYE
Paying the price twice
Oxfam is working with communities and local partners following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked southeast Türkiye and northern Syria on 6 February 2023. Some areas of Hatay, Türkiye’s southernmost province, were virtually flattened. Many of the buildings that did not collapse were left riddled with cracks and will have to be demolished. This destruction has left millions of people homeless in an area already deeply affected by over a decade of war. While many have left the area and are staying with family, more than a million people are either living in overcrowded emergency shelters or in tents.
Among the survivors most exposed to shocks from the emergency were Syrian refugees, who had moved to Türkiye over the last 12 years to escape civil war. Türkiye hosts the largest number of refugees in the world – about 3.7 million people, and the 11 provinces affected by the recent earthquake host more than 1.7 million refugees. Many refugees had already established new lives in Türkiye but had to go back living in temporary housing until they can get back on their feet.
Oxfam has planned a three-year response. In the long term, we will work with our partners to create job and income-generating opportunities to help people support themselves following the disaster.
PAKISTAN
The worst floods on record
Unprecedented floods ravaged areas of Pakistan from July to September 2022. Homes, farmland, livestock and vital infrastructure were swept away. Classified by the World Health Organization as Pakistan's worst floods on record, the disaster caused the deaths of at least 1,700 people; 33 million lost their homes, land or jobs.
The initial humanitarian response focused on life-saving needs, especially in Balochistan and Sindh, the provinces that were worst hit. Oxfam’s response was led by local partner organizations such as LHDP, MDF, SAFWCO, SPO, TKF, the women’s rights organizations ARTS Foundation and SHADE, and advocacy and influencing partners Indus Consortium and SDPI.
Women, girls and non-binary people were disproportionately affected by the crisis; damage to buildings meant walking to community latrines, and girls were reluctant to access them (or families reluctant to allow them to) at night. Urgent rebuilding work included new latrines and other sanitation facilities. Oxfam partners also distributed dignity kits, including menstrual products, alongside mosquito nets, winterization kits, buckets, and other hygiene products. Social protection activities included setting up women-friendly ‘safe spaces for learning’ to allow education and knowledge-sharing within a secure environment.
Multi-purpose cash assistance and grants for agriculture, kitchen gardens, livestock and small businesses have been key in helping people re-build their livelihoods and get back to a normal life. A year on, an estimated 10.5 million people are still food insecure. But families are gradually getting back to rebuilding their homes.
GREECE
Legal action for fair asylum procedures
Millions of women, men and children fleeing war, persecution, disaster and poverty have entered or passed through Greece in search of safety and a better life in Europe. Oxfam has for years been concerned about poor living conditions, overcrowding and lack of medical care for people in reception centers on the Greek islands; people who need to navigate complex legal systems, often while suffering the effects of trauma, poor health and disability.
With other organizations concerned with human rights, we issued a joint legal complaint in September 2020. In March 2022 we published a report on the ‘prison-like’ centers in Samos, working with the Greek Council for Refugees. In May, we issued a briefing highlighting what seemed to be a two-tier refugee response in Greece’s response to people fleeing Ukraine, as evidence emerged of multiple incidents of violent ‘pushbacks’ of asylum seekers from elsewhere. In July the EU Ombudsman launched an enquiry into the EU-funded ‘closed-control access’ centers, which asked the European Commission how it ensures respect for fundamental rights in these centers. Oxfam was chosen among a handful of organizations by the Ombudsman to contribute to the inquiry.
In a major step forward in January 2023, the European Commission announced that it had launched infringement proceedings against the Greek government. Infringement cases are lengthy processes, but we hope that this will bring an end to arbitrary detention practices, improved reception conditions, and more accessible asylum procedures for refugees.
WEST AFRICA
Harnessing data to combat food crises
Oxfam, with allies and partners, plays a key role in the development of a system to help people in West African communities prevent and manage acute food shortages.
The Cadre Harmonisé (Unified Framework) was initiated over 20 years ago, and has developed into a unique, evidence-based system. It uses data such as staple food prices, agropastoral season monitoring and household vulnerability to analyze live trends in food and nutrition insecurity, helping to identify which areas are at acute risk of food crisis.
Governments and NGOs can then use these insights to draw up crisis response plans, put out alerts, advocate for the financing of responses and design public messaging to address food shortages. Inclusive quarterly consultations with civil society, governments, institutions and donors ensure national and regional coordination on the response.
In 2022, Oxfam supported national and regional civil society coalitions to participate in the process, and to adopt the Cadre Harmonisé. With national and regional civil society organizations, Oxfam developed advocacy notes to alert donors to the food crisis in the Sahel, which has helped increase the level of funding for response plans. Up to November 2022 Oxfam, with Save the Children and Action Against Hunger, succeeded in mobilizing nearly 52 million Euros to assist people affected by the food crisis in Nigeria and Sahel.
VENEZUELA
Perception matters
Oxfam’s Community Perception Tracker (CPT) has since 2018 been used to gather and understand perceptions (ideas and comments) during disease outbreaks and therefore improve our emergency work.
But in Venezuela we took a step forward in 2023, shifting from a Covid-19 focus to a more holistic approach that places communities at the center of decision-making. The CPT has enabled partners and Oxfam to respond better to people’s preferences. The new CPT does not ask questions but opens a safe space for discussion where people share what they want us to know about themselves. This has enabled deeper learning about what communities need most.
In addition to this, the process of active listening has strengthened the partner’s relationship with communities; and people shared more personal perceptions as trust increased.
From the work in Venezuela, we learned that empowering communities can only start with a transparent, humble and honest attitude, giving people more agency. We also learned not to frame questions in technical categories, which often hinder people’s ability to share. Finally, we learned that we need to ensure that our actions directly address people’s perceptions, and to improve our design of community action plans.
CHAD
Groundbreaking ways with ground water
Clean water is the essence of human life. But getting water flowing in remote and crisis-affected arid areas can be a huge challenge.
In Chad, where the number of displaced people has tripled since 2020, access to water is a complex challenge. Water is plentiful in shallow wells and boreholes, but mostly unfit for human consumption because it is saline. And trucking water over long distances often ends up too expensive for displaced people – and uses fossil fuels. Globally, there are very few examples in the humanitarian sector of successful sustainable projects to make water safe and affordable. International humanitarian assistance is temporary, so any initiative needs to consider the long-term technical and financial viability and environmental impact.
With support from donors and partners, Oxfam is using solar-powered desalination to provide clean water in remote areas. Purifying water by desalination was not, historically, ideal, because of its technical complexities and installation and maintenance costs. Reverse osmosis (RO) desalination – a system using filters and membranes to separate brine and fresh water – is a proven, mature technology which Oxfam has used in Iraq, Kenya, OPT, Somaliland, Syria and Yemen. But in the last ten years, more sustainable solar-powered RO has been made more reliable and affordable by a new generation of photovoltaic products.
While thousands of people in Chad are in dire need of clean water, logistical and technical challenges have blocked sustainable solutions – until now. Last year Oxfam carried out a feasibility study, leveraging our own WASH Innovation Fund, which provides kick starter funds for ground-breaking work in water and sanitation. The study, in 2022, concluded that solar-powered reverse osmosis treatment can supply safe water at significantly lower cost than the current practice of water trucking; but there are obstacles to overcome. One of our learnings was that desalination systems need technical expertise that cannot be expected from community management committees, and we need to partner with professional organizations, to manage them.
The study has now informed a three-year implementation plan which aims to supply five to ten liters of safe water per person per day to 10,000 people in the Lake Chad Basin, through eight installations, and at significantly lower cost than any other solution implemented before.
We aim for the Chad project to become a model replicable in other humanitarian contexts to meet the water needs of countless communities – and all powered by renewable energy.
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