Top 10 things you need to know about Oxfam
What is Oxfam, what do we do, and how do we do it? Here's the information you need to answer those questions!
1: Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty.
We believe poverty is wrong, and that it is not an inevitable fact of life. We take on the big issues that keep people poor: inequality, discrimination, and unequal access to resources like food and water. We help people save lives in disasters, work on long-term solutions for the underlying causes of poverty, and hold the powerful accountable.
The power of People against poverty
2: You can trust us.
Oxfam Canada’s accountability commitments include adherence to a number of external standards, codes and charters as well as key internal policies. We are a signatory to the International Non-Governmental Organizations Accountability Charter, joining other signatory NGOs from around the world in a common commitment to excellence, transparency and accountability.
Oxfam Canada is also a proud member of Imagine Canada Standards Program, which awards accreditation to Canadian charities and nonprofits that demonstrate excellence in five areas of operations: Board Governance, Financial Accountability and Transparency, Fundraising, Staff Management and Volunteer Involvement.
We know how important it is to spend every dollar wisely; the more efficient we are, the farther your dollar goes, and the more people we can help!
3: We work with local and national organizations: our partners.
4: We believe that fighting poverty is about fighting injustice, and it begins with women's rights.
Poverty often arises from the violation of people's basic rights. When someone is denied the right to own land, the right to education, access to basic services like clean water, a fair price for the crops they grow, or a fair wage for the work they do, the result is poverty. Fighting injustice is an essential means to ending poverty. And for Oxfam, that begins with women’s rights. We know that women and girls aren’t just the faces of poverty - they are also the key to overcoming it. Extreme poverty will never be eradicated until gender inequality is addressed. When women’s rights are respected, women are healthier, better educated and better paid. Children thrive and so do communities, creating lasting benefits for generations to come.
5: The projects we fund are community driven.
Our local partners do the work, so the results are theirs. Locally informed and locally driven solutions to poverty are the best solutions - the most sustainable and the most appropriate-because they come from the people who can keep the initiatives going after Oxfam and its funding goes away.
6: Poverty puts people in harm's way.
Poverty makes people vulnerable to calamities - from armed conflicts to earthquakes. Poverty forces people to live in violent areas or to build their houses with flimsy materials in locations vulnerable to floods and landslides. Women faced with emergencies and conflicts are often the most at risk. But even the poorest countries can ensure local leaders have the funds and training they need to mount an effective disaster response and prepare for future emergencies while working to ensure that women's rights are taken into account. We help people in vulnerable communities to reduce their risks, putting women at the centre of reconstruction and in efforts to build resilience to future disasters.
7: We help people learn about their basic rights and how to defend them.
By educating people about their rights, we help to build strong communities that compel governments and other institutions to deliver on their responsibilities. When citizens hold their governments accountable, they can change the systems that keep people trapped in poverty.
8: Oxfam is a global organization with a massive reach.
With more than 70 years of experience, working in more than 90 countries, we know what it takes to end poverty and we are mobilizing people and resources worldwide to make it happen. In 2015-2016 we reached more than 22 million people in our long-term development and humanitarian assistance programs, working with 4,553 local partners and more than $1.2 billion.
9: Laws, policies, and institutions have an enormous impact on poverty.
Decision makers rarely consult poor people about major issues like international trade agreements, climate change, or how wealthy countries administer foreign aid programs that are supposed to help them. From Parliament Hill to the World Bank, we make sure the voices of the world's poorest people are heard loud and clear. We bring our passionate supporters together to take action on big issues that keep people poor. Every action is powerful- signing a petition, pressuring big business, meeting with policymakers. When we speak as one, world leaders listen.
10: You can join the movement. Everyone-including you-has a part to play in the fight against poverty and injustice.
Ending poverty is possible, but it will take every one of us. Each of us has a role to play. With the power of many voices speaking together, we can call on companies and legislators to change the laws and practices that keep people in poverty. We can also raise awareness and inspire action on some of the world's most urgent issues. We can't do this alone. Please join our movement; we need your voice and your support. No matter who you are, or how busy you are, you can make a difference!
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When responding to emergencies, we work with local partners to support people when they need it most and stay for the long term to rebuild.
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