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Photo: Ruby Thursday More/Oxfam

A simple blanket brings hope to flood evacuees in the Philippines

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Keith Bacongco, Oxfam Philippines Flood-affected men and women in the Philippines had something to smile about thanks to Oxfam when they received malongs, an amazing traditional Muslim blanket that doubles as a wrap-around, water container and water purifier. Displaced by tropical storm Sendong (international name Washi) two weeks ago, they belong to at least 7,000 […] Read more »
Photo: Ruby Bacongco/Oxfam

Philippines floods: Why health matters in Sendong shelters

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Rodilyn Bolo, Oxfam Phillipines Many of the families who lost their homes to storm Sendong (international name: Washi) have since stayed in cramped evacuation centers, their personal space often defined by the size of the sleeping mat they own. Vicky Aguiman, a 65 year-old resident of Purok Tambo, Macasandig, one of the worst hit areas […] Read more »
Typhoon Washi victims who are made homeless after their houses were swept away by flash floods rest at an evacuation center in Cagayan de Oro in the southern Philippines December 18, 2011. Rescuers searched for more than 100 people still missing in the southern Philippines on Sunday after flash floods and landslides swept houses into rivers and out to sea, killing almost 500 people in areas ill-prepared to cope with deadly storms. The cities of Cagayan de Oro and nearby Iligan on Mindanao island were worst hit when Typhoon Washi slammed ashore while people slept late on Friday and early Saturday, sending torrents of water and mud through villages and stripping mountainsides bare. REUTERS/Erik De Castro (PHILIPPINES - Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY)

Oxfam sends experts to Philippines in wake of typhoon Washi

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As the death toll passes 1,000 from the devastating tropical storm that hit the southern Philippines on Sunday, Oxfam has sent in emergency responders to determine the region’s humanitarian needs. A team of ten experts are on the ground in Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City to assess the water and sanitation conditions, after […] Read more »
Photo: Caroline Gluck/Oxfam

An economic lifeline for women in rural Haiti

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By Oxfam’s Humanitarian Press Officer, Caroline Gluck “Unemployment is the only thing we have here”, declared Dumel Deralus, smiling grimly as we sat in the shell of a concrete building that will soon be a new expanded home for the Organisation for Community Development in Thomazeau, (ODECT), an Oxfam partner working to improve economic and […] Read more »
Photo: Caroline Berger/Oxfam

“City of hope”: Reflections from Somaliland

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By Caroline Berger, Oxfam Great Britain’s Regional and Information Communications Officer for the Middle East, Eastern Europe and the CIS Like many people, my impression of Somalia is coloured by the familiar TV images of a lawless land governed by conflict, piracy and bloodshed. With this in mind I was a little apprehensive to visit […] Read more »
Photo: Geno Teofilo/Oxfam

Survival and triplets in the midst of famine

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In the midst of famine, Somali children survive with the help of Oxfam partner SAACID, whose community therapeutic care centres across Mogadishu are admitting more than 3,000 malnourished children every week. Read more »
Balcha with her family

Nine hectares of hope: irrigation in Ethiopia

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New agricultural know-how and a sense of community have turned Ethiopian widow Balcha’s life around. Despair has been replaced by hope and an unfamiliar sense of possibility… Read more »
Photo: SAACID

Providing free health care in Mogadishu

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21-year-old Maryana, a nurse for one of Oxfam’s Somali partners, works at an emergency therapeutic centre in Mogadishu. Here she talks about the many challenges she faces in providing free health care to thousands of malnourished children. Read more »
Photo: WASDA

Somalia famine hits farmers hard – but Oxfam project brings hope for the next harvest

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Agricultural communities in southern Somalia – the country’s grain basket – are being severely affected by the current drought, which has resulted in widespread failure of crops. But an Oxfam project is helping farmers get through this difficult time and providing hope for a better harvest in January. Read more »
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Scarlett Johansson’s video report from Dadaab (Day 2)

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By Scarlett Johansson, Oxfam Ambassador. Originally published in the Huffington Post In the Turkana region of Northern Kenya, there is some sign of hope. The area is home to herders and most communities are devastated by the loss of their livestock (goats, sheep, cattle) which once provided a source of food and income. However, some […] Read more »