Emergencies

Disaster Response

Oxfam can only launch a rapid response to crisis and disasters around the world because we have funds ready.

However, we still need funds to help us respond straight away to new emergencies and continue working in over 30 disasters worldwide.

Oxfam’s work continues long after disaster strikes, including rebuilding livelihoods, managing conflict and providing water and sanitation.

The most intense cyclones, droughts and floods are getting worse because of climate destruction. This means we will have to launch disaster responses more frequently and allocate further time rebuilding resilient communities. Your support can make a real difference to our work. DONATE NOW

Rohingya Refugee Crisis

Over 900,000 Rohingya people have fled violence in Myanmar to seek refuge across the border in Bangladesh.

Almost a quarter are pregnant women, new mothers, and children under five. Sixty percent are children under 18.

Crowded together in makeshift camps with little or no food, shelter and clean drinking water, the risk of waterborne diseases is alarmingly high. Women, girls and children are also particularly vulnerable to sexual violence.

Oxfam Aotearoa’s Kelsey Taylor visited the camps in March to help us understand the challenges Rohingya refugees are facing, and what Oxfam is doing to help.

And now, a crisis within a crisis pends as the approaching monsoon season threatens to wash away homes – as many as 150,000. The first of the monsoon rains have fallen – only puddles are left on the ground now, but once the monsoon season is in full swing – with a predicted 2.5 metres of rain in three months – those puddles will become floods.

Oxfam is responding. We’ve reached over 240,000 of the most vulnerable people with clean drinking water, portable toilets, sanitation facilities and other essential supplies. But we need your help to prevent the worst from happening.

The fastest-growing refugee crisis in the world

Over 700,000 Rohingya refugees have arrived from Myanmar’s Rakhine State in Bangladesh’s south-eastern districts since August 2017. Hundreds more are arriving every week. They join hundreds of thousands who are already living in refugee camps and with local communities. All of these people are squashed into an area far too small to safely accommodate them. The number of people per square kilometre is more than 1000 times what is recommended for refugee camps.

Many have arrived injured and deeply traumatised by their experiences, with just the clothes on their backs. They need food, clean water and shelter to survive, but above all they need to feel safe. People are living in makeshift tents in hugely overcrowded settlements. Conditions in the camps are woefully inadequate and unhealthy, with overflowing latrines and contaminated water. They’re largely unlit and dangerous at night – women, girls and children are particularly vulnerable to abuse, exploitation and trafficking.

Oxfam is responding

We are currently focusing on providing water and sanitation and adapting to better deal with the crowded conditions and sheer numbers of people. We’re helping families prepare themselves for the approaching monsoon season. Oxfam is:

Installing a sewage facility which will initially serve 50,000 people, which will rise to 100,000.
Drilling wells and installing water points, toilets and showers. To help local communities cope with water shortages, we are providing an average of 300,000 litres of chlorinated water daily in the Teknaf area.
Helping people stay healthy and hygienic by distributing soap and other essentials and working with community-based volunteers to emphasize the importance of clean water and good hygiene.
Providing 23,000 households with vouchers that can be exchanged at local markets for nutritious vegetables and ingredients to supplement their basic rations.

So far, we have reached at least 266,000 people. You can help us scale up our response to the Rohingya refugee crisis.

Hear from people we’ve reached

“We used to go far away around the bushes to the toilet. At night I went with my friends but I was scared. Now we have a clean latrine next to our house and I’m not scared anymore.” Abul*, 10, poses next to the Oxfam latrine that was built near his home in Balukhali Camp.

“The children haven’t seen water like this for a while so they are really excited. The water tastes good – tastes so much better. We are really thankful for this water.” Habiba can now easily access clean water from four handpumps installed near her home – funded by Oxfam supporters

“We used to dig holes in nearby places to go to the toilet. I felt sad, it was so heartbreaking for my teenage daughters to go to the toilet like that. It has now become so much easier to go to the bathroom as it is so close to our home, and it is so much more dignified for my daughters.” Nur’s* mother is delighted that her and her daughters can now use a latrine close to their home – a latrine that was made possible by Oxfam supporters.

Shim*, 12, holds an Oxfam food parcel she received from a distribution at Kutupalong Camp. The parcel contains 3kg of flattened rice, 1kg of biscuits, 1kg of sugar and 2 soaps.

*names have been changed.

Make a donation today to reach people just like Abul, Habiba, Nur and Shim.

Syria conflict crisis

"Syria Conflict", picture of girl flying peace symbol

More than half the Syrian population is in need of humanitarian assistance.

More than 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict and millions of people have been forced from their homes by conflict in the largest refugee crisis since the Second World War. Oxfam estimates it has reached over two million people in the past year with desperately needed food, water and shelter. But the scale of this emergency is staggering and we still urgently need your help. DONATE NOW

The situation

Out of a population of 22 million before the crisis, more than half of all Syrians have been forced to flee their homes, including more than 5.6 million who have fled to neighbouring countries and are registered as refugees. Three-quarters of these refugees are women and children. More than 400,000 Syrians are estimated to have lost their lives. In Syria alone, more than 13 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance such as water, food, and shelter. Millions of people both inside Syria and across the region are almost entirely dependent on aid, but the scale of need is outstripping the current capacity of humanitarian agencies to respond. The situation will continue to deteriorate unless increased funds for the humanitarian response are found. This is a humanitarian crisis of staggering proportions requiring continued support from the international community. Even if the fighting ends, the Syrian people need long-term support to rebuild and recover from this crisis. This includes support for safe and secure places to live and job opportunities, so they can provide for their families and live in dignity.

Oxfam’s response

Oxfam is on the ground in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan providing desperately needed emergency assistance. We estimate we have reached more than two million people in the past year with clean drinking water, hygiene and sanitation programs, as well cash and relief supplies such as blankets and stoves in winter and vouchers for hygiene supplies in summer. We are also helping refugee families get the information they need about their legal and human rights and connecting them to medical, legal and support services.

Learn about how Oxfam is responding to the crisis in Syria.

Lebanon

Oxfam has reached more than 250,000 vulnerable people in Lebanon. We are providing vulnerable families with cash and vouchers to help them afford safe housing and basic needs for their families. We’re also distributing hygiene kits, constructing latrines and saving lives with access to safe sources of drinking water. Our response has included:

Providing 3,200 hygiene kits (accompanied by hygiene promotion and awareness sessions), toilet cleaning kits, and 840 environmental cleaning kits, and distributing household, communal and municipal waste bins.
Building and repairing over 1,100 toilets, ensuring that each is shared by no more than 20 people.
Installing over 720 water tanks in communal areas.
Delivering 10 million litres of water through water trucking, providing refugees with clean water for drinking, cooking and washing.
Constructing or repairing 70 shared bathing facilities, and providing families with jerry cans and water storage containers.

Jordan

In Jordan we work in both Za’atari refugee camp (Jordan’s fourth largest “city”) and in Jordanian communities that are hosting Syrian refugees. Za’atari camp is now the fourth biggest “city” in Jordan, housing around 90,000 Syrian refugees. Oxfam currently works in three of Za’atari’s 12 districts, supervising water and sanitation, refuse management and the cleaning and maintenance of wash blocks, we also co-ordinate hygiene promotion activities. In addition, together with UNICEF and other international actors, we are installing a massive water network in the camp, which will ensure refugees have safe access to water. To date, our response has included:

Building 50 water, sanitation and hygiene blocks, including 318 toilets, 288 bathing areas, 72 laundry areas, and 100 water points, serving up to 15,600 people.
Maintaining 120 water, sanitation and hygiene blocks in 3 districts benefitting around 25.000 people.
Installing 270 portable latrines as a temporary measure.
Distributing 75 commodes for disabled users.
Provided 19 x 95,000 litre and 378 x 2,000 litre water tanks.
Installed 10 hand-washing facilities in the market area.
Built 24 toilets in youth centres, sports grounds and playgrounds.
Constructed 10 water, sanitation and hygiene blocks (showers, toilets and water points) at border crossing areas.
Distributed hygiene materials to 96,000 people across the camp.
Design and preparation for construction of a piped water network to benefit all 90,000 people in Za’atari
Solid waste management for up to 25,000 people
Hygiene promotion and community mobilisation for up to 25,000 people (36,000 during water network construction)

Syria

Oxfam’s operations inside Syria focus on the provision of clean water to conflict-affected populations by setting up and repairing water infrastructure, water trucking and repairing of wells. By January 2016, 48 projects had been completed and 14 others are being implemented. We estimate that we have reached at least two million people with some from of assistance in the past year. We have brought two water treatment plants back on-line using multiple truck-sized generators, capable of continuously pumping more than 700,000 extra litres of water per hour – enough to deliver safe water to around 500,000 people. We continue to scale up our program within the country. We have also undertaken water treatment activities, improved sewage systems, and worked on hygiene promotion in schools.

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