In every part of the world, women and gender-diverse people face discrimination at home, at work and in their communities – denying them opportunities to learn, earn, and lead.
Gender inequality is a key driver of poverty across the Pacific region and tackling it is at the heart of our work. Climate change increases the risks of violence against women and girls due to displacement, resource scarcity and food insecurity.
Oxfam Aotearoa fights for feminist change and works to eliminate discrimination against women and gender-diverse people by transforming the harmful norms and unequal power structures that hold them back. Through our long-term work alongside communities, we promote women’s rights, challenge structural barriers, and amplify the voices of women and girls in political, social, and economic systems. Our vision is to build a world where everyone, including trans and non-binary people, can live in dignity, safety, and joy.
You can help Oxfam continue supporting women by donating to our current appeal here:
What does this look like in real life?
Advocacy campaigns
Advocacy campaigns are a key part of Oxfam Aotearoa’s work to change the systems that keep women in poverty. By mobilising public support and holding corporations and governments to account, these campaigns push for policy and industry reforms. For example, the What She Makes campaign calls for living wages and greater transparency in global supply chains so that the women who make our clothes are paid fairly and treated with dignity, challenging exploitative practices and amplifying workers’ voices.
Women-led savings groups
Women-led savings groups are a key component of our Kōtui and Hamriik programmes. They create safe, trusted spaces where women can pool their savings, access small loans, and build financial skills together. Women are able to invest in income-generating activities, respond to emergencies without falling into debt, and participate more actively in household and community decision-making.
Menstrual health programmes that help girls stay in school longer
Menstrual health programmes address the stigma, lack of information, and limited access to products that often prevent girls from attending school during their periods. Programmes like our FLOW project help girls manage their periods with dignity and confidence by building private toilets, providing menstrual health education to boys and girls to reduce stigma, and distributing reusable menstrual products. When girls remain in school, they are less vulnerable to early marriage and more likely to access meaningful work and leadership opportunities later in life.
Water infrastructure that reduces women’s unpaid workload
In many communities, women and girls spend hours each day collecting water. Our FLOW and Hamriik programmes invest in building safe, reliable water infrastructure like borehole wells, rainwater harvesting systems, and community taps, bringing clean water closer to home. Not only does this improve health and sanitation, it lightens women’s workload and gives them more time for school, work, leisure, and community leadership.
Small business grants that enable greater financial independence
Small business grants, like the 100+ we have granted through our Lao Livelihoods project, provide women with the start-up capital needed to launch or grow enterprises such as food production, tailoring, or agriculture. Coupled with training in business management, these grants help women generate stable incomes and build assets over time. When women are financially independent, they gain more influence at home, face less risk of abuse, and can better provide for their children’s future.
STORIES
Chandee
Maigao
Joyce
Xingxa
Agnes
Amalia
OUR PROGRAMMES
Kōtui Programme
