aid

Standing Together We Are Strong

March 20, 2019

The community shows support and solidarity at Masjid e Umar in Auckland. Photo/Oxfam NZ

The New Zealand we believe in is one where the hopes of refugees and migrants arriving in any New Zealand community are realised with welcome and safety.

It’s one where our Muslim whānau who have long been part of Aotearoa New Zealand would remain safe.

Above all, safety at prayer.

Let Friday be one of our darkest days, but one that we vow never to let happen again.

Let’s not give extremists the power to change who we are for the worse – let this be a chance for us to grow stronger, more committed to what is important to us, and to create every single day the communities that we want to live in.

Among our Muslim whānau are families that have come to New Zealand seeking safety, seeking shelter from persecution and conflict.

One family at a time, our volunteers and staff have been learning the stories of escape, and of hope for peace sought by people reaching New Zealand.

The New Zealand chapter of these stories was about neighbours helping neighbours by showing warmth and welcome as, one family at a time, our new whānau were beginning to rebuild their lives. We must continue.

We share faith that in standing together with love and compassion for our neighbours we will defeat hate. We know we must.

We stand for a community and a nation where freedom, justice, hope and love are not negotiable values, but at the heart of who we are.

Together, we make New Zealand what it is: a land of welcome, respect and openness.

This demands each of us make this vision real, and that we challenge injustice wherever we see it.

Kia kaha Christchurch.

A joint letter by the CEOs of New Zealand’s international NGO community:

• Rachael Le Mesurier, CEO Oxfam New Zealand
• Tony Blackett, Executive Director Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand
• Julianne Hickey, CEO Caritas New Zealand
• Paul Brown, CEO ChildFund New Zealand
• Murray Sheard, CEO Christian Blind Mission New Zealand
• Pauline McKay, CEO Christian World Services Josie Pagani, CEO Council for International Development
• Jackie Edmond, CEO Family Planning New Zealand
• Claire Szabo, CEO Habitat for Humanity New Zealand
• Katrina Penney, Chair, Médecins Sans Frontières, New Zealand
• Heidi Coetzee, CEO Save the Children New Zealand
• Ian McInnes, CEO Tearfund Vivien Maidaborn, CEO UNICEF New Zealand
• Grant Bayldon, CEO World Vision New Zealand
• Livia Esterhazy, CEO WWF New Zealand

Our Cyclone Gita response continues

June 27, 2018

Mausa Halala (pictured) is a volunteer with the Tonga National Youth Congress – Oxfam’s local partner in Tonga. He and other volunteers, trained and equipped by Oxfam to provide emergency water supplies, were working within hours of the storm, purifying and distributing safe drinking water on Tongatapu and ‘Eua. Thanks to your ongoing support, they’re still responding! Photo: Darren Brunk

Oxfam & partner’s ongoing response to Cyclone Gita.

“This has been a great experience… going out and [reaching] people that are in need shows us just how much our students are willing to help people,” says ‘Ofa Pakalani of Tonga National Youth Congress, Oxfam’s partner in Tonga.

When you support Oxfam’s response to disasters such as Tropical Cyclone Gita, which struck the Kingdom of Tonga in February, you’re supporting teams of local volunteers who are often affected by the very emergencies they’re responding to. Who better to support and develop a community than those from it?

We’ve built a strong partnership over nearly 10 years with Tonga National Youth Congress (TNYC). Thanks to your support, we’re able to provide disaster preparedness and response training to teams of youth volunteers across Tonga so that when disasters like Cyclone Gita hit, young Tongans have the confidence, training and equipment to lead response efforts and help their communities recover.

The youth involved with TNYC are showing the positive impact that young people can have in their communities, and they are saving and rebuilding lives in the process. And your support is helping make TNYC’s work possible! The funds generously donated by Oxfam NZ’s supporters are being used to purchase supplies for the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) kits that TNYC distribute to those in need, as well as keeping vital equipment running and maintained, and providing support to TNYC volunteers as they dedicate days and weeks away from home to help their country recover.

“This response shows the power of partnerships with local organisations. TNYC youth volunteers are leading an excellent disaster response that is saving lives and alleviating suffering. In the process, TNYCis changing public attitudes in Tonga around youth for the better, by demonstrating the contribution that young Tongans can make to their community,” says Darren Brunk, Oxfam NZ’s humanitarian specialist, who works closely with the TNYC volunteers.

Working together with Oxfam, TNYC volunteers were among the first responders in the country when Cyclone Gita hit, and have been working tirelessly ever since to rebuild the lives of those in their local communities.

The response began as a life-saving one. More than 70,000 people on the islands of Tongatapu and ‘Eua were affected, with homes and community buildings destroyed, crops ruined and lives turned upside down. Thousands of rainwater tanks were toppled and communal water sources were flooded with contaminated water, leaving 17,000 people without water or at risk of contracting a disease. TNYC were out immediately following the storm and distributed 1,431 emergency relief items like soap and tarpaulins, filtered contaminated water, cleaned and repaired tanks, and provided emergency water storage and distribution. Since the cyclone, Oxfam and TNYC have provided over 1,107,000 litres of safe drinking water to affected communities – that’s enough to supply the entire population of Tonga for two days!

On top of this, Oxfam and TNYC are conducting hygiene education classes at schools, helping protect 3,600 children from water and vector-borne disease. Alongside TNYC and Caritas Aotearoa NZ, and with financial support from the New Zealand Government, we had urgently-needed supplies on the ground ready for distribution before the storm hit – an action unique amongst international humanitarian NGOs.

Four months after the storm, we’re still there with TNYC working on the long-term rebuild. Cyclone Gita devastated many vital food sources and markets in Tonga – coconuts, bananas, fruit trees and root crops. Together with support from the New Zealand Government, Oxfam and TNYC are growing seedlings and distributing seeds to 800 farmers to help recover their livelihoods. Working with communities, we’re also identifying and assisting the most vulnerable families – such as single women-headed households and people with disabilities – to buy the produce grown through this initiative and to sell at local markets so as to restore their own incomes and livelihoods.

TNYC’s incredible work has garnered a lot of positive feedback from the communities reached:

“Thank you for everything, we feel a lot safer now.”

“Thank you TNYC volunteer workers for the hard work. We appreciate everything that you have all done.”

“The technology used to purify our water installs a sense of assurance that we can expect clean and safe water.”

“Come back! ‘Eua needs you TNYC and Oxfam!”

After the earthquake: Nepal three years on

April 24, 2018

Three years on, we’re excited to introduce you to three women who were empowered by your support.

In April 2015, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Nepal, killing over 9,000 people and destroying or damaging over 850,000 homes. Three years on, we’re excited to introduce you to three women, Muna, Tirsana and Til, from Sindhupalchowk, Nepal, who were empowered by your support following that devastating day.

Meet Muna

“I cannot even imagine myself being able to live here if the tap hadn’t been rehabilitated. Life would have been really hard… You supported us when we were in such a dire situation. You helped us and I would like to thank you for that.”

Muna Tamang Giri and her children. Photo: Abbie Trayler-Smith/Oxfam AUS

Muna is one of almost half a million people that Oxfam reached during the year following the earthquake in Nepal three years ago.

She was nine months pregnant when the earthquake struck, and was in hospital giving birth when the second big quake shook the country.

Before, Muna used to have to spend five hours a day collecting water from the nearest source. But after the earthquake, even that dried up.

“Finding water was really difficult. We had to go downhill to get water. If we could fill our pot as soon as reaching there, then we could be back home in 40 to 45 minutes. But if we had to wait in the queue, then it would take one to one-and-a-half hours to get back.

“Altogether we had to make four to five trips a day.”

Because of the donations from Kiwis and others around the world, we were able to rehabilitate a water supply system near Muna’s home.

Muna tending to her garden near her home in Sindhupalchowk, Nepal. Photo: Abbie Trayler-Smith/Oxfam AUS

“From the time of the earthquake until this tap was installed, it was really difficult to find water.

“Now, that time is saved. We don’t need to make those trips. Moreover, we can grow our own vegetables. Because of the clean water, I think my son will not get waterborne diseases like diarrhoea, pneumonia or others.”

Meet Tirsana

“All the water was muddy after the earthquake. It was dirty. Due to constant quakes, the earth was shaking and all the water was muddy and dirty.”

Tirsana and her son Aman. Photo: Abbie Trayler-Smith/Oxfam AUS

Tirsana was making four two-hour trips each day to fetch water before the earthquake, but thanks to Oxfam supporters, all of this has changed and she now has an extra eight hours a day to spend with her children.

“After the earthquake, Oxfam constructed this new water supply system and tank, which is nearby. I don’t have to spend time on collecting water. I can spend more time with my children, look after them, send them to school on time. I can keep my children clean.

“We have a water source so near… I don’t need to stand in a queue for water. Water comes to our house.

“Thank you for giving us water.”

Meet Til

“From that far away, although they did not see with their eyes, they saw with their hearts and sent support.”

Til collecting water from the new tap by her home. Photo: Abbie Trayler-Smith/Oxfam AUS

The water source in Til’s village in Sindhupalchowk, Nepal, was left completely damaged after the earthquake.

“Water was scarce. Water would be collected the whole night in a tank and would be opened through a tap in the morning and then closed again after everyone filled their pots. That’s how we were managing.

“Oxfam came and provided some support. Oxfam gave us materials and then we could bring the tap nearby – after that it has become comfortable and it is good.

“If it was not fixed we would have faced a hard time. We would not have had enough water. Having this is like a godsend for us women.”

Til really enjoyed Oxfam’s visit, and loved the opportunity to be part of such an incredible story of success!

“Earlier, having my photo taken and being filmed, it was like a film on TV. You should have seen! I carried water, put a pot on the stove, made a fire and what not. We all laughed. At 60 I became the heroine of a movie.”

What we’ve achieved, thanks to our supporters, since the earthquake in Nepal is something we can be proud of – but there is still much more work to do. Many more people across the country are still without access to safe water, like Hira, who makes seven or eight 30 minute trips to get water each day, carrying 40 to 50 litres each time. “The water is very cold, and my back and whole body are in so much pain from carrying it back in the night. It makes me feel really sick.” To support people around the world like Hira, please think about making a donation today.

The earthquake in April 2015 – centred between two major cities, Kathmandu and Pokhara – left nearly 9,000 people dead and destroyed or damaged more than 850,000 homes.

Many of the affected people have received some support from the Government of Nepal and aid organisations, but others are still waiting for assistance. The government’s response has been beset by delays, and for the past several months the country has been in the grip of a fuel crisis.

As well as destroying and damaging homes, the earthquake also severely impacted employment. Many are still struggling to find work, while those who do often report that their incomes are below pre-earthquake levels.

Women, children, the elderly, ethnic minorities, those disadvantaged by the caste system and people living with disabilities have all been disproportionately affected by the earthquake and its aftermath. The problem of landlessness, widespread before the quake, has also worsened.

Oxfam was one of the international non-government organisations in Nepal to immediately respond to the 25 April earthquake. It has been working in seven of the 14 most affected districts: Gorkha, Nuwakot, Dhading, Sindhupalchowk, Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. In the first three months, or the emergency period, we provided emergency food, water, shelter, latrines and awareness surrounding hygiene and sanitation to more than 400,000 people across these districts.

In the early recovery phase, Oxfam worked to prioritise providing improved temporary shelters, winterisation kits, income-generating opportunities for skilled and unskilled labour, and sustainable livelihoods support.

It’s my dream to continue this work

April 3, 2018

Photo: Patrick Moran/OxfamAUS

“To the Australians and New Zealanders who are donating their money to support this work, it’s really touching the lives of the rural people. And that’s what I like to see. When you support people it brings joy to your heart.”

Oxfam is working alongside Kelly Inae, who owns Mountain Honey, and supporting him to provide training, advice and affordable equipment to rural beekeepers as part of a four year livelihoods project in Papua New Guinea.

“In a year of working with Oxfam I’ve trained almost 80 people. I supply them with my bee boxes and train them. They can bring their honey to me and I pay them in cash. This is greatly helping their living standards.

“I have managed to help all of these people through the support that Oxfam has given me. I am happy about this.”

The support that Kelly provides beekeepers across PNG means that many of them now generate enough of an income to support their families’ and save for the future.

“It motivates me to look at families and friends who have been able to build houses. It’s my dream to continue this work. In the future someone will say, ‘This house was built from honey money’ and I will love hearing that.

“Honey money giving people a house, honey money giving people an education, and honey money uplifting their living standards.

“I would like to say thank you to the Oxfam team who are supporting work in Papua New Guinea. I have been able to travel with Oxfam into areas where they are working here and I have seen a lot of things that are being done to help the community and it’s just amazing.”

This work is part of Oxfam’s HARVEST project – read more about it here.

*This project is partly supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Cyclone Gita heading towards Tonga: Oxfam poised to respond

February 12, 2018

Oxfam is on standby to respond to Cyclone Gita, as latest forecasts predict the storm could intensify up to a category 5 cyclone before affecting Tonga later tonight.

Up to 70% of the country’s population is at risk with the severe tropical cyclone expected to pass near the populated main islands of Tongatapu and ‘Eua. The storm’s impact may also be felt in the low-lying Ha’apai group, where damaging winds, rain and storm surge are likely.

With the country already addressing an outbreak of dengue fever in Tongatapu, the deterioration of sanitation conditions on the island could increase the risk of a second disaster due to the spread of dengue and other vector and water-borne diseases.

Oxfam stands ready to support the Tongan government, which may include mobilising local partners and other emergency personnel.

Oxfam, along with its partner the Tongan National Youth Congress (TNYC), has disaster preparedness programmes in Ha’apai and Vava’u. Oxfam is liaising with TNYC and the Tongan government to prepare for an appropriate and coordinated response.

Jane Foster, Oxfam’s country director for Tonga, says: “Once the urgent needs are assessed we are expecting to help coordinate the supply of clean water and sanitation for those affected by the disaster.

“Oxfam has a long-established presence in Tonga and Samoa and we have pre-positioned emergency supplies already in-country ready to be deployed should they be required.”

If you’d like to help us support those affected by disasters like Cyclone Gita, donate to our Disaster Response Fund.

First aid shipment dispatched following Ecuador quake

April 19, 2016

We will send our first shipment of aid tomorrow to those people most affected from the 7.8 earthquake that struck Ecuador last Saturday. The first two-ton load of aid to secure basic hygiene and clean water among affected communities will leave from Spain.