Oxfam

The charity organization Oxfam emerged from a 1942 England group, composed of activists, academics, and Quakers, called the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief. Founded to help refugees in Nazi-occupied Greece, the organization later extended its focus to providing aid across Europe, then to the developing world, and, by the late 1940s, to lessening suffering around the world.

The abbreviated telegraph address, Oxfam, became the common way of referring to the organization and was adopted in 1965 as its official name. During the 1960s, Oxfam worked to educate the public on the causes of poverty and the role of developed nations in creating and perpetuating it. In addition, the organization developed methods of community participation in improving conditions. In 1963, the first international branch began in Canada. In 1966, Oxfam launched its first hands-on involvement in a prolonged emergency by sending volunteers to run a food program in famine-ravaged Bihar, India.

In 1970, a second international branch, Oxfam America, came into existence and focused on alleviating the crisis emerging from the Bangladesh independence fight. In the 1970s, Oxfam began campaigning for government and international action to alleviate poverty and injustice. The organization developed a Public Affairs Unit to assess the causes of poverty and lobby on critical issues (e.g., Third World debt, food assistance). During the 1970s, Oxfam began employing refugees and local people. In 1979, the charity made international headlines for its work in Cambodia, which had been devastated under Pol Pot's [Page 1074]command. Also during this decade, Oxfam, whose first shop opened in Britain in the late 1940s, generated considerable income through selling handcrafted and donated items.

During the 1980s, Oxfam's key focus was providing emergency relief in Africa. As a result of these efforts, the organization became the accepted leader in providing water and sanitation during emergencies.

In 1995, Oxfam International was formed, with a mission to overcome poverty and hunger and ensure social justice. This alliance comprises 12 nongovernmental organizations and works in more than 100 countries with more than 3,000 international partners. The 12 Oxfam organizations are in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Quebec, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, and the United States. The organization's goal is to alleviate poverty and related suffering across the world.

At present, Oxfam works in several capacities (e.g., emergency assistance, development, campaigns, and research and policy). Key foci include trade, education, health, equality, and debt. Oxfam strives to teach people that economic and social justice is necessary for sustainable development. Believing that poverty is avoidable and thus an injustice, the organization works to raise awareness and eradicate the structural and legal barriers that often create and perpetuate poverty and powerlessness. Oxfam believes that all persons have rights to life, security, participation, fairness, the means to earn a living, and access to fundamental services.

Started to provide famine relief, the organization now works to reduce the causes of hunger, focusing on developing self-sufficiency and ensuring fair trade practices. On site, Oxfam partners with local organizations and local people to develop workable solutions. Across the world, Oxfam educates various publics and lobbies key decision makers for social and political change.

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