Spring 2024 Newsletter

Voices for CHANGE

When a massive earthquake hit in February 2023, the people of northern Syria had already suffered more than a decade of war.

Once again, a natural disaster had struck some of the most vulnerable people in the world. And that’s why – fueled by our supporters’ donations –Oxfam teams have been working non-stop to help.

The earthquake killed more than 56,000 people in Syria and southern Türkiye. 10 million people were left in urgent need of help.

Khadjia and her five children were amongst those people.

The family’s home was partially destroyed. They struggled to get clean water, or to find food and safe shelter.

Thanks to your donations, Oxfam was able to react swiftly with emergency water and food.

To help prevent the spread of disease, we provided the family with hygiene kits of soap, washing powder, shampoo, a bucket, and menstrual pads. Oxfam dignity kits included women’s

underwear, headscarves, socks, and a solar light.

“We were in the dark almost every night, but the solar lamp we received gave us light,” Kadjia said.

Since then, we’ve delivered emergency relief to more than 2 million people. In each place, we supported the individuals who had been hit the hardest.

At the same time, we were repairing municipal water systems and water tanks, and installing toilets and showers.

Backed by supporters like you, we trucked safe water to more than 1 million people living in shelters.

Now our work is shifting from immediate life-saving aid to rebuilding projects – helping people to secure their livelihoods.

Last year alone, Oxfam responded to over 30 emergency situations around the world.

Oxfam works with local partners to help communities rebuild. They count on us and supporters like you to invest for the long term.

Photo Credit: Islam Mardini/ Oxfam

Photo Credit: Delizia Flaccavento/Oxfam

Oxfam Staff members in Türkiye coordinating emergency support.

Khadjia using hygiene supplies she received from Oxfam.

Innovations that Save Lives

Committed gifts from Oxfam supporters allow us to innovate, constantly adapting to the needs of the communities we support and the types of struggles they’re facing.

That’s particularly true of monthly giving. Year-round, reliable support from SharePlan monthly donors gives our teams the funding they need to create the best possible solutions.

From the Middle East, to Africa, to South Asia, following are just a few examples of your gifts fueling creative, long-lasting solutions.

GAZA WATER PROJECT

After months of conflict, Gaza’s water and sanitation systems are shattered. Without clean water and sanitation, people are incredibly vulnerable to an outbreak of disease.

With our trusted local partner, Oxfam is helping to install wells and water treatment units that can transform the salty ground water into life-saving, safe water for families to drink.

It’s called “desalination through reverse osmosis” and it’s a technology that Oxfam engineers have been pioneering in Iraq, Kenya, Somaliland, Syria and Yemen. The desalination plants will run on solar

Desalination units provided in Gaza by Oxfam and local partners.

energy, making them safe and sustainable when a fuel supply cannot be guaranteed.

LifeSaver Cubes in Mozambique

When Cyclone Idai devastated Southern Africa, we knew we had to act fast to get clean water to communities to prevent a cholera outbreak.

The “lifesaver cube” turns the dirtiest of water into clean, safe drinking water through a hand pump built right in.

The cube is lightweight and perfect for transporting to hard-to-reach areas. Our teams were still finding thousands of isolated people cut off from aid and rescue. By car, motorbike and canoe, our teams delivered these lifesavers to the people who needed them.

SKYHYDRANTS IN INDONESIA

After every disaster, water and sanitation are urgently needed.

Handwashing Station

Ana and Ducha demonstrate LifeSaver cubes in Mozambique.

Photo Credit: Misozi Tembo/Oxfam

This was true in Sulawesi, Indonesia, after a massive earthquake and tsunami. Oxfam’s water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) teams brought in water treatment equipment called the SkyHydrant.

The SkyHydrant converts ground water into safe drinking water without the need for power or chemicals.

It can produce 1,200 litres of clean water per hour from a bore hole – enough for 500 people each day.

The Record-Breaking Water Pipeline in the DRC

In the Fizi territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo, most of the water sources and wells have been damaged during armed conflicts.

This forces families to drink water from stagnant sources, putting them at serious risk of water-borne disease like cholera.

That’s why we’re building a 100km gravity-fed water supply pipeline, which taps into a river source in the mountains.

As far as we know, this is the longest water pipeline ever constructed by an NGO. Once completed, it will provide safe water to more than 80,000 people.

Each of these projects is fueled by the expertise of our local partners and the people we serve. And by the tireless commitment of our supporters like you in Canada.

Legacy Spotlight

Did you know May is Leave a Legacy month? May is devoted to encouraging supporters like you, to leave a legacy to the causes they care about. Below are three ways to make a transformative gift to Oxfam Canada.

Gift of Securities:

Consider donating publicly traded securities

“in-kind” to Oxfam. In return, we will give you a tax receipt equal to the fair market value (FMV) of the securities donated, and you will not be taxed on the capital gains accrued on those securities as you would if you sold the securities during your lifetime.

Gift of Life Insurance:

Donate a life insurance policy to us during your lifetime and receive a tax credit you can use immediately. If you defer the donation until you pass away, your estate receives the tax credit. Either way, Oxfam will receive the life insurance benefit from your estate. Giving this way bypasses probate, which can reduce estate costs.

Bequest in Your Will:

Leave a specific gift amount or shares of the residue of your estate. You can enjoy the use of your assets in your lifetime, knowing that the causes and organizations important to you, like Oxfam, will benefit from your estate.

Your estate will receive an enhanced donation tax credit. The year of your passing and the preceding year, your Estate may claim donations of up to 100% of your net income.

If you have further questions about how a legacy gift can make a greater impact to Oxfam while reducing your estate taxes, email Lisa, our Planned Giving Officer at lisa.bono@oxfam.org.

Clean water provided by Oxfam.

Lisa Bono, Fund Development Officer, Planned Giving, Oxfam Canada

Update from Camino Verde – the “Green Way”: new technology supporting women farmers and the planet

Carrying the heat circulation equipment to Setzi’s dryer centre.

Guatemala is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters and the climate crisis. It’s been the target of devastating droughts and storms. These disasters wreak havoc across the country, as one third of all Guatemalans are employed in the agricultural sector.

With the Camino Verde project, Oxfam and our five local partners have been working in Guatemala’s poorest region, Alta Verapaz.

We are working closely with Indigenous youth and women to support their leadership in building environmentally-friendly, sustainable businesses.

Not only are these enterprises growing and prospering, but a key part of the program is advocacy and training on women’s rights and equality. And the impact is being felt throughout the community and beyond.

In 2023, with the guidance and support of our local partner, we helped launch a raw material dryer centre in Setzi.

Crop drying is one of the most important processes in agriculture. It preserves and extends

food’s shelf life that would otherwise spoil. But in this area of Guatemala, farmers’ ability to dry their crops can be ruined by a change in the weather –like a storm or extended rainy season.

The dryer centre in Setzi has been a gamechanger. The centre has a heat-recirculation system that doesn’t rely on dry, warm weather. Now crops like pepper, cardamom, peanuts and allspice can be dried year round.

The dryer centre will benefit at least 300 farming families in the area – and because it’s run on electricity, it won’t require the destruction of forests to keep it going.

We continue to be grateful to Oxfam Canada supporters like you for funding projects like this and standing with women and youth of Guatemala.

Shucking corn.

Photo Credit: Asociación Maíz de Vida

Photo Credit: James Rodriquez/Oxfam

Dry cocoa beans.

Photo Credit: Cristina Chiquin/Oxfam