Getting girls into school
The potential benefits of educating girls are enormous. Educated women and their children are likely to be healthier, and their earnings tend to increase, meaning they can afford to send their daughters, as well as sons, to school. In Liberia, Oxfam is training women to help girls take advantage of free schooling.
Photos: Aubrey Wade
You can help
Women like Korpo are making a big difference in their local communities. But for girls' educational prospects to improve on a national and global scale, we need governments to act too. That's where you come in.
Down to business
Oxfam opened one of the world’s first charity shop chains starting with a shop in Oxford in 1948. This innovative fundraising idea attracted donations ranging from false teeth, various stuffed animals, up to a houseboat. Today our shop network raises millions, and there's even an online version too!
Photo: John French
I’m a celebrity
These Liverpudlian lads are just Fab Four of the hundreds of celebrities who have helped our fundraising efforts since the early 60s. It’s not for the fame, and they’re not paid for it, they just believe in what we do, and some even get involved in our projects.
Thinking outside the collection box
While traditional tin-shaking techniques are still effective, we've pioneered lots of new fundraising ideas in our time - like this tabletop box from the 60s that was passed around at family mealtimes. Other originals include regular giving, pledges and the daddy of charity gift catalogues, Oxfam Unwrapped.
Photo: John French
Making a statement...
We’ve always been rather vocal about ending poverty. We’ve taken on governments, international organisations and corporations. We took out ads in the 50s (unprecedented!), defied restrictions by helping the people of Cambodia in ’79 (groundbreaking!), and harassed numerous G8 conferences (ongoing!).
Photo: John French
Thinking independently...
There’s no quick fix when it comes to poverty. But we reckon that people can overcome their own problems given the right support and a bit of commitment. So you’ll find us there for the long haul when it comes to education, health care, changing attitudes, or kick-starting small businesses.
Photo: Oxfam
Get a handle on this...
This useful little thing is an award winner. It keeps bugs out, and water in. It's just one element in our emergency response armoury – including water and sanitation expertise – that enables us to provide desperately-needed care – especially as we’re often the first relief organisation on the scene, as in Aceh after the 2004 Tsunami.
Photo: Oxfam
All around the world...
Our aim is to tackle poverty and we’ll willingly work with and learn from others. That's why it made sense to get together with some like-minded organisations to form Oxfam International in 1995. Today it's a growing confederation of 13 organisations, which gives us even greater global impact.
Photo: Patrick Quinnelly
Poverty in the UK...
Surprise... part of Oxfam’s worldwide programme focuses on the UK! Although poverty here is different to that in developing countries, its causes and impact can be very similar. That's why we set up the UK Poverty Programme in 1996 to give people a voice.
Photo: John French
Sound thinking...
We’ve never been shy about talking to new people, and technology has given us even more scope. We’ve been online since ’96, and even started doing our own TV programmes in 2006. We’re speaking to younger audiences via innovative ideas like the Generation Why website, regular music festival appearances and Oxjam, launched in 2006.
Photo: John French
