Oxfam's work in the Philippines in depth

In the Philippines, Oxfam's focus is on increasing opportunities for women, dealing with disasters, and lobbying for change.

The context

The majority of poor people in the Philippines live in rural areas. Agricultural productivity has remained low since the 1990s, with many farmers struggling with high levels of debt, as well as the problems involved in accessing markets and buying land. More recently, rising food prices have also had a big impact here, due to the country’s rapidly growing population and a shortage of suitable land for crops.

Within this context, women face particular difficulties, with only 46% employed in 2005, compared to 74% of men – though women work 60% of the total number of unpaid working hours. For many women, having a say in political and economic decisions is also a major struggle, and violence against women remains a big problem too.

Things aren’t made any easier by the country’s position in the seismic ‘ring of fire’, which leaves it vulnerable to floods, earthquakes, landslides and typhoons. Or by the ongoing civil
conflicts in the Mindanao region, which have displaced approximately two million people since the 1960s. It’s a situation that makes breaking free from poverty and building a
secure future even tougher, especially when high levels of government debt continue to hamper economic growth.

How is Oxfam helping?

Oxfam has been working to improve opportunities for people in the Philippines since 1987. Together with local organisations, we’re concentrating our efforts in the following areas:

Increasing opportunities for women

This is a major focus. Though women do fulfil prominent roles in public life – 30% of judges are female and 22% of seats in congress are held by women – the majority of women in the Philippines remain severely marginalised, often because the work they do is either unpaid or unrecognised.

Oxfam’s approach to tackling this is multi-faceted. We’re working to emphasise and support the vital role women play, particularly in fishing and agriculture, by helping them to work together and by providing financial assistance and supplying tools.

And because experience tells us that once women gain more respect for their labour, they also gain confidence and begin to take a more active role in politics and the economy, we’re
also working to create places where women can come together to discuss issues affecting their lives. We’re enabling women to get more involved in civil society organisations in the country. And we’re supporting women to set up small businesses and begin earning a better living.

Dealing with disasters

When devastating events like floods and earthquakes hit a country, poor people typically suffer the most. Not only do they often live in the areas most likely to be hit by disasters,
they also tend to lack the resources to rebuild their lives – and their livelihoods – once the damage has been done.

So Oxfam is working with communities in high-risk areas to help people prepare for disasters and adapt their lifestyles so that they are less exposed to the effects of extreme weather. Again, we’re particularly focusing on women in this work.

And we’re also linking up with authorities in the Philippines, to
ensure that, when disaster does strike, emergency responses take into account the different needs of men and women.

Lobbying for change

Our experience in the Philippines means we have strong links with community groups, particularly in the Mindanao area. But alongside our more localised projects, we also work with partners to lobby for change at local and national levels. And we press private sector organisations to implement policies that focus on the particular needs of poor and displaced communities.

Similarly, we work with civil society organisations – providing grants, offering advice and helping groups to develop the ways they work – so that people are in a stronger position
to lobby and push governments to support poor communities. The civil sector in the Philippines is active and dynamic, so working with it is a crucial way of encouraging change in the
relationship between the rich and the poor, and between the government and the people it governs.

 

Last updated: February 2011