How Oxfam unwrapped gifts are helping
Drought and spiralling food prices in West Africa's Sahel region mean malnutrition is a very real threat for Fatimata Awade, her family and thousands of other people. Many communities lack a source of clean water. Here, Fatimata draws water from one of the few wells in the community of Natriguel that hasn't run dry.
Oxfam has provided help on several fronts. We have built and repaired water points across the region. Our fix a well gift includes labour and tools to ensure that people and their livestock have a reliable, disease-free water supply. 'By rehabilitating wells', says Chekaraou Yaou, Oxfam Public Health team leader, 'the quality and quantity of water is improved'. Increasing our water and sanitation programmes prevents people contracting water-borne diseases.
We have supported families with food vouchers to give people more choice and so they can buy food locally, boosting the economy. Our feed a family gift provides vouchers like these that people can exchange for a variety of foods.
We're also helping people grow their own vegetable gardens. And this is where water on tap can be really useful, installing simple irrigation systems to help crops thrive.
Our life lines gift is a real double-whammy. It pays people to help rebuild or repair local infrastructure in times of emergency or helps them to re-start their lives so that the whole community benefits and people have money to buy essentials like food and medicines.
Learn more about Oxfam's West Africa food crisis response here.