The stories behind the advert

The Make Poverty History campaign saw Oxfam working in coalition with hundreds of organisations, individuals, religious groups and more to call for an end to poverty. Oxfam was on the coordinating team.

The ad opens with the words of Nelson Mandela during a campaign rally in February 2005. At a peaceful protest in London’s Trafalgar Square, he called on those listening:

Mandela had seen Oxfam’s actions against the apartheid movement in South Africa, and knew the links between division and poverty and between power and inequality.

Then, as now, we campaigned for change as part of a movement against the injustice of poverty.

The Make Poverty History campaign was an example of people power pushing for change. It led to G7 leaders pledging to eradicate poverty by 2030. And indeed, by 2015, the end of extreme poverty seemed to be within reach.

Since that time, many things – from the climate emergency to the cost of living crisis, all exacerbated by worsening inequality worldwide – have reversed that progress.

Positive change rarely happens when people stay quiet. Speaking out against injustice can take many forms. Peaceful protest is one of the many ways our society tries to get the attention of decision makers in our refusal to accept injustice. Our TV advert shows a range of footage from protests of all sorts, including times where so many of us showed up in force, ready to raise our voices in a non-violent way.

Some call us troublemakers or agitators, but we know the value of being outspoken to make a better world through positive change. And we know that the most powerful and innovative movements are built by diverse communities of people from all walks of life and identities – particularly those who are persistently discriminated against.

Imagine the power of all of us, when we join forces together to speak out against systems and choices that work for only a few and harm so many.

Want to be a part of making change happen in the world? We’ve created an online course in activism so that we can all become positive troublemakers.

We wanted our new advertising to show the global challenges we’re all facing right now. These are connected; they all form part of the system of poverty that we want to change.

The film shows pictures from Garissa, in Kenya, in the aftermath of the 2024 floods, and food bank volunteers in action in London in the UK. Many miles apart, people are affected by not having enough money and power to stay safe and well.

There are lots of organisations and communities around the world speaking out about these injustices, supporting people to survive and thrive despite it all. At Oxfam, we’re incredibly proud to support them in this vital work.

When it comes to the human struggles, there is no ‘them’ and ‘us’. United, we can act to make changes to the structures that cause poverty and climate change.

The TV advert shows a convoy of marchers moving along a road in Kisumu, Kenya – just some of the millions of people worldwide demanding more action against the climate crisis.

We all know that we have only one planet earth. Alongside communities and partners worldwide, Oxfam has a long history of fighting climate change and the problems it causes for people already facing poverty around the world.

And in this, as in as much of our work as possible, we respect the expertise and knowledge of the communities and partners who lead us in this work. Our support aims to uplift what they do, not overpower it.

Youth activists like Jesse and Issac, who feature in the TV advert, don’t need big charities to put words in their mouths. We want to help them by offering a platform to share their messages.