That’s the number of young women and adolescent girls who will have access to education through Oxfam’s project, Geared for Success.
As you can imagine, getting an education is a huge challenge for children and youth living as refugees in Uganda, and those who have lost or had to flee their homes in South Sudan.
In addition, local children living in communities hosting refugees or internally displaced people also struggle accessing education.
Societal norms and stereotypes can create barriers to education. In South Sudan, only five girls attend secondary school for every ten boys.
Yet we know that when girls receive an education, they go on to lead healthier lives. They wait longer to start a family, they usually have fewer children, and their own children are far more likely to attend school.
Education for Girls and Women in Uganda and South Sudan
Education truly is the key to helping girls reach their full potential.
That’s the foundation of the Geared for Success project.
Working with local partners in Uganda and South Sudan, you’re helping remove the barriers between girls and their rightful education.
In the words of Amer Nhial, a Roving Gender Officer in South Sudan…
“Empowering the people, that’s a big thing that Geared for Success is doing. Let them own their project, learn they can help themselves even when someone is not there for them. So, I think there will be a lot of change. There are a lot of challenges here, but I think there is hope.”
Natalina and Bakita, sit in their classroom at Tobi Primary School, South Sudan.
Photo Credit: Caroline Leal/Oxfam
For Duaa, her husband, their three children and countless families in Gaza, starvation is imminent.
Here in the so-called “safe zone” of Rafah, bakeries are shuttered, flour supplies are running out, and trucks remain barred from entering. Aid is scarce.
14 months after being ordered to leave their home, this family is exhausted.
Oxfam and our partner organizations in Gaza are doing everything we can to help in this race against time.
With your help, we’ve reached more than 1.1 million people with food and hygiene support in Gaza. We’ve provided water tanks in refugee camps, and installed private bathrooms close to the tents.
“Before, the public bathrooms were far from our tent, shared by men and women. I was too scared to use them, especially at night. Walking in the dark was terrifying. I used to wake my husband to go with me.”
You’ve helped us provide solar-powered desalination units providing three litres of clean drinking water per person daily. And you’ve supplied life-saving food.
Update from Gaza: Your aid is saving lives fighting cholera on the frontlines
The lack of safe water and proper sanitation kills more people each year than all forms of violence.
Cholera, a waterborne disease, devastates vulnerable communities.
Yet still, one in three people globally do not have
“When the children saw the food parcel they were happy — things they had not seen for months,” said Duaa. Fighting back tears, she went on, “My biggest concern is losing a child because there is no food. I look at photos of my daughters before the war. I look at their smiles. They were completely different.”
Food and water are being used as weapons of war in Gaza. You’ve joined a global movement of people calling for a peaceful resolution to this conflict. You’re helping families like Duaa’s to survive. And, with your support, we’ll be there to help them rebuild.
Duaa Abu Sabha uses the handwashing station that Oxfam distributed in response to people in the Al-Mawasi area in Khan Yunis Governorate.
access to safe drinking water.
And every single day, 800 children die from illnesses linked to unsafe water and poor sanitation. Especially malnourished children, who are particularly vulnerable.
We know that the key to stopping cholera is prevention. Clean water. Toilets. Soap. That’s all it takes to stop these heartbreaking, senseless deaths.
That’s why we use our donors’ dollars to respond
Photo Credit: Alef Multimedia/Oxfam
“I knew my family wouldn’t starve.”
Oxfam partner PDRRN provided Jamela Rosaldo with cash in advance of Typhoon Odette—part of an approach known as anticipatory action. Here she displays some of the items she purchased.
Oxfam has always been known for our rapid response in times of disaster.
As our supporters know, we are often “first in, last out,” working with local partners to swiftly secure clean water sources and sanitation to fight off the outbreaks of disease that so often prove more deadly than the initial disaster itself.
Now we are launching an additional aspect to our emergency response work — deploying before an emergency.
It’s called anticipatory action , and it means resourcing communities before a storm or other disaster hits.
Disasters always hurt vulnerable people and communities the most. These are people who don’t enjoy the privilege of staying stocked up on food.
Already living day to day, a deadly storm snaps that fragile thread that keeps them surviving. It brings days, weeks or months without a food source. And endless hours of worry.
We’re creating contingency plans and early warning systems, and helping set up safe spaces for livestock and fishing boats — whatever works to help prepare each very diverse community.
Now we are adding digital cash to our supply of anticipatory aid.
When it comes to distributing aid to families in crisis, digital cash is often a better choice than physical goods. It means that families can purchase what they need the most to survive.
“If you wait until a disaster strikes,” says Ria Barrera from our Oxfam partner in the Philippines, “it means more suffering, more losses, more time for recovery.”
Jamelda Rosaldo received cash before Typhoon Odette. She explains,
“When a typhoon approaches, it’s scary. But it’s extra scary when you have nothing in your hand. When I received the cash, I stopped worrying so much. I felt secure because I knew my family wouldn’t starve.”
rapidly wherever there is a cholera outbreak. We truck in water, repair wells and install latrines.
Right now, we are battling cholera and other water-borne diseases in Gaza, Yemen, Bangladesh and across Africa.
And that’s why today and every day — every supporter of Oxfam here in Canada truly matters. And each gift you make is a gift of life.
Wafa retrieves water outside her tent in a jerry can.
Photo Credit: Alef Multimedia/Oxfam
First a ripple, then a wave: women lead the fight for equality in Pakistan
A cornerstone of Oxfam’s vision is that progress mustn’t stop when a project ends.
That’s exactly what’s happening in Pakistan, where our project, Women’s Voice and Leadership — Pakistan (WVL-P), has drawn to the end of its five-year life span.
But the results and the progress are ongoing.
In a country that ranks 145th out of 146 on the gender gap*, women in Pakistan are stepping into leadership. They are challenging long-held cultural norms, stereotypes and restrictions … and creating significant, unstoppable change.
The five years of the WVL-P coincided with serious global and regional challenges: political instability, extreme climate events, economic downturns, security challenges and Covid-19. But despite that, women in Pakistan have proven they are strong, adaptable and resilient.
A significant part of the WVL-P was to build up key women’s organizations, so that they are secure and sustainable — able to support and empower women in their communities long into the future.
Their advocacy has already seen a victory … changing aspects of the Domestic Violence Act in support of survivors. Now there are procedures in place to support and protect victims of domestic violence.
Take Feminist Fridays. This alliance brings together women’s rights organizations with policy makers. Women working for Feminist Fridays are now tackling tough topics like domestic violence and child marriages, despite strong resistance in their communities.
Participants in the WVL-Pakistan project take part in a radio show.
WVL-P is a perfect example of Oxfam in action: provide support and resources so women can lift each other up, fight for gender equality, and create a brighter future for the entire community.
*Source: World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2024
Samina takes part in a bike rally celebrating 16 Days of Activism.
