Our Approach

At Oxfam, we're ambitious, driven and optimistic. We're pressing for women's rights so we can end global poverty for good.

How do we approach the ambitious task of ending the injustice of poverty and inequality?

We tackle it from all sides–combating poverty at every level.

In our approach, we:

This is a diagram that explains the 6 elements of Oxfam's approach: Know charity is not enough, Work with partners, Share knowledge, Be feminist, Influence policy and Listen to others. For each element of the approach, there is a decorative icon to match the idea. At the centre of the diagram is a cartoon icon of a woman and a girl.

Our Six Guiding Principles

We are Feminist

Ending global poverty begins with women's rights. We advocate for women's rights and equality at every level of society.

In every development project, humanitarian crisis and advocacy campaign, we aim to advance women’s rights. We promote women's leadership in their homes and communities, and we work to transform power relationships that entrench inequality and injustice.

We Influence Policy

We challenge the policies, systems and institutions that trap people in poverty. In our advocacy and campaigning, we inspire the Canadian public to pressure the Canadian government, companies, and others to change policies and practices that harm women.

We also help women around the world demand policies and practices that respect their rights.

We Listen to Others

We consult our partners, women's rights organizations and the people we work with to learn from them. And we make sure people’s voices are heard by those who need to take action.

We Share Knowledge

We gather evidence and share our learning and research with other aid agencies, governments, local organizations and the public to show what works and what needs to change.

We Work with Partners

We work with others to combat poverty at every level. Together with women's rights organizations and partners on the ground, we foster innovative solutions that transform communities for the long term.

We Know Charity is Not Enough

Charity and aid alone cannot end poverty, because poverty is not just about money--it's about systems. We challenge the systems that make people poor--systems of injustice and discrimination based on gender, class, race, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation and expression, ability, citizen status, education and other identities.

To end poverty, we must end human rights violations.

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