Letter From our Executive Director and Chair

Dear Oxfam supporters,

This past year brought little respite to a world shaken by the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021-2022, we witnessed a rising number of humanitarian emergencies caused by conflict and climate change that left millions of people around the world hungry, displaced and vulnerable. For the first time in a quarter century, extreme poverty is on the rise even as extreme wealth has hit record highs. Communities still reeling from the devastation caused by the pandemic are now being hit by the soaring cost of living, and the world’s poorest countries are forced to cut back on healthcare and other essential services to repay their debt. In Somalia alone, people are experiencing the most brutal hunger crisis in living memory, just as multi-national food corporations have more than doubled their profits.

Yet, as the world slid deeper into crisis and poverty, Oxfam was able to support vulnerable communities in over 80 countries thanks to your unwavering support. In India, we distributed oxygen, masks and ventilators to communities hit by the deadly second wave of COVID-19. When powerful storms left a trail of flooding and destruction in Mozambique and the Philippines, we set up water and sanitation services and helped affected communities access shelter, food and medicines. We relentlessly sounded the alarm bell on the hunger emergency in East Africa – the worst in our lifetime – while helping communities build their resilience to the changing climate by installing solar-powered groundwater pumps and training communities in climate-adapted farming skills.

We continued to work alongside inspiring grassroots partners to advance women’s rights, which resulted in landmark gains this year in the fight against gender-based violence. Our flagship Creating Spaces project played a pivotal role in raising the minimum age for girls to marry from 16 to 19 in Indonesia, and in passing the Girls Not Brides Act that outlaws marriage under the age of 19 in the Philippines. These are life-changing legislative wins in a world where an estimated 12 million girls are married against their will each year.

For years, we at Oxfam have been advocating for investments in the care economy. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed how critical care is to our societies and economies, but also laid bare how fragile our care systems are. In 2021, we celebrated two major advocacy wins on this front. The Government of Canada committed $30 billion to create a national child-care system here at home, and announced that it would invest $100 million to support care-related programs in developing countries – the first such commitment by a donor government.

You stood with us at every turn this year – through wars, climate crises and crackdowns on women’s rights. With every dollar donated and petition signed, you helped tackle injustice and create lasting change. In times like these, your solidarity means more than ever.

Thank you for showing up with compassion and conviction.