Charity

31 August 2020

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Thanks to vital support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery this year, Oxfam has been able to respond to unprecedented emergencies all over the world.

Over £11 million has been raised for Oxfam by People’s Postcode Lottery players.

Funding has enabled the charity to provide shelter for people impacted by the Beirut explosion in Lebanon and lobby against UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia, affecting nearly 10 million people facing starvation in Yemen.

 

Oxfam has been able to respond directly to the global spread of Coronavirus in 66 countries, reaching approximately four million people with life-saving assistance.

It has also lobbied the UN to create an economic rescue package that would enable poor countries to provide cash grants to those who have lost their income and to support vulnerable, small businesses.

Here are some of the other ways players have helped support Oxfam’s coronavirus response:

  • In Pakistan, Oxfam has installed water tanks at quarantine centres so people there have a clean water supply.
  • In Lebanon, a public health awareness campaign is underway in informal settlements of refugees. We are also preparing extra toilets, handwashing facilities and water tanks for families who may need to self-quarantine.
  • In China, Oxfam has been working with our local partners to help those at the greatest risk of catching the virus in poor communities, by distributing protective supplies and food to vulnerable groups (such as impoverished people with HIV/AIDs, migrant families, cleaning workers, low income workers and domestic helpers).
  • In Gaza, Oxfam provided beds, handwashing facilities and protective clothing in quarantine centres.
  • In Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh - the largest refugee settlement in the world - humanitarian staff are distributing soap and building handwashing stations to support 70,000 people.

Despite lockdowns and global uncertainty, Oxfam is keeping up its fight against climate change, which affects the world’s poorest people disproportionately. In the UK, 13 million items of clothing end up in landfill every week, 95% of which could be reused or recycled.

If you would like to support Oxfam from your home or local high street this September, join the second-hand movement aiming to reduce the impact that fast fashion has on the planet and on garment workers.

Find out more about Second Hand September oxfamapps.org/secondhandseptember