Latest Emergencies

Somalia is suffering its worst drought in years and failed rains are already devastating half a million lives, international aid agency Oxfam warned today.

The scale of the humanitarian challenge is only just becoming clear as many people start returning to their homes in flood-hit Sri Lanka, international aid agency Oxfam said today.

The flood crisis, caused by relentless monsoon rains in early January, is the worst natural disaster to hit the country since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

International aid agency Oxfam has been providing support to thousands caught up in Sri Lanka’s devastating floods where more than a million people have been affected.

Providing more opportunities for everyday Haitians to get involved in the earthquake recovery process is critical to the successful rebuilding of the country, says international aid agency Oxfam.

Oxfam is scaling up its aid effort to reach 200,000 people affected by the severe floods that have hit Colombia in recent weeks. The floods have affected more than two million people in 28 out of 32 districts in the country. The agency called on the international community for an increased aid response to the emergency, warning that heavy rains are expected to continue for many weeks.

Over the weekend Oxfam began chlorinating water for 300,000 people in a slum area of Cap Haitien. Recent violence spread across the city and Oxfam had to stop those activities. Other activities that have ceased are distributions of soap, water tablets and oral rehydration salts. Perhaps the most important activity that Oxfam had to stop is our massive public education campaign – through radio messages – to inform people about the basic good hygiene that will keep them safe.

International aid agency Oxfam has doubled its cholera response since the first cases were confirmed in October in Haiti. Oxfam’s water, sanitation and hygiene education programs are now reaching over 700,000 people in the capital Port-au-Prince, Artibonite in central Haiti, and Cap Haitien in northern Haiti.

“We are obviously concerned about the spread of cholera to Port-au-Prince. However, earthquake victims living in and around the capital have better access to clean water, latrines and better knowledge of good hygiene practices than in rural areas. We have been doing ongoing educational sessions in dozens of camps ever since the earthquake struck.

Oxfam today called on the Government of Pakistan and the international community to invest in measures that reduce and manage the risk of disasters at district and community levels.

The international community has let down the millions affected by the Pakistan floods with its lukewarm response to the revised UN appeal international aid agency Oxfam said today.