Today’s launch by Julie Bishop of an innovation focus for the Australian Aid program has been undermined by leaks suggesting more cuts to the aid budget. Oxfam Public Engagement Director Pam Anders said innovation was indeed vital to overcome the challenges that stood in the way of a fairer, more prosperous and more secure region […]
More than 150,000 Australians will declare their support today for ending health inequality between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and other Australians, with a record number of schools, community groups, health services, businesses and government offices hosting over 1,548 events around the country to mark National Close the Gap Day. Locations for National Close the […]
Despite an impassioned plea from the President of Vanuatu at the Disaster Risk Reduction world conference in Japan earlier this week, international governments last night adopted a framework that is not up to the task of dealing with the increasing risk of disasters to the world’s poor. Among the agreement’s shortcomings is the failure to agree concrete […]
Aid should today begin to reach the hard hit southern Vanuatu islands of Tanna and Erromango, which both took the full force of the 250kmh Cyclone Pam, after rapid assessments of the islands showed absolute devastation with entire villages destroyed. The rapid assessments of Vanuatu’s outer islands carried out yesterday reported that many villages on […]
Two rapid assessment teams have arrived in the two small southern Vanuatu islands hit hardest by Cyclone Pam to rapidly assess exactly what survivors of the disaster need. Oxfam Country Director in Port Vila, Colin Collett van Rooyen, said one team was now in Tanna and another team was in Erromango with both due back to Port […]
The call to end to health inequality between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and other Australians continues to get louder, with a record number of events being held nationwide on Thursday 19 March to mark National Close the Gap Day. Community groups, health services, schools, businesses, government offices and individuals around Australia are registering online […]
As the death toll from Cyclone Pam begins to rise reports are now coming out of the small southern Vanuatu island of Tanna that there is almost no food or clean water and very little medical assistance for the 30,000 people who live there. Tanna, which took the full force of the 250kmh Cyclone Pam, […]
Vanuatu could face a second emergency with waterborne disease a real risk if the need for clean water, sanitation and hygiene is not met, Oxfam said today. Oxfam Country Director in Port Vila, Colin Collett van Rooyen, said a lack of enough clean water, temporary toilets, water purification tablets and hygiene kits needed to be […]
More Oxfam Humanitarian Emergency responders are flying to Vanuatu this morning on an Australian Government plane, as the unconfirmed death toll in the small archipelago begins to climb and worse than worst case scenario unfolds. Oxfam Country Director in Port Vila, Colin Collet van Rooyen, said the situation in Vanuatu was increasingly grim. “There are more than 100,000 […]
Oxfam’s 10 person team in Vanuatu is reporting damage to major infrastructure like the hospital, the morgue and schools as the picture of complete devastation in Vanuatu now begins to unfold. Oxfam Country Director in Port Vila, Colin Collet van Rooyen, said the damage to things as important as the morgue, the hospital and schools could create major […]