What we do

How does Oxfam India fight poverty?

By partnering with local NGOs, Oxfam India works with people so that they can take control of their lives and build a better future for themselves, their families, and the communities they live in.

We believe in the dignity of people and their capacity to overcome their problems. Oxfam India and our partners work with the poorest and the most vulnerable in their struggle against poverty, suffering, and injustice.

Oxfam India focuses on Livelihoods, Gender, Essential Services, Campaigning and Humanitarian work.

Livelihoods – Earning a better income

Bringing hope to people’s lives by giving them skills to earn a better living

A majority of people in India, especially women, indigenous communities, and dalits, do not have a stable and secure way of making a living. Oxfam India, through our partners, works with people to give them more stable and long-term opportunities to make a living.

We work with small producers and farmers for a better living, helping them assert rights over natural resources and manage assets and infrastructure.

Our goal is to have markets work for the poor, and to ensure farming communities have access markets.

Gender – Unlocking women’s potential

Empowering women to take control of their lives

Oxfam India recognises that traditional attitudes which limit women’s say over what happens in their lives – and in wider communities – means they generally suffer poverty most.

This is why incorporating gender issues in every aspect of our work is one of Oxfam’s priorities. This means ending violence against women. In our programmes we ensure that both women and men are consulted, and their different needs considered, to be sure they benefit equally. And we encourage women to play an active role in making decisions at home and in their communities.

Essential services – The ABC of overcoming poverty

Ensuring that quality health and education is possible for everyone

If children grow up to be illiterate adults, they will most probably be too poor to send their own children to school. This is a reality for millions in India who are unable to break away from this cycle of poverty.

Oxfam India promotes girls education because of the discrimination they face. The situation is more challenging for girls from dalit, tribal, and other ostracized castes, who work for a living, marry early, and very often die in childbirth. Whatever the reason, poverty and inequality only worsen when girls miss school. Our initiatives on education are therefore closely linked to our gender equality work.

Humanitarian work – Preparing to survive

Reaching out to people so that they can live with disasters

We believe every woman, man, and child in a disaster or conflict situation has the right to life with dignity.

Emergencies can leave people devastated, and India is prone to natural disasters that occur every year. Millions in India live in the constant fear of having their homes and lives destroyed by floods, cyclones, earthquakes, and droughts.

Through our partners, Oxfam India works with communities to equip them with the necessary skills, information, and knowledge to survive and be prepared for disasters.

By working with communities to raise their homes on higher ground; providing skills on building latrines and private bathing areas for women; distributing health and hygiene kits and materials for temporary shelters; and by supporting Village Disaster Preparedness Committees manage and supervise relief work, Oxfam strives to create a culture of disaster preparedness in the even remotest, most inaccessible parts of the country.

And when the worst is over, Oxfam India helps people get back on their feet by giving them the support they need to rebuild their lives.

Campaigning for change

Pressuring leaders for lasting change

Poverty is not all about lack of resources. Sometimes, it has to do with decisions that powerful people make. We work with others to mobilise people to make change happen.

Oxfam’s global ‘Health and Education For All’ campaign calls for 60 lakh (6 million) more teachers, nurses, and doctors around the world, of which 15 lakh (one and a half million) are needed in India alone. We are urging developing country governments to allocate an increased proportion of their annual budgets into providing these essential services.

Oxfam India also campaigns for poor people to benefit from fair trade and equitable workplace policies. We campaign for people to live in a safe environment with adequate housing, clean water, and sufficient food.

We also support initiatives to ensure that people are well prepared for the effects of climate change and natural disasters so that their means of making a living, and their lives, are not destroyed.