News & Media

Oxfam in action: Getting on, after the tsunami

February 15, 2005

Oxfam’s Tsunami Emergency Appeal has been the most successful appeal in our history. As a result of the unprecedented public response in New Zealand and internationally, Oxfam’s planned work is now almost fully funded, supporting a long-term programme to rebuild communities in the tsunami-affected region. Oxfam is working on the ground in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, the Maldives and Somalia, reaching 600,000 people.

Oxfam’s water & sanitation efforts receive kudos

February 2, 2005

The first casualty after the tsunami disaster was drinking water. We ran helter-skelter to this school when the waters rushed in early in the morning,” recalls Daivani, sitting on a mat spread out on the grassy patch in the front yard of St Mary’s High School. The school now functions as a camp for villagers of Colachel in Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu.

The first stepping stone, first day of a new term

January 25, 2005

One month after the tsunami. Today the schools reopened.

‘Today was like the first day of life after being dead for a month. The schools have reopened for the first time today. Seeing the school children going back to school in their uniforms is the start of things going back to normal…it’s like the foundation for the future. When I saw them I wanted to cry. You don’t know what it means to us to see them going back to school. Seeing them gives us some hope…that if we don’t do this for us we have to do this for the future. Batu loncatan pertama*.

One month on photos of our response

January 20, 2005

Meet some of the Oxfam staff involved in the tsunami relief operations and see the camps housing displaced people.

Faith can heal

January 19, 2005

Sreedevi Jacob reports from a number of displaced people camps organised by different religions and explains how Oxfam has been proactive to ensure that all the needy people receive relief from the government, irrespective of the ethnic background they belong to.

[Read more…] about Faith can heal

Oxfam help fishermen restore their boats – Stories from the Asian tsunami 2004

January 19, 2005

Villagers living on the Colachel coast in Kanyakumari district have felt the blow of the powerful tsunami waves differently. While some have lost their dear ones, others have lost their houses. Many have lost their means of livelihood – their vallams (traditional fishing boats made of 4 wooden logs), canoes, catamarans and mechanised boats.