With money and support Oxfam helps poor people to help themselves all over the world, it has natural disasters response teams, for example as responded in the Haiti earthquake, the latest Yemen crisis, and in the Sahel region of West Africa where there is a food shortage.
The following are other countries which are affected by food shortage, Bangladesh in Asia and the African country of Ethiopia; Oxfam is working here to help rural farmers earn a better living whilst producing vital food supplies. They help people to earn more, and to voice their opinions with regard to decisions being made that affect their lives. Oxfam has helped people to export crops directly to Europe which in turn helps them become more self sufficient. In East Africa there is a food shortage following the worst drought in 60 years. Nigeria is another country in Africa which doesn�t have enough food to feed it�s people, �one in four people in Nigeria don�t have enough to eat!� This is where Oxfam steps in and supports small-scale farmers to become more efficient and productive. Oxfam also supports women�s groups, helps farmers get their point across to the government, and lobbies for change that will help food production and reduce the impact of climate change on farming.
The Red Cross is another organisation which helps people in need of aid. The Red Cross helps countries in the UK and also overseas such as those in East Africa and West Africa, where there are 19 million people going hungry every day!
Save the Children is another high profile charity that helps people, nearly 8 million children die needlessly every year. With regard to the Afghanistan food crisis more than one million afghan children are at risk of going hungry following poor harvests that mean families don�t have enough food to last through the winter.
Action aid is a forty year old charity which works with local people to fight hunger, seek justice for women and education for children and cope with emergencies.
A huge amount of food is being burnt as bio fuels, which is an unnecessary waste of food, because non food crops such as willow can be used for bio fuel; in turn this is increasing global food prices meaning it is more difficult for the world�s poorest people to survive. Bio fuel companies are buying up agricultural land from small-scale farmers, all over the developing world, giving them a quick profit but stopping them from producing food, which is worsening the problem.
Action aid is tackling the driving force behind the bio fuels rush which is the government targets aimed at increasing the amount of bio fuel used in transport.
Task 2
I think this problem could be corrected by the governments from the developed countries giving more money to the people in need, but this aid needs to come with conditions to prevent it being spent on the wrong things such as weapons; also if more people donated money to charities this would enable developing countries to help themselves. All it takes is as little as �3 a month to be given to charity which will help these poor people to turn their lives around. People can also donate their clothes and most unwanted items to their local charity shop and this in turn will make profits for the charities to use in these countries.
In 2003 Oxfam�s natural disasters response teams helped 532,000 people reconstruct their homes ensuring people had safe places to live; they also provided vital food aid when the Haiti earthquake happened.
Oxfam are helping people who have been caught up in the latest Yemen crisis, where millions of people are facing a severe humanitarian crisis, widespread hunger and chronic malnutrition.
I feel we can help by volunteering both at home and abroad. A few hours given can help raise vital funds here; and people with skills such as engineering,
agriculture, building, health care and counsellors could give very valuable help in the crisis hit areas, by teaching them vital skills enabling them to help themselves and others.
References
www.google.com
Oxfam
Oxfam GB leading UK charity fighting global poverty
www.oxfam.org.uk/
�one in four people in Nigeria don�t have enough to eat!�
The Red Cross
British Red Cross
www.redcross.org.uk
�The Red Cross helps countries in the UK and also overseas such as those in East
Africa and West Africa, where there are 19 million people going hungry every day!�
Save the Children
Save the Children Save the Children.org.uk
www.savethechildren.org.uk
�nearly 8 million children die needlessly every year.�
Action Aid
action aid-Children Are Facing Starvation and Sickness
www.actionaid.org.uk/
