Author: Oxfam Media Unit

International agency Oxfam warns today a Herculean effort is still needed if public health in Haiti is not to deteriorate. Time is pressing as there are only six weeks before the start of the raining season.

The agency said there have been enormous and successful efforts in getting clean water and food to people since the quake hit exactly a month ago. To date, Oxfam has provided assistance to about 100,000 people and continues to scale up operations, planning to reach at least 500,000 people by the end of July.

But the same progress must now be made in tackling poor sanitation and the aid agency says a surge in effort is needed from the international community, the UN and aid agencies in advance of the rainy season, due in April.

The organisation fears that cases of diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases could spread given the combination of poor drainage, a limited number of latrines and crowded living conditions.

Oxfam has so far installed latrines at 11 key sites and many more are planned. Public health teams are also working with communities to reduce the risk of disease by rubbish-clearing and awareness-raising. But there is still a long way to go.

“Thanks to the generous public and political response the aid effort has rapidly expanded to meet people’s needs but there is still a mountain to climb.

“We now need a surge in effort to improve sanitation facilities for people in Haiti. Let us not kid ourselves that this is going to be easy, it requires a Herculean humanitarian effort from all quarters.

“Around 230,000 people lost their lives on January 12. It is our priority to make sure that we don’t let that number grow,” said Marcel Stoessel, Head of Oxfam in Haiti.

The temporary camps where people have congregated are fast-becoming over-crowded slums and need upgrading to allow easy access to basic services. More ditches need to be dug to improve the drainage in the crowded camps before the rains begin. Oxfam also fears for the safety of people who have moved to areas that are at risk from land and mudslides because of the upcoming rains.

The Government has plans to resettle people but it still needs to clarify whether there is government land available or if it needs to confiscate private land instead. It also needs to ensure that people are not forced to move away from their communities, that new camps are safe and that there is a plan in place to ensure that camps do not becoming dumping grounds outside the city. These decisions need to be taken quickly.

The huge logistical challenges facing the aid effort – communications, transport, loss of key staff, destroyed physical and political infrastructure – are slowly being overcome but bottlenecks still remain.

While the coordination of the aid effort is going well, Oxfam said it still needs to be improved. Hundreds of agencies now in Haiti – estimates vary from 500 to 900 – are playing their part in the response and the UN has made great strides in coordinating the aid effort but along with the Government it needs to provide stronger leadership.

As more than 75 per cent of Haiti’s capital needs to be rebuilt, reconstruction will take many years and needs the full support of the international community, Oxfam said. The Government needs to elaborate on its reconstruction vision as the many rumours about its plans are causing a sense of anxiety amongst those who have lost their homes.

“Whatever the vision of the Haitian government is, it should ensure that a newly built Haiti does not recreate the injustices and inequalities of the past.

“The country’s reconstruction ought to be led by Haitians for Haitians,” Stoessel said. “With more than 80 per cent below the poverty line before the earthquake, the needs of Haiti’s poor must be central.”

Though the focus of the aid effort centres around the capital, where the majority of needs are, there is a growing concern about conditions in the countryside where nearly 500,000 people have fled.  Vigilance is needed to ensure that their needs do not fall off the radar and support must be provided to those hosting them.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

For more information or to arrange interviews contact:

In Haiti: Ian Bray on UK mobile +44 (0)7721 461 339

In the UK: Zahra Akkerhuys on +44 (0)1865 472359 or +44 (0)7525 901932

In New York: Louis Belanger on +1 (917) 224 0834

Key facts for background:

The earthquake measured 7.3 on the Richter scale at 16.50 local time on Tuesday, January 12, 10 miles south-west of the capital of Port au Prince.
The epicentre was near the slum of Carrefour. There are reports that more than 90 per cent of its buildings are in ruins
Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere
85 per cent of the people living in Haiti live in poverty.

Haiti earthquake: Oxfam’s response

A new exhibition focusing on the love and solidarity found in one of the world’s worst conflict zones is set to open on London’s South Bank today (11 February 2010).

A collaboration between Oxfam and portrait photographer Rankin, the exhibition “From Congo with Love” is inspired by the untold compassion of ordinary people surviving ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It will be displayed on Theatre Square at the National Theatre until 11 April 2010.

Eastern Congo is one of the most violent places in the world. Two million people are displaced, but the majority don’t live in camps. Instead, they live with families who have opened their homes to those who have lost everything – in many cases complete strangers. Rankin met host families who were housing one to three other families in small, two-roomed homes. 

As well as looking at the kindness shown by Congo’s host families, the portraits focus on other forms of love found in Congo, such as romantic love, mother’s love and the pain of love lost. The portraits were taken on Rankin’s second trip to Congo in late 2009, with the people photographed against the same trademark white background that Rankin uses with celebrity clients, such as Kate Moss and the Queen.

Rankin said:

“My style of portraiture is about bringing people out of themselves, getting them to share something. I chose to photograph the people against a white background instead of in their physical environment. The expressions in their eyes and on their faces – their humanity – was what I wanted people to notice and relate to.

“This collection focuses on the relationships that bind people to each other – the connections that make us human. I hope that these photographs can aid understanding. They are neither ugly images of brutality, nor sentimental images of suffering. The world needs imagery that, instead of encouraging pity and powerlessness, promotes understanding, connection, and ultimately action.  It’s about making people accessible to each other.” 
 
As well as taking his own portraits, Rankin held photography workshops with the local community, handing out cameras and teaching almost one hundred people how to take their own pictures.  The images taken by the community are a major part of the “From Congo with Love” exhibition with over 150 images by the community displayed alongside Rankin’s own work. The photographs focus on the things that people in the community love and hold dear – from children and homes to favourite pets and football teams. 

Rankin said:

“I gave out cameras so that the people could have authorship over their own images – show us what was important in their lives.  The images I got back were amazing, like an intimate family album of life in the Congo. It gives the people that see the images in the UK a very direct connection to people in Congo.” 

In addition, a photographic booth at the exhibition will allow visitors to take their own pictures and add them to the exhibition, showing their solidarity with the people of eastern Congo. 

Rankin visited a small town called Sange in eastern DRC, where the population had doubled in size as a result of renewed fighting. Oxfam expanded its programme to provide clean water and decent sanitation to the newly displaced. It is now assisting some 800,000 people across eastern Congo and the exhibition is linked to a fundraising appeal for its work.  

Rankin said:

“What I’ve always been trying to do is to take the victim out of the equation. Take that feeling of pity out of it, say these are human beings and we actually just owe it to them to try to help them. If you do give money to Oxfam I know that the money comes back to Congo. That’s the brilliant thing. The money we made last time was brought to Congo and it’s getting results.”

People can donate to Oxfam appeal by visiting www.oxfam.org.uk/rankin or calling 0300 200 1300.

Rankin’s images are available as a unique coffee table book, “We Are Congo” which will be sold in selected Oxfam shops, at the National Theatre and online at www.oxfam.org.uk. The money raised by the sale of this book will go to Oxfam’s work in the Congo.  The book costs £20.
 
ENDS

‘From Congo with Love’ will run outside the National Theatre on London’s South Bank from 11 February – 11 April 2010.

Congo experienced an upsurge of violence late last year. Some 900,000 people were forced to flee their homes, thousands of homes were burned to the ground and countless women were raped.

The Robin Hood Tax – turning a crisis for the banks into an opportunity for the world

A Robin Hood Tax on banks’ financial transactions could raise hundreds of billions of pounds to fight poverty, protect public services and tackle climate change, according to a campaign launched today (Wednesday) by an unprecedented coalition of domestic charities, aid agencies, unions, faith organisations and green groups.

The campaign is calling on the leaders of the UK’s political parties to support a global tax on the banks to help repair the human damage caused by the global economic crisis, protect public services at home, fight poverty abroad and help foot the bill for climate change.

The campaign, supported by almost 50 organisations including Oxfam, the TUC, Barnardo’s, the Salvation Army, ActionAid and Save the Children, is launched with a promotional film starring Bill Nighy, and written and directed by Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Comic Relief). It is backed by regional events, advertising and online promotions challenging politicians, public and banks to Be Part of the World’s Greatest Bank Job.

The Robin Hood Tax is backed by financiers and hundreds of economists who have signed a letter supporting the campaign.

Alastair Constance, City trader and founder of Ethical Currency, which already levies a voluntary rate of 0.005 per cent on all currency transactions, said: “Billions of pounds whizz round the global financial system every day. A tiny tax on each transaction is absolutely practical and will hardly be noticed by those paying it. But it could still raise billions to help make the world a better place.”

The Robin Hood Tax would not be levied on banks’ transactions with their high street customers, but only apply to transactions between financial institutions. While different rates of tax would apply to different types of transaction, they would average around 0.05 per cent and start at just five pence for every thousand pounds traded.

But even such tiny taxes would raise hundreds of billions of dollars a year given the scale of transactions – equivalent to $10,000 a day for every one of the 1.2 billion inhabitants of the world’s 30 richest countries in the OECD. Experts have estimated an international transaction tax system could eventually raise as much as £250bn ($400bn) every year.

While an internationally agreed tax system is the best way to proceed, the UK Government and European Union should start extending transaction taxes already in existence, such as the UK’s 0.5 per cent stamp duty on shares, the campaign says.

This would both raise much needed money and encourage other countries to adopt the proposal, with modern foreign exchange markets an attractive and easy target for a unilateral tax on sterling and Euro transactions.

The market for financial transactions has exploded in the last decade, and is now worth 60 times global GDP. Before the financial crisis banking was the most profitable industry in the world, with profits five times that of the pharmaceutical industry, and three times bigger than the privatised utilities, according to consultants McKinsey & Company. At the same time the financial sector is not taxed as much as other sectors.

The campaign is calling for countries which levy the tax to keep half the proceeds domestically and for the rest to be split 50-50 between poverty reduction and tackling climate change. The UK’s share of the tax would amount to tens of billions of pounds.

Money raised by a Robin Hood Tax could be used avoid cuts to vital public services and for a range of good causes including:

Meeting the Government’s target to halve child poverty (£4bn)

Ending the benefit trap that makes it too expensive for people to leave welfare and return to work (£2.7bn)

Protecting schools and hospitals at home and abroad under threat of cuts

Meeting the Millennium Development Goals to cut child deaths by two-thirds, maternal mortality by two-thirds and tackle malaria and HIV/AIDS, and

Providing resources to enable a deal to be done on tackling climate change.

The UK campaign is part of an international movement with similar calls being made in the USA, Europe and across the developing world. Gordon Brown, Angela Merkel, Nicolas Sarkozy, Nancy Pelosi, Jose Manuel Barroso, Meles Zenawi (Ethiopia) have all spoken out in recent months in support of some form of transaction tax.

Financial figures who have backed transaction taxes include Lord Turner (FSA), George Soros, Warren Buffet, Avinash Persaud (chairman of Intelligence Capital), Sir Philip Hampton, (RBS chairman) and Terry Smith (chief executive of money brokers Tullett Prebon).

Polling carried out by YouGov for Oxfam shows there is already significant public support for a Robin Hood Tax, with almost twice as many people in favour of the policy as oppose it. It is also the public’s favoured option for reducing the UK’s deficit – well ahead of reducing public spending or raising income tax, VAT or corporation tax. Faced with a 12 per cent deficit, the next government will be facing a stark choice – raising other taxes such as income tax or VAT, cutting services, or taxing the banks. The campaign believes that the Robin Hood Tax is the right idea at the right time.

In a letter to the leaders of the UK’s political parties, the campaign says: “You could ignore the big problems facing the world, and accept that climate change will stay unchecked, and that the poorest people at home and abroad will have a very hard time of it over the next decade. Or you can find all the money needed by directly taxing the British public themselves.

“Or you can work to find an innovative, modern, regular way of accumulating a fund of money to deal with big issues boldly. We would ask you seriously to consider the Robin Hood Tax as that radical new option – a small tax on bankers that would make a huge difference to the UK, to the poorest countries and to our planet. Let’s turn the crisis for the banks into an opportunity for Britain and the world.”

Barbara Stocking Oxfam Chief Executive, said: “We have a once in a generation opportunity to make global finance work in the interests of ordinary people at home and abroad. A tiny tax on banks would make a massive difference to the millions of ordinary people around the globe forced into extreme poverty by the economic crisis.”

Brendan Barber, TUC General Secretary said: “The crash was made in the finance sector – finance should now make a proper contribution to putting right the damage the crash caused and preventing huge cuts in vital public services.”

Claire Melamed, Head of Policy at ActionAid said: “We now have a chance to raise enough money to create real and lasting change. If politicians are brave enough we could turn a financial crisis into an opportunity for the world’s poor by raising billions from the banks to spend at home and abroad.”

Take action: join the call for a Robin Hood tax.

Further information:

Jon Slater, Oxfam, 01865 472249 or 07876 476403

Liz Chinchen, TUC, 0207 467 1248 or 07778 158175

Asha Tharoor, ActionAid, 0207 561 7634 or 07813 688680

Kathryn Rawe, Save the Children, 0207 012 6701 or 07827 256072

Pippa Rodger, Barnardo’s, 0208 561 7634 or 07500 968419

Notes to editors:

You can follow the Robin Hood Tax campaign on our website www.robinhoodtax.org.uk

Or on Twitter @robinhood

Media materials – including a release about the film and campaign creatives, a technical briefing and supportive quotes from the coalition will be available from Tuesday morning at:

http://www.robinhoodtax.org.uk/media

username: media

password: makemerry

The following 48 organisations are supporting the Robin Hood Tax Campaign:

ActionAid, Action for Global Health (UK), ACTSA (Action on Southern Africa), Africa Europe Faith Justice Network – UK, Article 12 in Scotland, ATD Fourth World, Barnardo’s, Cafod, Centre for Alternative Technology, Chigwell Justice and Peace Centre, Christian Aid, Christian Medical Fellowship, Christian Socialist Movement, Church Action on Poverty, Church of Scotland Church and Society Council, Commonwealth HIV & AIDS Action Group, Forum for Stable Currencies, General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, Health Unlimited, Housing Justice, Interact Worldwide, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, National Justice and Peace Network, National Union of Teachers, NCVO, nef (the new economics foundation), Oxfam GB, ONE, People and Planet, Plan UK, Results UK, The Salvation Army, Save the Children UK, Stamp Out Poverty, Stop AIDS Campaign, Student Partnerships Worldwide, TB Alert, Tearfund, Trades Union Congress, UNA-UK, Unicef UK, Unite, University and College Union, Urban Forum, War on Want, World Development Movement, World Wide Robin Hood Society, Zacchaeus 2000 Trust.

The YouGov poll for Oxfam was undertaken between 13 to 16 November 2009. Total sample size was 2070 adults. The poll found that almost twice as many people would support (53 per cent) than oppose (28 per cent) a financial transaction tax on the basis that some of the money raised would be used to help people hit by the economic crisis in the UK and abroad.

More than a third (36 per cent) said a tax on banks was their preferred option for cutting the UK’s deficit. This compared to 26 per cent who opted for cutting public spending. It was four times the 9% who supported increased tax on businesses; five times the 7 per cent who wanted income tax raised; and nine times the 4 per cent who favoured increasing Value Added Tax (VAT).

Camp residents have little official information about plans to re-site camps

Less than a third of people living in one of the largest camps in Port au Prince say that they are willing to move to camps sited outside the city according to a snap-shot survey carried out by international agency Oxfam. If the new improved camps are established close to where they used to live then the proportion willing to move leaps to nearly three quarters.

The survey also revealed that there is little official public information available about plans to move people to new camps. Whilst 63 per cent had heard of the Government plans to resettle people, none had heard it directly from the Government and none had been consulted.

Some 13 per cent of people had heard of the plans from friends, 10 percent from the local radio and just one per cent had heard it from non-governmental organisations.

People surveyed said that any new camp would have to provide the very basics of housing, food, water and medical services as well as employment and schools.

“Living conditions of people in the camps need to be rapidly improved. Many of the current sites will not suitable due to the coming raining seasons which, without adequate drainage and sanitation, threatens to wash away shelters and cause health hazards. If new camps are sited then people should be not be forced to go to them. The camps should be safe to reduce criminality and protect vulnerable groups such as women and children. They should only be temporary solutions, not end up as long term slums outside the city limits,” said Marcel Stoessel, Oxfam’s Head of Emergency in Haiti.

According to Oxfam there is still no clarity on plans to re-site new camps and there needs to be meaningful consultation with camp residents so that they can make informed decisions.

On 3 February 2010, Oxfam conducted a brief face-to-face questionnaire survey of those who had lost their homes in the earthquake in order to better understand their opinion about the Government’s intention to establish new settlements. Oxfam surveyed 110 persons (56 female, 54 male heads of families) at the Petionville Golf Club in Delmas, Port au Prince.

Oxfam which has worked in Haiti for many years, is currently helping 80,000 people with water, sanitation, hygiene promotion, emergency shelter, cash for work schemes and distribution of essential items. It plans to help a total of 500,000 people.

Haiti earthquake: Oxfam’s response.

International agency Oxfam, who broke the news of the Tanzania Air Traffic Control Story to the media in 2001, welcomed the news that BAE have been charged £30m for improper behaviour around the sale of a Watchman Air Traffic Control System to Tanzania.

In response to the news, Anna MacDonald, Control Arms Campaign Manager, said:

“This deal was a disaster for development from beginning to end.  We believe it was the wrong system meeting the wrong needs for Tanzania and should never have been allowed to go ahead.  The charge highlights the inappropriateness of the deal. The £30m for charity is helpful, however too often arms sales are allowed to proceed without appropriate scrutiny.  The current negotiations within the UN for a global Arms Trade Treaty need to ensure that the treaty has a criteria that will prevent irresponsible arms transfers such as this. Deals like this risk undermining development by wasting funds on inappropriate and unaccountable arms sales. The $40m that was spent on this system could have provided healthcare for 3.5 million people in Tanzania.”

ENDS

Find out more about Oxfam’s Control Arms campaign.

[Audio] Haiti’s rainy season may be some months away but a sudden shower prompts Oxfam correspondent Mark Fried to ponder the threat torrential rain might pose to the ongoing relief effort. With many people still living in makeshift campsites and sleeping under cotton sheets, a heavy downpour could have major repercussions for the aid effort and for islanders’ health.

Donate now and find out more about Oxfam’s Haiti Earthquake response

Overwhelming generosity funds Oxfam’s immediate short-term work in Haiti

International agency Oxfam said today that public generosity has secured the funding for its immediate short-term emergency work in Haiti and any new money will now be spent on helping Haitians recover and rebuild their lives over next three years.

“The overwhelming public generosity means that we have now secured the money to carry out our immediate life saving work. However we are still appealing for funds. Any more money we receive will be spent on helping people recover from the emergency and rebuilding over the next three years,” said Penny Lawrence Oxfam’s International Director.

Oxfam is still increasing its aid effort in Haiti to reach more and more people. So far it has reached a total of 85,000 people with water and sanitation and temporary shelter. Its work continues to expand to helping over 110,000. Oxfam is also giving people cash for clearing up their neighbourhood and digging latrines and handing out essential hygiene kits.

The agency said that due to the scale of the devastation and the level of poverty in Haiti it will take a great deal of aid over many years before the people of Haiti recover from this disaster.

Donate now and find out more about Oxfam’s Haiti Earthquake response

Oxfam is part of the Disasters Emergency Committee

The Disasters Emergency Committee – a group of the 13 leading UK aid agencies including Oxfam – has launched a joint appeal for funds. The public can donate to the DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal by calling 0370 60 60 900 or visiting the website http://www.dec.org.uk/

Oxfam has started to employ people affected by Haiti’s earthquake to clean up their makeshift camps and improve their living conditions. This “cash-for-work” effort began on Sunday (24 January) and will expand this week across the nine sites serving 80,000 people where Oxfam has recently installed clean water and latrines.

“People are anxious to have some money,” said Oxfam food security expert Alexandros Yiannopoulos. “Just look at the long lines at the few banks that opened on the weekend and the even larger crowds at money transfer outlets where remittances come in.”

Providing paid employment such as collecting rubbish and human waste not only makes for a cleaner camp, it puts money into the pockets of those who need it most. Oxfam is also contemplating cash distribution in target areas to boost the micro-economy in and around the camps.

“We’ve learned from experience that people prefer money to goods or food,” Yiannopoulos said. “That way they can buy what they need. And who better to decide that than the people themselves.”

Oxfam has tested “cash for work” in crises around the world and found it more effective than food distribution as long as sufficient food is available on the market. Oxfam’s assessment of market conditions in Port-au-Prince shows there is sufficient food, but people do not have the money to purchase it.

Donate now and find out more about Oxfam’s Haiti Earthquake response

– Leading artists Damien Hirst and Rolf Harris and more join Damon Albarn, Coldplay and Arctic Monkeys in Haiti auction

– Auction raises almost £35,000 after just two days

Artists including Damien Hirst and Rolf Harris and portrait photographer Rankin have joined some of the biggest names in music in a special auction to raise funds for Oxfam’s emergency response in Haiti, which has raised nearly £35,000 in just its first two days. They are joined by Shirley Bassey, Dido, Status Quo, PJ Harvey, La Roux and Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller.

Rolf Harris, who has contributed a recent painting to the auction, said:

“It’s heartbreaking. Millions of people have had their lives devastated by the earthquake in Haiti. I am grateful that I can help in this way. Every single bid has the potential to help change thousands of lives, so get into bidding mode, log on, and get onto eBay now.”

Rolf’s oil painting, ‘Pines on the Hill’, was created just a few weeks ago using a palette knife.

Other new items in the auction include:

• Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller: ‘Bless The Acid’ letter press print is 14×20inches, signed and dedicated to the winner.
• Exclusive Congo print from Rankin.
• Dido’s dress from the Life For Rent album sleeve.
• Brian Ferry: Exclusive, never seen before Roxy Music artwork. The print is an outtake from the Roxy Music album ‘Avalon’.
• Florence and the Machine: Limited edition signed print based on the ‘You’ve Got the Love’ video.
• Signed shirts and waistcoat, as worn on stage by Status Quo.
• A dress and shoes worn on the ‘Uh Huh Her’ tour and in publicity by PJ Harvey. This is the first ever PJ Harvey outfit to be officially auctioned.
• La Roux: Two Sylvie Markovina necklaces, signed on the back by Elly.
• Shirley Bassey: signed pair of shoes.
• The red Gibson guitar from the ‘Valerie’ video by Mark Ronson.
• Editors‘ Yamaha drum machine used for top ten single ‘Munich’, signed by the band.
• Chemical Brothers artist Kate Gibb has donated a hand-rendered silkscreen print of the album artwork for Brotherhood.

The auction is a rapid response from the biggest bands in the UK and beyond to the massive crisis in Haiti and Oxfam’s ongoing emergency response there.

The auction runs on eBay until Tuesday 2 February. All proceeds from the auction will go to Oxfam’s humanitarian response in Haiti. More items will be added to the auction over the coming week.

The full auction, organised by Glastonbury’s Emily Eavis and Oxfam, can be seen at www.oxfam.org.uk/haitiauction, but highlights include:

• A recording of a bespoke piece of music written by Damon Albarn.
• The Fender Stratocaster played by Alex Turner in the Arctic Monkeys’ ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’ video.
• Chris Martin’s ‘Viva La Vida’ tour jacket, signed by all four members of Coldplay.
• A luxurious hot shower at the Eavis’ farmhouse during the Glastonbury weekend, for one festival-goer to wash away the festival excesses in style.

Emily Eavis¸ who travelled to Haiti with Oxfam in 2002 to meet coffee farmers supported by the charity, said:”Just like the millions of people who have already given so generously to the DEC appeal for Haiti, we felt it was important to do whatever we could to help as quickly as possible. We hope people will dig deep for some of these amazing auction prizes and help Oxfam to save lives in Haiti at the same time.

“I visited Haiti with Oxfam in 2002 and it’s the poorest place I’ve ever been by a long way – it seems doubly unfair that it should be hit by such a devastating earthquake, especially after the hurricanes of the last two years. They do not have the resources needed to cope with a disaster of this scale, that is what makes this so much worse.

“I know how hard people there work to try to survive: they have an incredible spirit and face hardship head-on without self pity. I can’t imagine how they are coping now.”

Oxfam is one of the 13 member agencies currently taking part in the Disasters Emergency Committee Haiti appeal, which has raised more than £45 million so far.

To make a donation to the DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal visit www.dec.org.uk or call 0370 60 60 900, donate over the counter at any post office or high street bank, or send a cheque made payable to ‘DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal’ to ‘PO Box 999, London, EC3A 3AA’.
– Ends –

Notes to editors

For more information, images, or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Stuart Fowkes | 01865 472254 | 07818 406038 | [email protected]

For more information on Oxfam’s response in Haiti, please contact:

Rebecca Wynn | [email protected] | 07769 887139

Ian Bray | [email protected] | 07721 461339

The Magic Numbers prize is applicable in the UK only and on a mutually agreeable date. Travel costs to be covered if outside London.

DEC Appeal

To make a postal donation make cheques payable to ‘DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal’ and mail to ‘PO Box 999, London, EC3A 3AA’.

Donations can be made at any high street bank, or at a Post Office by quoting Freepay 1449.
Text “GIVE” to 70077 to give £5 to the DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal. £5 goes to the DEC. You pay £5 plus the standard network SMS rate.The DEC consists of: Action Aid, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Help the Aged, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund, World Vision.
The DEC criteria to launch an appeal are: The disaster must be on such a scale and of such urgency as to call for swift International humanitarian assistance. The DEC agencies, or some of them, must be in a position to provide effective and swift humanitarian assistance at a scale to justify a national Appeal. There must be reasonable grounds for concluding that a public appeal would be successful, either because of evidence of existing public sympathy for the humanitarian situation or because there is a compelling case indicating the likelihood of significant public support should an appeal be launched.

The DEC is very grateful for the technical advice and strategic communications support provided by BT to help us respond immediately to international disasters like the recent earthquake in Haiti. We also welcome the fact that BT are encouraging the public and their own customers to support the appeal.

Foreign ministers meeting in Montreal on Monday should agree to cancel Haiti’s outstanding $890 million international debt in the wake of the devastating earthquake, international agency Oxfam said today.
 
Debt cancellation is one of Oxfam’s five priorities for Haitian reconstruction. The other elements are:
– Support for Haitian farmers and small business;
– Ensure poor areas benefit from cash grants for poor areas to speed economic recovery;  
– Support for civil society and the Haitian government including ‘ministries in a box’;
– Build back better, e.g. earthquake proof buildings and alternative fuel sources to reduce deforestation  

Haitian recovery risks being undermined by the country’s debt burden and by a pre-existing food crisis that has left Haiti dependent on imports for 40% of its food, the agency warned. With the planting season due to begin in two weeks, urgent steps are needed to boost food production and stave off further hardship for up to 3 million Haitians affected by the disaster.  

Oxfam is also calling on donors to deliver on the IMF’s pledge to turn a $100m emergency loan to Haiti into a grant and is calling on them to learn the lessons of previous disasters and ensure funding is available to provide incomes for local people.  

Jeremy Hobbs, Oxfam International Executive Director, said: “Expecting Haiti to repay millions of dollars as the country struggles to overcome one of the worst natural disasters in recent memory would be both cruel and unnecessary.  

“Immediate cancellation of foreign debt must be accompanied by urgent action to support farmers and prevent a man-made food crisis exacerbating the hardship faced by the people of Haiti.  

“This should take place alongside steps to speed the recovery of local markets such as cash grants to pay earthquake survivors to clear rubble and undertake other jobs linked to reconstruction.”  

Oxfam warned that donors, the UN and Haitian government must work together to ensure that poor areas that were amongst the hardest hit by the earthquake benefit fully from reconstruction efforts.  

Hobbs said: “Haiti is a divided and highly unequal society so there is a real risk that, in the weeks and months after the earthquake, politically influential and richer Haitians will secure reconstruction resources at the expense of Port-au Prince’s poorest.”    

Donors should step-up efforts to help the Haitian government and civil society recover from the disaster. This could include providing ‘ministries in a box’ – large tents containing the basic tools, such as telephones, desks and chairs, which are needed for a government department to operate.  

Oxfam called on the sixteen foreign ministers of the ‘Friends of Haiti’ attending the Montreal meeting to clearly define the role of the international military and make clear that forces will operate under the overall leadership of the UN and Haitian government. Two weeks after the earthquake, it remains unclear how the United States and other major donors will coordinate their assistance  

Hobbs said; “The leadership of the response must remain clearly in the hands of the United Nations and the Government of Haiti and all international military must actively and visibly coordinate efforts with the UN and Haitian Government on every level.”  

Oxfam asked the UN to step up night security patrols to protect the civilian population and for improved coordination on security measures between the Haitian government and international military forces.  

It warned that people in Port-au-Prince are increasingly concerned for their own safety and security. People sleeping on the streets have told Oxfam that they are being attacked and their meagre belongings stolen. At least half a million people are living outdoors in improvised camps in the capital.

Mark Fried, spokesman of the relief agency Oxfam International said:

“Hundreds of thousands who lost everything but their lives need water for drinking and washing. They need latrines to contain the spread of disease. They need shelter and simple household items like cooking pots.

“Haitians are grieving, but they are also buoyed by the generous outpouring of support from around the world. Despite the losses they have suffered, they are working hard to turn the empty lots, golf courses and churchyards where they have taken refuge into places where they can live in dignity. Oxfam and other aid agencies are there working alongside them.”

 

Damon Albarn, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys and many more in exclusive fundraising auction with Oxfam

Some of the biggest names in music, including Damon Albarn, Coldplay and Arctic Monkeys, have come together to put on a special auction to raise funds for Oxfam’s emergency response in Haiti.

Amongst the exclusives items in the auction is an offer from Damon Albarn to record a specially written piece of music, the iconic blonde Fender Stratocaster played by Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner in their first video and Coldplay singer Chris Martin’s ‘Viva La Vida’ tour jacket, signed by the band. The auction is a rapid response from the biggest bands in the UK and beyond to the massive crisis in Haiti and Oxfam’s ongoing emergency response there.

The auction goes live on eBay at 0900 on Friday 22 January and runs for ten days, closing at 0900 on Tuesday 2 February. All proceeds from the auction will go to Oxfam’s humanitarian response in Haiti. More items will be added to the auction over the coming week, including items from the fashion and art world.

The full auction, organised by Glastonbury’s Emily Eavis and Oxfam, can be seen at www.oxfam.org.uk/haitiauction from 9am on 22 January, but highlights include:

– A recording of a bespoke piece of music written by Damon Albarn.

– The Fender Stratocaster played by Alex Turner in the Arctic Monkeys’ ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’ video.

– Chris Martin’s ‘Viva La Vida’ tour jacket, signed by all four members of Coldplay.

– A rare Roland drum machine donated by the Chemical Brothers.

– The Magic Numbers will come and play an acoustic set in the house/garden of the highest bidder, including never before heard songs from their new album

– VIP tickets to Glastonbury, giving the winners access to the backstage areas and watching a band from the side of the Pyramid stage.

– A linocut of ‘Fleet Street Apocalypse’ by Radiohead artist Stanley Donwood.

– An exclusive playback of the brand new Gang of Four album for four people over a bottle or two of wine with Andy Gill in their studio in London, before anyone else hears it.

– Pet Shop Boys’ ‘Yes’ bespoke boxed vinyl set. Only 300 were made by the Vinyl Factory. Designed with Farrow in close collaboration with the pop art duo. Voted No.1 21st Century Collectible Product in Record Collector Annual Roundup.

– Framed, hand written lyrics for ‘Magick’ by Klaxons on the original board that was used to produce the single’s artwork.

– An acoustic guitar signed by all four original members of The Kooks.

– A guitar from Oxford art-rock outfit Foals.

– One of Annie Lennox’s favourite paintings, an original canvas from South Africa.

– A Technics SL-1200 Mk. 2 turntable donated by DJ Shadow.

– Signed Mika artwork (framed).

– Signed Pearl Jam single artwork.

– Two complete signed vinyl album collections from Basement Jaxx.

– A luxurious hot shower at the Eavis’ farmhouse during the Glastonbury weekend, for one festival-goer to wash away the festival excesses in style.

Emily Eavis¸ who travelled to Haiti with Oxfam in 2002 to meet coffee farmers supported by the charity, said:”Just like the millions of people who have already given so generously to the DEC appeal for Haiti, we felt it was important to do whatever we could to help as quickly as possible. We hope people will dig deep for some of these amazing auction prizes and help Oxfam to save lives in Haiti at the same time.

“I visited Haiti with Oxfam in 2002 and it’s the poorest place I’ve ever been by a long way – it seems doubly unfair that it should be hit by such a devastating earthquake, especially after the hurricanes of the last two years. They do not have the resources needed to cope with a disaster of this scale, that is what makes this so much worse.

“I know how hard people there work to try to survive: they have an incredible spirit and face hardship head-on without self pity. I can’t imagine how they are coping now.”

Chris Martin, who was in Haiti with Emily at the same time, said:

“I visited Haiti with Oxfam a few years ago. It’s a country of extreme poverty and brutal living conditions. Most people in Port-au-Prince live in tin shacks. The earthquake that has struck Haiti will have turned the city into an unimaginable hell.

“The people of Haiti will be desperate for help and assistance. You can make a donation at www.oxfam.org.uk.”

Oxfam is one of the 13 member agencies currently taking part in the Disasters Emergency Committee Haiti appeal, which has raised more than £38 million so far.

To make a donation to the DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal visit www.dec.org.uk or call 0370 60 60 900, donate over the counter at any post office or high street bank, or send a cheque made payable to ‘DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal’ to ‘PO Box 999, London, EC3A 3AA’.
– Ends –

Notes to editors

Emily Eavis is available for selected telephone interviews about the auction from 12-1pm on Friday 22 January. Magic Numbers are also available for interview on Friday.
For more information, images, or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Stuart Fowkes | 01865 472254 | 07818 406038 | [email protected] more information on Oxfam’s response in Haiti, please contact:Rebecca Wynn | [email protected] | 07769 887139Ian Bray | [email protected] | 07721 461339
The Magic Numbers prize is applicable in the UK only and on a mutually agreeable date. Travel costs to be covered if outside London.
DEC Appeal
To make a postal donation make cheques payable to ‘DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal’ and mail to ‘PO Box 999, London, EC3A 3AA’.  Donations can be made at any high street bank, or at a Post Office by quoting Freepay 1449.
Text “GIVE” to 70077 to give £5 to the DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal. £5 goes to the DEC. You pay £5 plus the standard network SMS rate.The DEC consists of: Action Aid, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Help the Aged, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund, World Vision.
The DEC criteria to launch an appeal are: The disaster must be on such a scale and of such urgency as to call for swift International humanitarian assistance. The DEC agencies, or some of them, must be in a position to provide effective and swift humanitarian assistance at a scale to justify a national Appeal. There must be reasonable grounds for concluding that a public appeal would be successful, either because of evidence of existing public sympathy for the humanitarian situation or because there is a compelling case indicating the likelihood of significant public support should an appeal be launched.
The DEC is very grateful for the technical advice and strategic communications support provided by BT to help us respond immediately to international disasters like the recent earthquake in Haiti. We also welcome the fact that BT are encouraging the public and their own customers to support the appeal.

Fifty tonnes of aid equipment, which will help thousands of people in Haiti devastated by last week’s earthquake, will be packed up at Oxfam’s warehouse today, ready to be flown out tomorrow.

The aid – including tools, wheelbarrows, latrine slabs and water tanks – will be loaded onto lorries at the international agency’s warehouse in Bicester, Oxfordshire, to be transported to Stansted Airport. The aid will be flown to the Dominican Republic tomorrow morning on a flight generously donated free of charge by British Airways. The aid will then go by truck to Haiti.

The emergency equipment paid for by public donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee Haiti Earthquake Appeal, which has so far raised £31.5m in just one week. Increasing amounts of Oxfam aid is being distributed on a daily basis.

Oxfam is starting to work in seven sites across the Haitian capital targeting 92,000 people with life-saving aid – clean water, safe sanitation, hygiene kits and plastic sheeting for temporary shelters. The equipment from Stansted will boost the humanitarian effort further.

Oxfam’s Humanitarian director Jane Cocking said: “It is encouraging to see more and more aid being flown out so our team in Haiti can give the humanitarian support needed by thousands of people in Haiti. As well as looking at their immediate needs Oxfam will be putting its long-term work back on track so that people can put their lives back together for the future. This is being made possible by the tremendous support from the British public.”

The aid will be packed onto a British Airways flight at Stansted, along with aid from the Red Cross. Additional aid from the World Food Programme and Unicef will be loaded on the plane in Denmark, before being flown into Santa Domingo airport on Saturday evening.

World leaders’ promises to provide universal basic education in the poorest countries are being undermined by poor governance of the world’s education financing body and lack of investment by donors.

A new report published today by Oxfam, “ Rescuing Education For All” says the future of 72 million children currently out of school depends on a fundamental shift in the way education is funded globally.

This comes on the heels of a new UNESCO report that reveals a vast £9.8 billion annual education financing shortfall. Without this money, the goal of education for all children by 2015, agreed to by world leaders in 2000, will not be met.

Oxfam’s report highlights an alarming decline in aid commitments to the Education for All – Fast-Track Initiative (FTI), set up by world leaders in 2002 to help low-income countries achieve universal basic education.

“The scandal of the missing billions revealed by the United Nations today shows how fundamentally the World Bank and other education donors have failed,” said Oxfam Policy Advisor Max Lawson. “Education should represent the hope and future of millions, but instead aid commitments for education are being dropped and children betrayed.”

In addition to being inadequately financed, the FTI suffers from lack of autonomy from the World Bank, weak governance and stakeholder participation, and bureaucratic hold ups. The UK, as well as the Netherlands, the European Commission and Spain are major contributors to the FTI. However, other G8 countries have neglected the initiative.

Lawson said: “Unnecessary Word Bank restrictions and red tape have resulted in unacceptable delays in getting money out of the door. For example, less than a third of the £292 million of aid that Benin was set to receive has actually been delivered.”

“The economic crisis is now threatening to make a bad situation worse for children in poor countries. Yet funds languish in a bank account in Washington, when they are urgently needed to get children into school.”

Oxfam’s report recommends the transformation of the FTI into a Global Fund for Education, independent of the World Bank and able to operate flexibly and in partnership with poor countries needing to build classrooms and hire teachers. “Without urgent reform of the FTI, all the money in the world is not going to make a difference,” Lawson said.

Oxfam is calling on G8 and G20 leaders to launch a new Global Fund for Education at their annual summit in Canada in June.

“Developing country governments have demonstrated their commitment to education, and they’re appealing for urgent support. An ambitious and effective Global Fund for Education must be the answer to that call.”

/ Ends

For more information, or a copy of the report, please contact:

 

 

 

 

Sarah Dransfield, press officer, 01865 472269/ 07767 085636 [email protected]

Note to Editors:

 

 

 

 

The UNESCO figures quoted here are from the 2010 Education for All Global Monitoring Report , which is embargoed for 19 January 2010.

Responding to the Haiti earthquake has been one of the toughest challenges ever, international aid agency Oxfam said today, one week since the quake struck, killing at least 80,000 people.

Although aid is beginning to get through, the impact of the earthquake on Oxfam’s Haitian and international staff, the logistical challenges combined with a destroyed office and warehouse and the loss of communications have made this the one of the hardest responses the agency has ever mounted.

The agency lost two employees and most of its staff have endured harrowing personal losses as a result of the quake. Most of Oxfam’s staff had their homes damaged or destroyed and are sleeping outside like the rest of the Haitian population.

Part of the Oxfam office and a key warehouse full of £75,000 worth of vital water and sanitation equipment were destroyed when the quake struck.

Oxfam Country Director, Yolette Etienne said: “Many of my staff here have lost their homes, and some have had family losses. Two Oxfam members of staff were killed when the quake struck and I lost my own mother.  But we are still here working.  I told my staff that we have no choice, no other option but to work and to work harder since we have the privilege of still being here and we can help people to overcome their desperation. A day after the quake most of the staff were back at the office planning our response.”

Broken communication channels – no phone lines or internet – meant it was difficult for staff on the ground to communicate their needs and order vital equipment and supplies to headquarters in the first few days. Communications are beginning to improve – mobile phones are starting to work as well as the internet in some areas of Port-au-Prince.

The staff salvaged some stocks from the destroyed warehouse, but new equipment for providing clean water and sanitation is now arriving.  Oxfam is using Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic as a hub for supplies from the UK, which will go by  road to Port-au-Prince.

Ten tonnes of new stock was flown from the United Kingdom to Santo Domingo

in the Dominican Republic on Saturday and has now arrived in Port-au-Prince. Thirty tonnes of stock will depart from the UK today and will be followed by a further flight, carrying 50 tonnes of Oxfam aid on Friday.  Water trucking has begun in several locations across Port-au-Prince, but operations were briefly halted because of lack of fuel around the capital.

·         Govt anticipates setting up camps for quake survivors
·         Water most immediate problem
·         Oxfam warns that picture from rural epicentre yet to emerge
·         Oxfam staff available for interview in quake zone
 
Oxfam staff in Haiti are providing shovels and picks for local civil workers to clear rubble to search for trapped victims in the capital, Port-au-Prince, following Tuesday’s massive earthquake in Haiti.
 
From its Oxford UK warehouse, Oxfam also has up to 10 tonnes of water, sanitation, health and shelter equipment, valued at around £70,000, that will be flown on a specially-stripped British Airways flight to Santa Domingo at 2pm Saturday UK time. It also has pre-positioned stocks in Panama on stand-by. Oxfam plans to scale-up aid delivery are now being finalised. The destruction continues to severely hamper aid efforts. Seventeen Oxfam International humanitarian experts flew into the Dominican Republic and will arrive in Haiti today.
 
Oxfam has had brief and erratic communications with members of team in Haiti. Many have themselves had their houses destroyed and are now having to sleep in the street. Some have lost family members. One Oxfam staff was killed in the quake. Essential communications with the team are marginally improving. Oxfam has more communication equipment arriving today. The horrific picture of need, and the vast obstacles to getting aid to people in need, is emerging.
 
While international efforts are focused on establishing a foothold in the wrecked capital from which to disperse aid, Oxfam warns that the actual epicentre of the quake was in the countryside. There is no access to rural areas, so no picture yet of the disaster there and scale of people’s needs.
 
The Oxfam team in Port-Au-Prince is working on assessments now. This is the essential first step in emergency aid delivery. Oxfam has linked with the UN and other aid agencies on the ground. The UN, many of whose own offices were levelled, has regrouped its headquarters near Port-au-Prince’s stricken airport.
 
“This is a nightmare for survivors and aid workers alike. The airport is near ruined, communications fractured and people are traumatized and in great need. We are now beginning to get aid through despite the challenges,” said Oxfam’s international director Penny Lawrence.
 
Oxfam understands the Haitian government is planning to set up 14 camps around the capital to give people somewhere to sleep. In this situation camps could offer the best temporary solution to get food and water and sanitation to people in need. Access for survivors to clean water is probably the most immediate problem to resolve now.
The Disasters Emergency Committee – a group of the 13 leading UK aid agencies including Oxfam  – launched a joint appeal for funds from the UK public today. To make a donation to the DEC Haiti appeal visit http://www.dec.org.uk or donate over the counter at any post office or high street bank, or send a cheque – see details below.
Oxfam affiliates around the world are appealing for funds. Oxfam has two staff members in Port-Au-Prince who are available for interview. They are Louis Belanger and Caroline Gluck. For further information, and to arrange interviews for Louis Belanger and Caroline Gluck, please contact Ian Bray on  +44 (0)1865 472289/ +44 (0)7721 461339 or Rebecca Wynn on + 44 (0) 1865 472530/+ 44 (0) 7769 887139  or the Oxfam Media Unit hotline on 01865 472498 or email [email protected] with enquiries.

An Oxfam staff member was killed when part of Oxfam’s office crumbled in the devastating quake that hit Haiti on Tuesday. 

Amedee Marescot was a business manager for Oxfam in the country and is survived by his wife and three children who are based in the United States. 

Amedee was Haitian and had worked for Oxfam for 13 years.  He was injured as part of the Oxfam office collapsed and died later in the hospital.

 

Penny Lawrence, Oxfam’s International Director said:

 

“We are all deeply shocked and saddened by the loss of Amedee and we all send our sincere condolences to his family. He was a dedicated and passionate member of staff and will be greatly missed by his colleagues.  These are dark days for the people who live and also work to help the poor communities of Haiti.” 

 

The rest of the 100-strong team are safe. However many staff have been severely affected by the earthquake, losing their homes and in some cases members of their family as the result of the disaster.

 

Oxfam’s 15 emergency specialists in the country are preparing to respond with the provision of water and sanitation. A six-strong team of Oxfam emergency specialists has been dispatched from the UK, USA and Mexico today and the charity is preparing to send additional stocks from its Bicester warehouse in Oxfordshire and humanitarian equipment from Panama.

 

Lawrence continued: “The staff in Haiti are extremely experienced in dealing with emergency situations and dealt with the aftermath of the hurricanes that struck Haiti two years ago. Amedee would have wanted to have seen us keep going and get aid to the survivors. In his memory, we are doing exactly that.”

 

The Disasters Emergency Committee – a group of the 13 leading UK aid agencies including Oxfam  – launched a joint appeal for funds from the UK public today.  The public can donate to the DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal by calling 0370 60 60 900 or visiting the website http://www.dec.org.uk/

 

ENDS

A six-strong team of Oxfam emergency specialists has been dispatched to Haiti from the UK today to bolster the charity’s response to the devastation wrought by the earthquake that struck the country on Tuesday.

Cedric Perus, Oxfam’s humanitarian coordinator in Port au Prince said: 
 
“I have seen wounded people flooding into the hospitals and buildings of several stories high that are now totally flat. Several thousands have probably died in the quake, but it will it will take time to get a full picture.  Bodies may stay under the rubble for a long time because it is difficult to access some sites and heavy lifting equipment is in limited supply.

“There are bodies all over the city. People have nowhere to put them so they wrap them in sheets and cardboards in the hope that the authorities will pick them. People have also piled bodies in front of the city’s main hospitals.
 
“Oxfam’s teams have now started to assess the scale of the disaster, across the different parts of Port au Prince, as some have been more severely affected than others.  The epicentre was near the slum of Carrefour, where people were living in flimsy shacks. There are reports that over 90% of its buildings are in ruins.

“Our immediate priorities will be providing safe water and shelter material for the people who have lost their homes. Many people have lost their homes and were sleeping out in the open last night.

“There has been no rain yet, but there was rain earlier in the week and if it comes again it will make the situation much worse for all those made homeless by this quake. It is dangerous at night. Lootings were widespread and some markets were ransacked.”

Oxfam is preparing to send stocks from its Bicester Warehouse in Oxfordshire. Materials that will be sent include plastic sheeting and equipment for water distribution, purification and storage.  

The Disasters Emergency Committee – a group of the 13 leading UK aid agencies including Oxfam  – launched a joint appeal for funds from the UK public today.

The public can donate to the DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal by calling 0370 60 60 900 or visiting the website http://www.dec.org.uk/

Communication has been difficult since the 7.0 magnitude quake struck 10 miles southwest of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, but the situation is undoubtedly grave. Homes, office buildings, roads, schools, hospitals and hotels have collapsed. Millions of people are affected and the aid agencies need millions of pounds to get aid to all the people that need it.

ENDS

Oxfam has spokespeople in Haiti and San Domingo.

For information contact: Ian Bray on  +44 (0)1865 472289/ +44 (0)7721 461339 or Rebecca Wynn on + 44 (0) 1865 472530/+ 44 (0) 7769 887139 

You can also contact the Oxfam Media Unit hotline on 01865 472498 or email [email protected] with enquiries