Building a world without poverty
Oxfam is a worldwide development organisation that mobilises the power of people against poverty.
ABOUT OXFAM
Oxfam is an international confederation of 19 affiliates, with an aim to work together for greater impact on the international stage to reduce poverty and injustice. The name ’Oxfam’ is derived from the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief founded in Britain in 1942.
Oxfam works together with partners and local communities in more than 90 countries to combat poverty and provide relief support. They implement long-term development programmes in vulnerable communities. They are also part of a global movement, campaigning with others to end unfair trade rules, demand better health and education services for all, and to combat climate change.
ABOUT OXFAM HONG KONG
Oxfam Hong Kong dates back to 1976 when volunteers joined hands to open a shop for second-hand goods in Hong Kong and raise funds for anti-poverty projects around the world. Some of our first initiatives in the 1970s and 80s were to advocate for justice for Vietnamese refugees who fled to Hong Kong during the Vietnam War, and to help save lives in Ethiopia during the 1984 famine.
They implemented the first Mainland China programme in Guangdong province in 1987. The Oxfam China Development Fund was subsequently established in 1992. Since then, we have been dedicated to fighting poverty and responding to emergencies in the Mainland.
They believe in an integrated approach to eradicate poverty. As such, they advocate for policy changes to address the root causes of poverty while proactively supporting disaster relief and humanitarian crises. They also implement development and education programmes in impoverished areas. Oxfam Hong Kong has partnered with millions of underprivileged people to alleviate poverty in more than 70 countries/states around the world. They have 100,000 regular donors from the general public. Their donations are the major source of income that sustains their ability to achieve the ultimate goal of a poverty-free world.
In recent years, their work has focused on local poverty, advocating for pro-poor policies in Hong Kong. As a result of their efforts, the Hong Kong SAR government established the Commission on Poverty in 2012, and subsequently announced an official poverty line in Hong Kong. Oxfam has also been a strong advocate of a minimum wage law, which was first established in Hong Kong in 2011 after decades of efforts.
The Oxfam Trailwalker, a 100km hiking marathon founded in Hong Kong in the 1980s, continues to be one of their most notable partnership fundraising events. The success of this fundraising event has not only raised awareness of poverty and injustice, but has also attracted ten additional countries to organise their own Oxfam Trailwalker events.
