Oxfam America works to right the wrongs of poverty & injustice on several levels, through directly working with people (from humanitarian work in Syria to helping small-scale farmers produce more & withstand climate change better) to grassroots advocacy and activism (such as pressuring the world's 10 largest food & beverage companies to be more just & transparent). As a volunteer and a donor, I have been impressed with the dedication, knowledge and passion of Oxfam staff and volunteers. I think Oxfam has a large impact and does a lot with donors' money. I also appreciate that they do not take U.S. government funding, keeping their advocacy positions more neutral.
Volunteering with Oxfam has lead me to do many wonderful things with the organization. I have done outreach on global issues including climate change, foreign aid and overall helping small farmers, as well as organize many events around these issues. I've also had the chance to attend lobby visits both in my community and on Capitol Hill. Some of the most rewarding things I have seen are watching major corporations change their policies, showing others how to contact their representatives for things they believe should happen, and training volunteers eager to get started in outreach.
Oxfam America is part of a larger confederation of entities listed here:
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/whoweare/pages/oxfam-international
I am donor of Intermon Oxfam Spain and I have seen them working hard to help people, mainly but not only giving them means to help themselves, promoting women and childs rights and saving lives in very difficult situations. I am proud of them.
Escuse my English and God bless them.
Review from CharityNavigator
I thought I should write this after I read the Oxfam review below by mcelmmp (or here: http://greatnonprofits.org/users/reviews/144113). The issue raised - should Oxfam join in making an advertisement about the Dodd-Frank Act - is very important, but this action really does help poor people.
You can help people in two ways: give them direct assistance, or help them help themselves.
Mining industries have huge environmental and social impact on the people living around the mine, and yet the local people very seldom benefit. Often, there is a negative impact on them, in terms of the loss of land, pollution and ground water contamination.
Mining creates huge flows of money, but these go into the coffers of the corporations and the governments. Unfortunately, it also can cause much corruption, because there is no accountability.
The purpose of the Dodd-Frank Act on this subject is only to ensure disclosure. This will reduce corruption and allow the local people to ask for their fair share of the mining profits. I’m sure you will agree disclosure is a good thing, so the question is whether Oxfam is right to support the advertisement. I believe it is, because it is acting as an advocate for the poorest and weakest people in the world.
So, think of it as a choice: how would you like your donation to be spent? Should it be spent directly on grants to repair the damage caused by the mining? Obviously, that is a great thing to do, but how could Oxfam ever afford to repair the impact of even one mine?
Or should that same donation be spent on establishing a disclosure program that can empower the local people to hold the mining company accountable for the damage they do, and to know what funds are available to reduce the impact?
There is a huge multiplier here. $1 on relief is $1. $1 on empowering the local people will generate $100s from the mining operations, who really ought to take the responsibility for the local impact, not you and me as donors. I share mcelmmp’s discomfort, but, in the end, isn’t that smart relief work by Oxfam? It really does help the poorest people. I’m just hoping mcelmmp could reconsider.
And the great thing about Oxfam is that because they do so much work on the ground, with the poorest people, that they can talk knowledgably about what is happens when mining comes to the village.
I stopped giving money when OxFam America did this (2/14/12), as this is political activity, not helping others: A group of non-profits, led by Oxfam America, took out a full-page color advertisement on page A10 in the Washington, D.C.-area edition of Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal calling for the SEC to implement final rules governing a mandatory disclosure program created under the Dodd-Frank Act for oil, gas and mining companies to reveal payments they make to foreign governments.
Review from CharityNavigator
I first heard of Oxfam America in a gift-giving guide. I purchased a gift for someone in need in my father-in-law's name. Specifically, I bought school uniforms for a girl in Africa, who cannot attend school without them. I saw it as a great way to use my money and recognize his birthday. After that, I continued to receive emails from them, most of which I just deleted. After a while, though, I really began to read into their organization. What impressed me is their views on helping people overcome poverty and live with dignity. They embrace the proverb, "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." They continue to update me on their progress toward their mission. I've read about women in Vietnam whose rice crops yield more because of a simple change in how they plant their crops. They focus on reasonable, simple changes that improve quality of life for millions.