A new way of life

Repeated drought had sapped the resilience of herding families in southern Ethiopia. But two years ago, Oxfam helped 201 families there transition from herding to farming, building a network of pipes and plastic-lined channels that funneled water from the nearby Dawa River to their new fields. When drought came this year, they were prepared, and instead of requiring expensive interventions to survive, some farmers reaped harvests big enough to feed their families and have some to sell.

Gift better at OxfamGifts.com

Watch Scarlett Johansson team up with Oxfam America and see how you can gift better this holiday season. Skip the holiday sweater or other gifts that will end up in the landfill. Scarlett encourages giving gifts that do good: books for kids ($25), a goat for a farmer ($50), or a water pump for a village ($135). Or choose from over 70 unique, charitable gifts at OxfamGifts.com that help fight poverty, hunger, and injustice around the world. Scarlett has seen firsthand with her work with Oxfam that these are gifts that can change lives.

Join Scarlett in gifting better at OxfamGifts.com

Risk and reward in US Foreign Assistance

In a new report, Oxfam cautions that America’s effectiveness to fight poverty around the world may be hampered by focusing too much on accounting and not enough on building long-term partnerships in country.

Learn more

Ethiopian farmers get payout

Hit hard by drought, 1,981 Ethiopian farmers who bought weather insurance through an innovative program have received a payout—the first in the project's history. Launched by Oxfam America and a host of partners, the risk management initiative now has more than 13,000 participants and is set to expand into three new countries.

Read more: Planning for the future

Press release: Successful payout