Annual report 2016

“Traditional global humanitarian responses to emergencies do not strengthen our communities or local organizations. They weaken us and make us dependent. Oxfam believes in building on local capacity. Instead of bringing in international staff to do things for us, they have taught us how to do the things ourselves.” - Karen Ramírez

Ramírez is the program manager for Oxfam partner PRO-VIDA and is a powerful voice for community water rights in El Salvador. Through advocacy, trainings, and coordination, she has helped boost the capacity of Salvadoran organizations and government agencies for humanitarian response and leadership.

Oxfam America hit a significant milestone in fiscal year 2016: we recorded our highest dollar investment in program services in our history. The primary drivers for this increase were the devastating earthquakes in Nepal in April 2015 and our response to the tragic global refugee crisis. We are grateful for the generosity of our supporters in funding these and other crucial efforts.

Our record investment draws attention to an aspect of our work that we want to highlight for you. While Oxfam continues to respond to disasters around the world, in FY16 we intensified our efforts to change the international humanitarian system in fundamental ways. Each day we feel the system’s failings more deeply as climate-driven emergencies and armed conflicts stretch our resources beyond their limits. Meanwhile, local humanitarians are being overlooked and underfunded. Oxfam is on the leading edge of a movement to shift disaster assistance closer to home. Our vision: a world in which the international community supports local humanitarian leadership wherever and whenever possible.

By the close of FY16, Oxfam was ramping up its work to influence the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit—a UN-sponsored event in May 2016 aimed at improving the global humanitarian system. We published research, brought local leaders to the summit to make their voices heard, and made the case for change. The results from the summit: strong and unprecedented commitments from the global community to boost local humanitarian leadership.

Why do we want to call your attention to this one strand of our work? Because it is a reminder of the values that underpin all we do. Oxfam’s way is not to do things for local people, but to ensure that responsibility, decision making, and power lie where they should: in the hands of the people most affected by poverty and disasters. As Karen Ramírez reminds us, to do otherwise “weakens” communities and makes them “dependent.”

In a year as painful and turbulent as this one—on both the international and domestic fronts—we must not be distracted. We must not waver in our belief that reducing poverty and injustice is an achievable goal. Oxfam remains committed and inspired not only by individuals like Karen Ramírez, but by each of you.

Thank you.

• 
  Raymond C. Offenheiser
  President
• 
  Joe Loughrey
  Chair, Board of Directors

With more than 70 years of experience, working in more than 90 countries, we have a massive reach. Each year we reach tens of millions of people directly.

We believe poverty is wrong. Our approach to righting this wrong is to invest in the power of people to help them get what they need to exercise their rights. We encourage people to think differently about poverty—to recognize that we all have a vital role to play in its elimination.

Imagine that a drought strikes a poor area, triggering a food crisis.

With your support, Oxfam is able to get cash and food to people to weather the crisis. This aid may save lives, but we’ve only dealt with a ­symptom. How can we help prevent future disasters? We ask local people what they know. The elders tell us that their crops used to survive the dry season. The climate is more extreme, they tell us. So, we help them shift to drought-resistant crops and new farming techniques.

Oxfam must be accountable not only to our donors, but also to the individuals and communities at the center of our programs.

It’s great when we get it all right from the start, but some of our most effective work emerges from trial and error. Using data, thoughtful analysis, and consultation with a range of people—from community members to government officials—a problem can be a valuable opportunity to adjust our approach for greater impact.

All of our long-term programs, major campaigns, and key innovation projects have a rigorous monitoring, evaluation, and learning system. Most include:

• A baseline or assessment of the situation prior to intervention
• A monitoring tool with quarterly or midterm reports documenting progress against plans
• Annual (or quarterly) reviews that document aggregate evidence and bring stakeholders into reflection on progress
• An external evaluation every three to four years (or when an initiative finishes)

(April 1, 2015, to March 31, 2016)

FY16 marked an important milestone for Oxfam America. We recorded our highest dollar investment in program services in the history of the organization, reaching $71.4 million—a rise of 13 percent over FY15. This increase was due primarily to a 41 percent rise in our funding for emergency response and preparedness efforts ($24 million as compared to $17 million in FY15). This increase was triggered by the devastating Nepal earthquakes in April 2015 (Oxfam America relief funding of $6.2 million) and by our response to the global refugee crisis ($1.8 million). We also prioritized campaigning for social justice, spending $16.8 million (a 14 percent increase over FY15) with a focus on initiatives to improve the effectiveness of foreign aid from G20 countries.

The many generous donors who support us year in and year out are crucial to our work righting the wrongs of poverty, hunger, and injustice.

We owe tremendous thanks to our friends listed on the pages in the PDF below and to the tens of thousands of you who support our work around the world. You provide the support that empowers people living in poverty to improve their lives.