The super typhoon in the Philippines saw most staff at Oxfam attempting to liaise with people on the ground when NewsFour visited them in their new Dublin 4 office.
Sorcha Nic Mhathúna, Communication and Content Co-ordinator of Oxfam said, “the team there were trying to assess the damage. They saw children holding up signs saying ‘save me’ and ‘help me’, ‘we need water and food’ and we have been responding quickly to emergency appeal.”
Due to the massive devastation, it has been difficult to access the areas which have been badly hit as roads are impassable. Oxfam have deployed their Rapid Assessment Teams to Samar, Leyte and Northern Cebu to provide water, food and emergency shelter.
Ringsend is the new home to Oxfam’s head office since they moved from Burgh Quay last month. The staff find it a refreshing change from the city centre, in part helped by getting to know the nearby Fair Play Café, who donate their profits to charitable causes.
Sorcha says of Oxfam’s practice in poverty-stricken countries, “To help people lift themselves out of poverty, the majority of our work is through local partners on the ground who can judge a particular problem. Local community is really important to how we work”. They campaign, respond to emergencies and engage in long term projects such as Food For All, which help farms improve techniques such as water irrigation and develop links with local businesses and create cooperatives.
Other projects include tackling stigmas surrounding HIV and Aids, providing access to medical care and empowering women (who are more likely to be poor), by developing women’s groups to help them speak up for themselves.
With the recession here in Ireland and the rise in commercial second-hand shops, which pay for items, charities have seen a significant drop in donations to their shops. Oxfam have a book donation bank in Ringsend Recycling Centre.
For jobs, keep an eye on their website as they are now recruiting fundraisers who can earn up to €13 per hour.
For more information check www.oxfamireland.org and oxfamireland.org/jobs
Pictured: Staff at the new Oxfam head office: Helena O’Donnell, Caitríona Hennessey, Sorcha Nic Mhathúna, Ania Rutkowska and Martina Cabrera Pucurull.
Photo by Leeza Kane.
By Leeza Kane
