Sarah sits by the water at Nyanyadzi river, Chimanimani, Zimbabwe
Sarah sits by the water at Nyanyadzi river, Chimanimani, Zimbabwe

Our planet and its people

Climate change

Right now, climate change is hitting the poorest people on the planet the hardest. Every day poverty is made worse by the devastating effects of extreme weather. So every day, together with volunteers and local partners, we support people around the world to prepare, adapt and respond.

What we're doing

  • Amina looks at the sky in Ethiopia

    We are responding fast to communities hit by the climate crisis

    Extreme weather is destroying homes and wrecking lives. When disaster strikes, Oxfam, partners and volunteers get there fast, working to save lives and help people stay safe for the future.

  • Birhan with leafy greens in the ground

    We are helping people adapt to climate change, today and tomorrow

    Innovations like drought-resistant seeds, reinforced homes, and training on how to grow new crops mean the people most at risk from the effects of climate change can carry on living, earning and learning, whatever the future brings.

  • A portrait of Muhammad Siddique sitting outside a building

    We are holding the most powerful to account

    Governments and companies have promised to tackle the climate crisis and protect the people it hits hardest. We help make sure the people facing the climate crisis get the support they need, and the people in power are held to account.

The impact of our work

Irrigation for the future

In Nyanyadzi, Zimbabwe, farmers are challenged by climate change. They face repeated droughts and flash floods threatening harvest and crops.

With the United Nations Development Programme and the Southern Alliance for Indigenous Resources, Oxfam supported people to build gabions, which act as silt traps, and rehabilitate the irrigation scheme with the farmers of Nyanyadzi.

The Nyanyadzi river feeds a gravity-powered irrigation scheme. It is regulated by gates to control the water flow. More than 400 hectares of fields are irrigated, reaching over 720 farmers.

Fighting for climate justice

A lot has changed since I started farming. The rain now comes late. There is not enough water.”

Sarah in Zimbabwe.

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