Oxfam Ireland
Shaping the future
We work to find practical, innovative ways for people to lift themselves out of poverty and thrive.
We save lives and rebuild communities when disaster strikes.
We speak out and influence policies and practices that keep people poor, like inequality and discrimination against women.
A just and sustainable world.
We fight inequality to end poverty and injustice
Equality: We believe everyone has the right to be treated fairly and to have the same rights and opportunities.
Empowerment: We acknowledge and seek to expand people’s agency over their lives and the decisions that impact them.
Solidarity: We join hands, support and collaborate across boundaries for a just and sustainable world.
Inclusiveness: We embrace diversity and difference and value the perspectives and contributions of all people and communities in their fight against poverty and injustice.
Accountability: We take responsibility for our action and inaction and hold ourselves accountable to the people we work with and for.
Courage: We speak truth to power and act with conviction from the justice of our causes.
We are rights-based: Our work is grounded in our commitment to the universality of human rights and respect for protective legal frameworks.
We are feminist and anti-racist: We recognise that there is no economic, social or environmental justice without justice for all. Our feminist and anti-racist principles guide all our action and interaction.
We fight inequality: We stand firm against poverty and injustice everywhere, working with people, communities, partners, and allies for just and sustainable development and solutions.
We are humanitarian: We work with communities before, during and after crises to build their resilience, protect and save lives, and address together the root causes of conflict and disaster.
We are both local and global: We are a global network of locally rooted, interdependent civil society organisations. We build solidarity and connect people across borders and regions.
We are driven by diversity: We are a multicultural organisation that brings together people and partners of different socio-cultural backgrounds, sex, genders,abilities and ages.
We are a knowledge organisation: We consistently seek to generate new insights that can drive solutions to complex problems. Our programmes, advocacy and campaigning asks are grounded in evidence and experience.
We challenge injustice and inequalities, shaping collective understandings and solutions: We work with the people most impacted to build more just, equitable and sustainable systems, based on our understanding of how these interact and influence each other. We are a global voice on inequality, including economic inequalities that drive poverty, such as unpaid care work; tax justice; climate justice, and responsible business practice.
We work across humanitarian, development and influencing approaches: We provide support and relief to communities in developing countries to protect and rebuild their lives in times of crisis. We work with people and communities experiencing poverty and disadvantage to find sustainable ways to build fair and independent lives, and we mobilise people to stand up and speak out, to influence those in power to ensure that people living in poverty have a say in the critical decisions that affect them, their families and communities.
We amplify the agency and leadership of people experiencing exclusion, exploitation and crises: We support individuals, communities and movements demanding social justice. We have played an important role working with women’s rights organisations and feminist allies to demand an end to violence against women, equal access to education and support women’s economic empowerment.
We hold state and non-state actors, including corporations, to account: We engage and partner with governments, corporations and other duty bearers to ensure their policies and practices provide sustainable solutions to poverty, inequality, injustice and crises.
We leverage our reach and resources to connect, convene and build momentum for our causes: We link activists, organisations and movements across the world, opening spaces, sharing knowledge and capacities and building solidarity. We are a reliable partner and know when to follow, when to lead and when to stand side-by-side with others.
our six goals
Whether we’re responding to natural disasters, planning life-changing development projects or campaigning to tackle poverty, our work is rooted in a vision of a world where women and men are valued and treated equally, able to influence the decisions that affect their lives and meet their responsibilities as full citizens.
Local communities and the voices of poor people are at the heart of our Six Global Goals for a better world.
Goal 1:
The Right to Be Heard
Women and minority groups are among those who suffer most when their voices go unheard. Last year, we continued with our work to empower the poor and the marginalised to have a say in the political decisions that affect their daily lives.
Goal 2:
Advancing Women's Rights
Our work to address gender-based violence (GBV) and to increase transformative women’s leadership, continued last year.
Goal 3:
Saving Lives, Now And In The Future
We responded to support the needs and rights of people living in some of the world’s poorest and most fragile contexts in the year in which the Covid-19 pandemic was declared. We enabled the recovery of communities from disaster and strengthened their resilience to further shocks and threats.
Goal 4:
Sustainable Food
Millions of people struggle to feed themselves every day. Climate change, the lack of access to land and poor investment in small-scale farming all contribute to food insecurity around the world. Last year, we worked with small-scale farmers to help them to diversify their crops, join co-operatives and lift themselves out of poverty.
Goal 5:
Fair Sharing of Natural Resources
The protection of natural resources is vital for people who rely on them as a source of food and income. That is why we are supporting local communities in the sustainable management of their land, water, forests and wildlife.
Goal 6:
Financing for Development and Universal Essential Services
Unless services such as health and education are properly funded, we will never manage to eradicate poverty. Over the past 12 months, we continued to advocate for more budget allocation and spending on these essential services.
How we spent our money
In 2020/2021, we continued to raise vital funds thanks to the generosity of our supporters and people across the island of Ireland.
How we maximised your donations
80% ensures we can provide life-changing long-term development projects, life-saving humanitarian assistance and campaigning and advocacy to tackle the root causes of poverty and injustice.
15% ensures we are doing everything we can to raise funds from different types of donors and to let the public know about our work. This year we invested more to ensure that we will be able to grow our resources in the future, reaching more communities in poverty.
5% ensures we work in the most efficient and effective way, and the money donated is spent wisely and well managed.
In emergency appeals, 100% of your donation goes to that specific response fund, providing vital and practical supports such as clean water, sanitation, food and the crucial staff costs to deliver the response.
Message from the Ceo
Last year we continued to save and change the lives of people in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. We also used our voice and influence to advocate for change on issues including inequality, climate change and the rights of refugees. And we delivered – and continue to deliver – clean water, safe sanitation and other essential aid to communities at risk of COVID-19.
One of our significant achievements last year was the finalisation of our 10-year strategic framework. Through this strategy, we pledge to leverage the influence of Ireland and its people in the world for good; expand partnerships, networks and our supporter base, and be more adaptable in how we work. The decade ahead requires an evolution in the issues we tackle and a revolution in how we work – something each and everyone in the organisation is committed to achieving.
As I reflect on the past 12 months, I am happy to say that we have overcome many challenges, while thanks to our supporters’ ongoing commitment throughout, our financial position remained more positive than forecasted. This is a credit to all involved. Despite the pandemic, we have delivered impactful and life-changing programmes, and have once again been deeply involved in influencing policy on behalf of people living in poverty. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our many donors, supporters and volunteers for their generosity and loyalty.
Finally, I would like to pay tribute to the staff, management and board of Oxfam Ireland for their incredible commitment during this past year. It has taken tremendous resilience, agility and determination to bring the organisation through one of the most challenging years in our history. I am so proud and humbled to work with you all.
We face the next few years with great hope, ambition and renewed energy for what we can achieve as we continue to fight poverty and inequality together.
Read our annual report in full here
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