Oxfam’s Haiti Appeal Fully Funded

Agency thanks public for over-whelming generosity.

International aid agency Oxfam today announced that its Haiti earthquake appeal was closing due to the over-whelming generosity of the public worldwide.

Oxfam has received approximately NZ$142m globally for its emergency work in Haiti, with donations received from across the world. The aid agency now has enough money to fund its work in Haiti for the next 3-5 years.

Penny Lawrence, Oxfam’s Haiti appeal spokesperson says:

“We are extremely touched by the generosity of people across the world. The Haiti earthquake was a disaster of almost unimaginable magnitude; millions lost their loved ones and their homes. Oxfam aid teams have been working around the clock to get help to the people that need it. The pounds, dollars and euros we have received are making a real difference to people’s lives in Haiti and will continue to make a real difference as we help Haitians to re-build their lives.”

The generous New Zealand public donated an impressive $360,000 to Oxfam New Zealand’s Haiti appeal.

Although Oxfam’s appeal for Haiti is closed, the charity asked the public to remember other emergencies. The aid agency is still working with people living in the midst of conflict in places like Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and is able to launch rapid responses to natural disasters because it has funds in reserve. Currently Oxfam is responding to 26 disasters worldwide.

Barry Coates, Oxfam New Zealand’s Executive Director says:

“We can only launch rapid responses to emergencies because we have funds ready to go. We still need funds to help us respond straight away to emergencies as they happen, and to continue our current work in 26 disasters worldwide. The public can help us continue this work by donating to our rapid response fund at www.oxfam.org.nz/emergencies or by phoning 0800-400-666.

To date, Oxfam has provided assistance to 170,000 people in Haiti and continues to scale up operations, planning to reach at least 500,000 people by the end of July. The charity is providing clean water, sanitation, shelter, seeds and running cash for work programmes.

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