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What we believe

Nearly one out of every three of us lives in poverty.
But we see a future in which no one does.

The way we see it, poverty is solvable— 
A problem rooted in injustice.
Eliminate injustice and you can eliminate poverty.
We’re not saying it will be quick or easy,
but it can be done.
We won't patch a problem and then disappear.
We won't stand by silently and watch others suffer.

Instead, we stand together against injustice.
We recognize our responsibility
to hold the powerful accountable.
We see people’s power to change their lives.

It disturbs us that in a world as rich as ours,
many of us go hungry or don’t have clean water.
Many of us can’t claim our human rights.

It’s wrong. 
And together we aim to do what’s right.
Oxfam America. Right the wrong.

Lettuce farmer in South Africa. Photo: Brett Eloff/Oxfam America

No one should go hungry.

Of the 10.9 million children who die each year, poor nutrition plays a role in at least half these deaths. That’s wrong. Hunger isn't about too many people and too little food. It's about power, and its roots lie in inequalities in access to resources and opportunities.

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Children running in El Salvador. Photo: Claudia Barrientos/Oxfam America.

All people deserve to live safely.

There are few genuinely “natural” disasters. A disaster hits when a community faces something that exceeds its capacity to cope. Poor communities often lack strong infrastructure and have the fewest resources for recovery. That's wrong.

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Saving for change in Mali. Photo: Rebecca Blackwell/Oxfam America.

We all deserve the opportunity to earn a decent living.

The rights of the world's poorest people are being violated by trade policies, lack of transparency, and limited access to financial services. That’s wrong. We believe earning a living, access to banking services, and other markers of economic health are more than evidence of well-being, they are rights.

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Girl in the Mountains of Peru. Photo: Gilvan Barreto/Oxfam.

We must help poor communities cope with climate change.

The carbon footprint of the world's one billion poorest people represents just 3 percent of the global total, yet as climate change advances, poor communities are hardest hit. That's wrong. We have a responsibility to avoid doing harm to others and to invest in helping them adapt.

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People singing at a community meeting in Haiti. Photo: Brett Eloff/Oxfam America.

Poverty is not inevitable.

Lasting change requires systemic change. We must create an environment where poverty cannot persist. We encourage people to think differently about poverty—to ask questions and challenge assumptions.

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Women carrying water in Haiti. Photo: Toby Adamson/Oxfam.

People have the power to end poverty.

Nelson Mandela once said, “Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.” Whoever you are—student, mother, activist, policy maker, or public figure—you are critical to the global movement for change.

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