Oxfam Letter

Dear Friend Here's what you won't find accompanying this letter: • • • •

address labels that "guilt trip" you into giving; an expensive calendar thaL you drm'L need (and we can't afford); invitations to black-tie dinners;

or heart-rending photos that play on your emotions.

What you will find is a straightforward case for one of the most effective international relief and development organizations in the world. Here it goes. The scope or global poverty today has calamitous implications for the 21 5! century. COl'ltrontl11g lt is the greatest challenge of oUt" time and Oxfam is on the front lines of this struggle. 1 U111 writing today to ask you to join us there.

I'm not asking you to pack a bag and head off to Sudan where aid workers need bell' distributing water to refugees. Or to spend three months in Peru helping communities prepare to better survive devastating earthquakes. Or to juurm:y to Ethiopia to hdp iml~dl a new waler irrigatlOll bybtem so fanners can grow el1uugh fuud fur their falIlllies. Instead, 1 am asking you to do something with as direct and positive an impact on the lives of those sufIering from poverty and injustice as any of those things. I'm asking you to

join Oxfam America. Wc'rc not your ordinary charitable organization.

\Ve don't take the traditional approach

to

the way we raise funds - or, more

importantly, to the way \VC fight poverty. hunger, and injustice. We believe it's as baSIC as hdping p~opl~ hdp themsdves.

Over the past halt' ccmury. Oxt'a111 has bec11 a pi011CCl' in Cl'Catit1g Iastit1g sOl\,ltiOl1S to problems that c;ome would tell you are insurmountable or inevitable. Our approach has

proven

for hundreds of impoverished communities

uro~md

the globe.

(nvcr. plcwK:)

(2)

In over 100 countries, the Oxfam network has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in grants and technical assistance to landless peasants, indigenous people, women, refugees, and survivors of war and natural disasters working their way out of poverty.

These are not handouts. This is practical assistance to grassroots organizations who make a commitment to cany out well-planned projects that give communities tools and knowledge to change their lives. Each year, Oxfam An:\erica undertakes and monitors hundreds of grassroots programs, working through lm:al partner organizations. They range from Mozambique to Guatemala to Cambodia. But, they share two common characteristics: innovation and community participation. Those are characteristics lacking in many international relief and development efforts. But you'll find that they are present in every project we support. Whether it's a breakthrough in rice farming technology, or helping community groups that want to take a stand against mining companies' irresponsible use of their land, Oxfam America is always on the lookout for innovative projects that wil1 make a lasting difference in our ongolllg fight against poverty and hunger. And whi Ie our development experts have a unique talent for finding and evaluating such projects, it is only the generosity of individuals like you that brings them alive.

That's why 1 hope you will join us in helping poor people build strong, vibrant, sel[­ sufficient communities. Because for every project Oxfam America takes on, there are probably five more equally worthwhile projects that must stay on the drawing boards. It is on beha1f of the many families and communities currently beyond our reach that I urge you to join Oxfam America today. To envisioil progress in cln;umstances that often seem hopeless takes imagination from those stmggling to overcome poverty as wel1 as from good friends like you who answer their call for assistance. It lakes imagination to envision a world where every child has enough to eat, where

women are free from oppression, and all people have access to the resources they need to strive for a better life. Knowing you share that vision makes me confideut lhr.lt it I.:un be achieved.

By Joining Oxfam America, you can directly help some of the world's poorest people work tow:1rd lives fre-e from poverty, hUI'lger, and 111justice. Please help us to continue searching OUl and funding sus,tah'ta!"lk ,"'-elf-help projl'"cts around thl;' glvbr;: by rr;:llLrning the mos£. gemm)lllo;

gift possible. You'd

surprised how rar your contribution

can go.

(3) • $ J on could help poor women in Mali create savings and lending groups that would enable them to save money to start small businesses or buy life~mvlng materials like mos,,! L1ilO nets.

" With $50, [] family in Peru could grow substantially more food in a regIOn of scarce resources. harsh terrain, and prevalent malnutrition. • And $25 could provide emergency aid to a

family fleeing violence in Sudan.

So, please join us today by sending a generous contribution of $25, $50, $100, or whatever you ean afford. You'll be taking a stand against the injustice of poverty alongside some of the most courageous and determined people you'll ever encounter.

And you'll be joining thousands of other Oxfam America supporters on the front lines of the momentous battle against poverty, hunger, and injustice. We need you there.

I eagerly await your reply.

~relY'

~ t 11r-':--IiaYl~aC. ~nheiser President

P.S.

Ox fum America is nationally recognized by the American Institute of Phllanthropy,

accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and maintains a four out 01 lour-star rating with Charity Navigator. I'm willing to bet there's no other organization that's more capable of doing the most with your donation than Oxfam America. I hope you'll join us today.