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What Oxfam is Doing

Oxfam America is working to increase the effectiveness of US foreign aid by placing the voices and priorities of poor people at the center of aid policy and practice. Through analytical and field research, we will bring out the hopes and concerns of intended beneficiaries, implementing partners, aid professionals, other donors, and host governments. Through political advocacy, we will ensure that these voices are heard by policy makers who have the power to make US foreign aid more effective in the fight against global poverty. more »

What You Can Do

• Download Foreign Aid 101, a quick and easy guide to understanding US foreign aid.
• Learn more. Download Smart Development, Oxfam’s briefing paper on making aid work.
• Read about aid on the ground. Our Smart Development in the Field Reports share perspectives from aid providers and aid recipients.
• Get involved. Join our Aid Reform mailing list
• Meet Oxfam's Aid Reform team. Learn more about the team of policy analysts and communications professionals currently working on the Aid Reform initiative.

Featured Video

Dispatch from Southern Sudan

Predictable multiyear aid is life-saving in difficult contexts. An interview with Melissa Phillips, NGO Secretariat Coordinator in Juba, southern Sudan.

See all Aid Reform video »

Smart Development in Practice

	Getting results from our aid: Rethinking what we measure In the midst of an economic crisis, US policy makers are more prone to ask, "Are we actually getting results from our foreign aid?"
	"D" is for Different: Why Diplomacy and Development are not the same, and why it matters Although they often coincide, protecting US interests overseas does not always mean fighting poverty.
	Dispatch from the field: Melissa Phillips, southern Sudan Multiyear funding is so critical in south Sudan. Video of this interview is also available.
	Why trade policy can help or hinder the US's fight against poverty Effective aid can measurably reduce poverty. But making our foreign aid more effective and leaving in place the current rules in the trading system will severely constrain our ability to help poor countries lift themselves out of poverty.
	The tied-aid "round trip" Many countries tie their aid, but the US ties more of its aid than any other donor.
	The humanitarian response index: Where we stand Just how effective is US humanitarian aid?
	Measuring the right results: The real strength of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Senate appropriators are calling for severe cuts in funding for the MCC, despite a record of delivering tangible results since 2004.
	When developing countries lead, will the US follow? A new Web site in Mozambique is attempting to address the problem of donor transparency.
	From Mozambique, lessons on how PEPFAR can be integrated into a country’s own health system PEPFAR’s evolving role in Mozambique is a model for countries that have only just begun to hold donors accountable to their national health priorities.
	Dispatch from the Field: Diogo Milagre, Mozambique "The donors tell us they want to listen. Is this true or is it just rhetoric?"
	In El Salvador, USAID program grows a new generation of rural entrepreneurs By building on local knowledge—and adapting to local conditions—USAID and Fintrac help farming communities overcome poverty.
	Building on Strength in Afghanistan Far from hopeless, the Afghan people are determined to build a peaceful future—and US foreign aid can help.
	Q&A on Aid in Afghanistan Oxfam’s policy advisor, Matt Waldman, talks about how we can make aid more effective in Afghanistan.
	Listening and Learning to Improve Aid As part of the Listening Project, Oxfam America talks to community members about their experiences with international aid—and gains some valuable insights.