Ethiopia: Mebrit Kesaye and her son stand next to their home with sheep there are raising. Photo: Petterik Wiggers/Oxfam.
70+ years of changing lives
Oxfam Australia’s roots stretch back to 1953, when Australians first rallied to fight global hunger and poverty. Born from grassroots campaigns and a global vision, it has grown into a powerful force for justice both at home and abroad.
1942
Born from crisis: the birth of Oxfam in the UK
The name “Oxfam” comes from the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief, founded in Britain in 1942. The group campaigned for food supplies to be sent through an allied naval blockade to starving women and children in enemy-occupied Greece during the Second World War.
1947
Oxfam Shop opens
The first permanent Oxfam gift shop in Broad Street, Oxford, opens. Photograph probably late 1940s.
