2020 has been...a disaster, especially, painfully, heartbreakingly for families living in poverty.
Piyara, pictured with her daughter in their house in Bangladesh above, is someone who knows disaster all too well. She is a survivor of the devastating Cyclone Amphan, the most powerful cyclone in her community's history.
Even before Cyclone Amphan hit, life in her village was hard. But this year, the cyclone was an additional crisis: families were forced to evacuate and move into crowded shelters, increasing their risk of contracting COVID-19. The cyclone destroyed the crops people depended on for survival in the region, and workers like Piyara's husband lost their jobs while in lockdown for the pandemic.
I wish Piyara's story was unusual. It just isn't. For her, and millions like her, COVID-19 isn't just a public health crisis: it's the final straw before falling into the kind of long-term poverty that it's nearly impossible to climb out of.
That's why we have a special announcement: when you make a gift between now and our midnight fundraising deadline on 12/31, your gift can be DOUBLED up to $500,000. Your support is urgently needed by midnight on 12/31 to combat the devastating impact the virus has had on far too many people. Please, join us. Do what you can for families living in poverty by donating today – remember, right now, your gift can be doubled >>
There's so much at stake right now. A global food crisis caused by the economic impacts of COVID-19 is spreading, and 121 million people are at risk of starvation. Even here in the US, families around the country are facing hunger – one estimate showed that the number of families struggling to get enough food has doubled due to the pandemic. That means families in Bangladesh, children in Niger, and parents here in the US are all waking up each morning, wondering when they will next get something to eat.
We can't let that happen. Oxfam is working in the US and around the world, delivering the most basic necessities, like clean water and soap, to prevent the spread of the virus itself, and providing food and cash to help people survive this hunger crisis and escape the cycle of long-term poverty. We're also looking to the future and actively advocating for a COVID recovery that helps vulnerable families, like through providing a free vaccine to all. But we urgently need your support to keep up this work.
We hope you will be part of our work helping families living in poverty around the world. Donate now and your impact will be doubled >>
We can help people around the world start 2021 stronger, together. But only if we act now.
Sincerely,
Abby Maxman
President
Oxfam America
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