Oxfam’s an overseas charity. Surely it doesn’t work in the UK?

No, Oxfam’s not an ‘overseas’ charity – and we don’t just work on relief and disasters. At Oxfam, we work to end poverty – wherever we find it. Millions of people in this country simply don’t have enough to live on and struggle to get by. That’s why we work in the UK.

Photo: Derby Evening Telegraph

But the UK’s a rich country. There IS no poverty here…is there?

Yes there is. Children go to school without breakfast, or go to bed hungry. Some adults go without essential clothing. Many people struggle to heat their homes. We think this is unacceptable.

Photo: Chris Worrall

People are poor because they are lazy, or make bad choices

Margaret from Thornaby, Teesside doesn’t think so. She fell into poverty after her divorce and nearly lost her home. Before that she used to work with poor people in Romania. Oxfam’s experience shows us that poverty is usually caused by circumstances beyond an individual’s control. If you are a woman, a British Asian, or come from a deprived area, you are more likely to live in poverty.

Photo: Chris Worrall

Surely tackling poverty in the UK is the government’s job?

We could not agree more, and we are not trying to do it for them. We develop projects with people living in poverty, like this one in Cardiff, to show how things can change. Then we use this experience to push – and support – policy-makers to tackle poverty in the UK more effectively.

Photo: Karen Robinson

Poor people live on handouts

They’re not ‘hand-outs’. It’s absolutely right that in a rich country the government provides a safety net for those people who can’t work. But it’s very hard to survive on benefits. Oxfam wants the system to change to make it easier to move from benefits into paid work – and to make sure everyone has enough to live on, whether they are in or out of work.

Photo: Kelvin Jenkins

Poor people waste their money

Government research shows that extra money given to poor families through tax credits goes straight on food items such as fruit and vegetables, and children’s clothing, not on alcohol and tobacco.

Photo: Crispin Hughes / Panos

Asylum-seekers come to the UK to ‘sponge’ off the government

Oxfam’s experience with refugees all over the world shows us the horrific circumstances that force people to flee and why we need to support vulnerable asylum-seekers such as Innocent (pictured) who can’t return to the Democratic Republic of Congo because of the conflict there.

Poor people should help themselves

And they do of course! In Gellideg, Wales, with Oxfam's help, the community identified what needed to change – and applied for EU funds to make it happen. They now run a community centre, café and crèche, and provide job training and life-skills workshops for young people. Not bad for the residents of one of the most deprived estates in the UK.

Photo: Karen Robinson