HOVE, United Kingdom — The name “Oxfam” comes from the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief founded in 1942 during the Second World War but was developed by a group of independent organizations in 1995. Today, Oxfam works with approximately 70 countries, with thousands of communities to protect lives and campaign for genuine change. The purpose of Oxfam is to create lasting solutions to the injustice of poverty, looking for a global movement for change.

Oxfam does a huge range of things to aid the eradication of global poverty, from humanitarian assistance in disasters and conflicts to sanitation and clean water access in remote areas. Moreover, Oxfam creates development programs, introduces public education, runs campaigns and works for advocacy. In 2021/22, Oxfam supported 8 million people to fight poverty, with 46% of the people they worked with being girls. Oxfam often uses the help of celebrities to provide vital exposure to the organization, using their influence to encourage people to donate to Oxfam. Therefore, celebrities supporting Oxfam are a crucial part of making such meaningful change around the world.

Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys is an American singer-songwriter, who is best known for her number-one hit “Fallin.” She has won an incredible 15 Grammy Awards, with such achievements driving her philanthropic work and giving her a platform to do so. Alicia Keys supports Oxfam through her “We Are Here Movement,” which focuses on various areas such as women and children or equality and justice.

Alicia has not only collaborated with Oxfam through the creation of this incredible organization, but she also created a moving short film called “Let Me In” for meaningful advocacy on behalf of people forced to flee conflict. Keys said in a statement describing the film’s mission, that the film “really allowed us to imagine, what if we were the refugees?”

The Arctic Monkeys

The Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band from Sheffield formed in 2002. The Arctic Monkeys have done a range of work with Oxfam throughout their career, such as releasing their single “Crying Lightning” exclusively through Oxfam. All proceeds of the song go directly to the charity, as well as the band urging fans to donate unwanted music to Oxfam when they buy the single. The news reports following the release suggested Oxfam’s success is crippling. The Arctic Monkeys were also a part of some of the biggest stars in British music coming together to raise funds for Haiti following the devastating earthquake in 2010, auctioning items to help raise funds for Oxfam’s humanitarian response.

Coldplay

Coldplay has been among the most high-profile celebrities supporting Oxfam of the last decade, helping Oxfam campaign in over 50 countries. In 2012, Coldplay helped Oxfam reach over 100 million people worldwide due to their social media engagement. Coldplay also incited Oxfam to campaign at all dates on their “A Head Full of Dreams” tour, to help advocate for the “Stand As One” campaign, in support of people forced to flee conflict.

Chris Martin reflected on their 15 years of working with Oxfam saying, “As a band, we’re really proud to have had Oxfam on the road with us for the past fifteen years.” In that time, the collaboration has truly achieved remarkable things on a global scale, with over 60,000 Coldplay fans having signed up to support Oxfam campaigns.

George Clooney

American actor George Clooney has always been supportive of various charities and is a known philanthropist, often vocalizing and working with Oxfam. Clooney has worked to stop the human rights atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan, as well as donating millions of dollars to the United Nations World Food Programme. He is a fabulous example of celebrities supporting Oxfam.

Kiera Knightly

The actress Keira Knightley made a desperate plea for help in South Sudan after her trip with Oxfam to the central African nation. Conflict in South Sudan has driven one and a half million people from their homes, forcing many people into severe hunger and inhumane living conditions. South Sudan suffers from heavy seasonal rains, heightening the unsanitary camp conditions and creating long-lasting conditions for the spread of disease.

Knightley described her response to refugees asking who she was, saying she is “somebody who is going to ask people to give lots of money to Oxfam, so they can help you”. Keira Knightley is also amongst a group of celebrities calling on Priti Patel to show “strong leadership” in the fight for gender equality. The letter calls for Patel to invest further in grassroots organizations that support women around the world.

Zoe Ball

TV presenter Zoe Ball is a proud Oxfam ambassador, even launching a traveling charity gift stall at London’s Victoria Station in 2007. She joined forces with Abbey Clancy in 2014 for an Oxfam campaign to help impoverished families around the world, posing together to help raise money. They urged parents to not throw away old children’s clothes and instead donate unwanted items to the M&S and Oxfam campaign, “Love, Mum” All money raised from the project will go towards mothers around the world to lift themselves out of poverty.

These are all crucial examples of the importance of celebrities supporting Oxfam, making significant changes worldwide by utilizing their media attention. Most people know the charity “Oxfam” and all the good it stands for, with the message being so widely platformed by many celebrities around the world.

– Gracie Gobat
Photo: Flickr