Press Room > Oxfam Ireland Press Release
January 10th 2004
Oxfam launches emergency Oxfam Unwrapped website for tsunami survivors.
Goats give way to shelter kits and buckets.
Inspired by the outpouring of public support for the Asian tsunami survivors, Oxfam Ireland has launched an emergency version of its popular 'oxfamirelandunwrapped.com' website.
Oxfam Ireland Unwrapped gives the public an alternative way to help survivors of the Asian tsunami, and also other emergencies. The catalogue has five carefully selected items available for purchase, priced from €12/£8 to €3240/£2160, all of which are commonly used in Oxfam's emergency response work.
Oxfam is encouraging groups and individuals collecting for the aid effort to visit the site and select a target item or items to direct the efforts towards achieving. The choice ranges from the simple yet essential to large-scale objects that many would assume are normally beyond their reach.
The list includes:
Mosquito nets to reduce the spread of malaria - €12/£8 each
Emergency Shelter kits containing water containers and food utensils - €45/£30 each
A 45,000 litre water tank to provide 3,000 people with clean water for a day - €3240/£2160
Siobhan McGrath, Fundraising Co-ordinator with Oxfam Ireland, says of the site, "The innovative gift ideas of Oxfam Unwrapped really appealed to the public at Christmas. With the introduction of this emergency version we are taking the concept one step further. We want to give people the opportunity to continue that support by donating and collecting for specific items, which will make an immediate difference to the millions affected by disasters.
"The Irish public has been greatly moved by the recent events in Asia, and want to be able to help overcome such large scale suffering with a suitably large scale response. Oxfam Unwrapped gives them the means to do so."
Once visitors to www.oxfamirelandunwrapped.com choose their item and place their order, Oxfam will send a card confirming the purchase, while the actual item will be used in Oxfam's emergency response work – either immediately in the Asian tsunami aid effort or in the future.
About Oxfam:
Oxfam Ireland is a development, relief, and campaigning organisation dedicated to finding lasting solutions to poverty and suffering around the world. There are 44 shops in Ireland.
Further information from Oxfam International website here