I WOULD like to thank, via your pages, the people in the South West region for the tremendous support that they have given to Oxfam in 2010.

It has been a year where natural disasters have taken their toll. In January, Haiti was struck a massive earthquake, the worst for two centuries, killing more than 230,000 people, injuring 300,000 and leaving more than 1.5 million in need of shelter. In July floods in Pakistan affected 20 million people and 1.6 million houses were damaged. At the height of the crisis, the flooded area spanned an area the size of England. August also saw the peak of a desperate food crisis unfold in Niger, Chad and parts of Mali. It became clear that an estimated 3.3 million people in Niger alone were facing severe food shortages as a result of poor rains and harvests in 2009. Public support, donations and campaigning on these crises have enabled Oxfam to save thousands of lives.

We are continuing to deal with a worldwide economic crisis, and we are clear that support for the poorest is now more needed than ever. September marked 10 years since world leaders gathered at the UN to make a promise - that we all would do everything within our power to halve extreme poverty by 2015. In December climate change talks took place in Cancun, Mexico and will hopefully mark a turning point in the negotiations to agree an international deal to tackle dangerous climate change.

Climate change and the forces of nature affect us all; remember when in April, Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano disrupted air travel? Oxfam will be working hard in 2011 to alleviate natural disasters, but we must also eliminate the human, economic and environmental causes of poverty. The challenges will be formidable. Oxfam’s strap-line says ‘Be Humankind’ we can be just that with continued public support for our local shops (any unwanted gifts?) and by joining us in campaigning on poverty and climate change.

ROGER JAMES

Team leader, Oxfam SW Campaigns Bristol