The Philippines is one of the most disaster‑prone countries globally, facing recurrent typhoons, floods, and other hazards. Traditional humanitarian response often arrives after disasters strike, leaving vulnerable communities exposed. Anticipatory Action (AA) shifts this paradigm by acting ahead of forecasted shocks to reduce impacts and protect lives and livelihoods.
Oxfam’s AA journey began with the B-READY (Building Resilient, Adaptive, and Disaster Ready Communities) project in 2017 in Eastern Samar. B-READY combined forecast-based model, disaster risk financing, and digital financial services to disburse pre-disaster cash transfers to help vulnerable households prepare before typhoons.
In 2019, Oxfam Pilipinas expanded AA through Strengthening Urban Preparedness through Preemptive Action (SUPPA) which piloted pre-emptive cash assistance in flood prone communities in Cotabato City, and through SHARPER (Strengthening Harmonized Action for Disaster Risk Reduction, Preparedness, and Recovery), which strengthened community-based typhoon triggers in Eastern Samar and Catanduanes with local partners such as the Center for Disaster Preparedness, People’s Disaster Risk Reduction Network, Grameen Philippines, and SIKAT.
In 2022, Oxfam Pilipinas and partners launched the SUPREME BARMM consortium to address drought risks in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Supported by the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid, SUPREME BARMM distributed essential water conservation kits to approximately 2,000 families and worked with local governments, science institutions, and civil society to strengthen resilience, policy development, and early warning systems for anticipatory action.
In 2025, Oxfam conducted a feasibility study on expanding AA into the health sector, focusing on outbreak prevention. The study highlighted the link between extreme weather events and diseases such as dengue and cholera, proposed locally developed outbreak triggers, and identified early actions such as search and destroy campaigns, mosquito net distribution, and water treatment. It emphasized the role of barangay health workers (BHWs) as frontline responders, the importance of integrating Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI), and the need for policy reforms to enable anticipatory financing for outbreak prevention.
In the same year, Oxfam Pilipinas played a key role in the passage of the Philippine Imminent Disaster Law (Republic Act No. 12287), which established a national framework for anticipatory action. Oxfam, alongside other humanitarian NGOs, advocated for the law’s enactment and contributed to shaping its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). RA 12287 mandates government agencies to act before disaster impacts peak, through prepositioning supplies, organizing preemptive evacuations, and releasing early cash or in-kind support, thus institutionalizing anticipatory action in national disaster risk management policy.
Together, these initiatives demonstrate Oxfam Pilipinas’ evolving AA practice: from early warning and cash-based pilots (2017–2019), to multi-hazard anticipatory systems (2020 and beyond), and now to health focused outbreak prevention and policy advocacy of RA 12287. This evolution reflects both local innovation and alignment with global Oxfam priorities to scale anticipatory approaches, strengthen localization, and integrate GEDSI into disaster risk reduction and resilience programming.
The consultant will review Oxfam Pilipinas AA project designs, reports, and documentation from 2017 to date to:
- Trace and document the evolution of AA programming from pioneering pilots to current iterations and implementation;
- Capture and synthesize meta‑analysis and harvested outcomes from project reports, focusing on the impact of Anticipatory Action (AA) interventions in covered areas and populations. This includes but is not limited to the integration of GEDSI approaches and the documentation of AA interventions beyond cash assistance, such as forecast-based early warning dissemination, community preparedness activities, linkages with social protection systems, partnerships with local governments and financial service providers, and digital innovations.
- Highlight innovations, including digital tools, forecast-based financing, and community-driven approaches, challenges, enabling factors and partners and stakeholders’ perspectives that shaped AA in the Philippines.
- Analyze how AA has shaped practice on localization, strengthening the role of local governments, civil society, and communities in anticipatory systems.
- Document contributions to policy and practice improvement, highlighting how Oxfam Pilipinas’ AA experience has influenced national dialogues on disaster risk financing, shock-responsive social protection, resilience programming, and within global AA discourse, showing contributions to scaleup.
- Ability to demonstrate collective leadership, program management, sensitivity to cultural differences and gender issues, as well as the commitment to equal opportunities.
- Ability to demonstrate an openness and willingness to learn about the application of gender/gender mainstreaming and diversity for all aspects of development work.
- Commitment to Oxfam’s feminist principles and safeguarding policies to ensure all people who come into contact with Oxfam and its partners are as safe as possible.
- Equality - We believe everyone has the right to be treated fairly and to have the same rights and opportunities.
- Empowerment - We acknowledge and seek to expand people’s agency over their lives and the decisions that impact them.
- Solidarity - We join hands, support, and collaborate in working towards a just and sustainable world.
- Inclusiveness – We are open to everyone and embrace diversity. We believe everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of visible and invisible differences.
- Accountability – Our purpose-driven, results-focused approach means we take responsibility for our actions and hold ourselves accountable. We believe that others should also be held accountable for their actions
- Courage - We speak truth to power and act with conviction on the justice of our causes
Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.
We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.
How to Apply
Applications must include a curriculum vitae and a letter of intent, in a single file.
Applicants may also submit their applications to ophrecruitment@oxfam.org.ph. Please use the email subject format: Position Applied For - Surname, First Name.
Offer ended on January 23, 2026
