What Puerto Rico Teaches Us About Shifting Power in Humanitarian Action

A Response Shaped by Inequality

In September 2017, Hurricane María devastated Puerto Rico, causing widespread destruction and more than 4,000 deaths. The storm crippled already fragile infrastructure, leaving communities without electricity, clean water, and access to healthcare for months.

Oxfam entered in the immediate aftermath, not only because of the scale of humanitarian need, but because of the stark inequities in the U.S. federal response and their disproportionate impact on women and marginalized communities. From the outset, Oxfam’s program was grounded in a commitment to confront inequality and stand alongside those most excluded from systems of power.

In 2023, Oxfam made the difficult decision to close the Puerto Rico program, constrained by declining donor interest. In line with our values, we committed to a responsible exit, providing nearly a year’s notice to current partners, seeking to mitigate any potential harm, and offering them final support in funding, capacity strengthening, and fundraising. We recognize that how we leave is as important as how we enter. This exit evaluation was commissioned in that spirit. Using Oxfam’s local humanitarian leadership commitments as the framework, the evaluators from IRMA centered the voices and experiences of our partners, creating space for candid reflection.

Local Leadership Present and Strong

Between 2017 and 2025, Oxfam partnered with more than 20 Puerto Rican organizations, including women’s rights groups, to respond to humanitarian crises, support recovery, and strengthen long-term resilience.

Local organizations and Oxfam worked collaboratively together from the beginning. Strong local organizations were already present in the context, and Oxfam followed the lead of our partners in terms of program design and implementation. In the consultations for the evaluation, partners shared that a key strength of the program was Oxfam recognizing, respecting, and importantly, resourcing the strong local leadership within Puerto Rico. As a partner shared, “We know what needs to be done because we have a very active and knowledgeable civil society.”

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