The manager of the Oxfam shop in Douglas says he hopes people will still support charity shops in the island.

Damien Baker was speaking in the wake of a scandal involving the charity.

Allegations have been made against some Oxfam officials in Haiti, widely reported in the UK media, which prompted Chief Minister Howard Quayle to seek assurances from island charities.

Mr Baker said: ’I hope that people won’t be put off giving to charities because of it - there are so many good projects out there that need our help.

’I want to thank the people of the Isle of Man because despite what has happened they have been very supportive of us throughout last week, bringing in their much needed donations as usual, as well as some kind words of support.’

He added: ’Oxfam is very sorry about its mistakes and I know it will do everything it can to improve and put things right.’

The One World Centre supports the work of many Manx charities, which work overseas, as well as networking with voluntary organisations in the island to promote important messages.

Chairman Phil Craine said: ’The allegations regarding certain Oxfam aid workers in Haiti and the charity’s subsequent handling of events have been deeply disturbing and it is clearly right that questions are asked and lessons are learned to ensure the highest standards are maintained in the international development sector.

’However it is also important to recognise that there are hundreds of thousands of courageous, compassionate and reputable aid workers who work tirelessly to alleviate suffering, often in difficult and dangerous conditions, around the world - including others working for Oxfam.

’The work that they do, delivering life-saving aid and humanitarian assistance, cannot be underestimated.

’There is obviously a risk that public confidence has been undermined by recent events and it reaffirms the need for those involved in international aid to be transparent and accountable.

’Often it is easier for those involved in smaller scale projects, like many of the Manx charities working overseas, to demonstrate this and we hope local people will continue to support the good Manx work that goes on around the world.’

The Examiner contacted a number of Manx charities to see if they have been affected by the allegations.

A spokesman from Crossroads said: ’We have noticed no impact on our charity shop donations or sales and also no impact on the 100,000 hours of care and respite we provide locally every year.

’Our services are registered and inspected under the Regulation of Care Act 2013 and that requires we meet minimum standards for child care, adult day care and domiciliary care.’

Anne Mills, chief executive of Hospice Isle of Man, said: ’Hospice IOM is committed to ensuring that our service users can access quality care in a safe environment.

’As such, we have a robust mandatory training programme in place for all staff which includes regular adult and children safeguarding training, with twice yearly unannounced inspections carried out by the Registration and Inspection Unit to ensure our systems and processes meet the required standards.

’We also run Disclosure and Barring Service checks on all Hospice IOM and Share the Care Ltd staff, volunteers and board members.’