Getting to Know International Organizations: Part 1

Growing gap between rich and poor is undermining the fight against poverty.

I choose to explore Oxfam ( https://www.oxfamamerica.org/) which is a global organization working in over 90 countries to end the injustice of poverty. Through this website I learned that their mission is to help people build better futures for themselves, hold the powerful accountable, and save lives in disasters (Oxfam, 2020).

Oxfam provides grants and technical support to local organizations around the world. I learned that with their partners, they support long-term solutions that help poor communities grow nutritious food, access land and clean water, and obtain decent work and fair wages.

I also learned that Oxfam uses advocacy to tackle the systems, policies, and practices that keep people trapped in poverty. Oxfam takes on inequality, climate justice, gender justice, and inequities in the food chain, and advocates for the basic human rights and dignity of survivors of conflicts and disasters. They challenge governments, multinational companies, international organizations, and other actors to use their vast power and influence to improve the lives of poor and vulnerable people.

Oxfam’s has many supporters in the music industry—including musicians, labels, managers, and media which amplifies their efforts to right the wrong of poverty and help spread the word to millions of fans.

One of Oxfam's perspectives is that cash is often the best form of aid in an emergency and for fighting poverty. Money can be the most efficient and flexible form of assistance and the most respectful. Giving cash shows you respect them to use the money as it is intended: to meet important needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and health care. It is an expression of trust (Oxfam. 2020).

Oxfam distributed cash to 4,000 families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic near Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Valerie Camaño/Oxfam Intermón

Oxfam also believes that giving people opportunities to gain skills that allow them to take care of themselves helps build dignity and pride in caring for themselves and their families. One way to help people take care of themselves is by equipping them with animals and the training to raise and put them to work. That’s why Oxfam’s long-term programming includes animals; they are invaluable investments in families’ futures (Oxfam, 2020). Animals produce milk, fertilizer, and take on labor duties, giving families a pathway to resilience. I learned that in many communities, animals such as goats, sheep, cows, pigs, and chickens play a vital role in a family’s financial stability. Milk, eggs, and other animal products can be sold at the market; livestock can plow and fertilize fields to grow fruits and vegetables; and milk and meat can keep families fed. The health of a family’s herd can determine whether they can eat dinner at night, afford to send children school, and cover medical costs to stay healthy themselves.

Kobra, a father of eight in Afghanistan, poses with some of his goats. Photo: James Riturban/OxfamAUS

Nyalit, a mother in South Sudan, received two goats from Oxfam Photo:

Tim Bierley/Oxfam

Lucia, a farmer in Wau County, South Sudan, with Malual, an oxen that Oxfam provided through an agricultural management program for female farmers. Photo: Tim Bierley/Oxfam

Oxfam also provides information on how you can become involves by providing a free menu of ideas, free materials for hosting awareness events, and free fundraiser information including poster, flyers to help educate and inspire others. This is the link to their free event resource tools https://www.oxfamamerica.org/take-action/events/event-resources-tools/

Oxfam works reaches out to assist families all over the world to help them during times of crisis and in early day struggles for survival. I learned a lot from this site and that addressing the cyclical nature of hunger and the barriers to dependable access to good nutrition for babies, children and families is fundamental to a community’s well-being and long-term potential.