OXFAMExchange magazine http://www.oxfamamerica.org daily 1 2010-06-30T01:46:43Z OXFAMExchange, Winter 2012 http://www.oxfamamerica.org/publications/oxfamexchange-winter-2012 What if development took the kind of time and commitment it takes to raise a child? (It does.) Oxfam's work is about structural change—a long, slow process. How slow? Well, we generally think about our field programs as approximately 15-year investments. In other words, a development program requires almost as much time and commitment as it takes to raise a child.

A shorter commitment won't get the job done. It takes time to help people build skills and infrastructure, to get policies changed, and to ensure that governments spend their money more effectively.

Smart development demands monitoring and evaluation. Organizations should be accountable to report not only what they do, but also how they measure it. Don't believe stories that guarantee long-term impact after one or two years' investment; that's barely time to lay some groundwork.

We all crave the easy answer, the quick solution, but if eradicating poverty were simple, people living in poverty would have sorted it out long ago. They may lack resources like land, but they certainly don't lack intelligence or insight. Poverty is a global challenge—one that we can overcome together, but listening and learning from people living in poverty, and developing solutions with them, takes time and sustained effort.

This issue of OXFAMExchange includes inspiring stories, but they are just snapshots from a family album: moments in a long journey together. Each story is ultimately about perseverance and the need for long-term commitment.

]]> No publisher Oxfam America Africa Caribbean Central America East Africa El Salvador Ethiopia Haiti Horn of Africa agriculture aid reform drought farmers food security global food crisis humanitarian relief hunger livelihood water 2012-02-07T16:33:13Z Oxfam Exchange OXFAMExchange, Fall 2011 http://www.oxfamamerica.org/publications/oxfamexchange-fall-2011 Africa's last famine? This season the rains have failed throughout much of East Africa—in some areas, triggering the worst drought in 60 years. More than 13 million people are now at risk, 1.8 million Somalis alone have been displaced, and 750,000 people are facing starvation. The chronic cycle of drought and suffering prompts us to ask: What would it take to make this Africa's last famine?

Oxfam's work—whether helping Guatemalan women organize to fight gender violence, funding irrigation projects in Ethiopia, or standing with people in Darfur—is about building the resilience of local communities over the long haul. We cannot prevent shocks, but we can help our sisters and brothers access some of the same resources we have to cushion us when times are lean.

We cannot rush from crisis to crisis with short-term fixes. What more evidence do we need than what is happening in East Africa now? This is not the region's first famine, but imagine the headline: Africa's last famine.

]]> No publisher Oxfam America Darfur East Africa Ethiopia GROW Guatemala Sudan agriculture equality for women farmers food security gender global food crisis humanitarian relief hunger oil, gas and mining violence women 2011-10-13T20:46:51Z Oxfam Exchange OXFAMExchange, Spring 2011 http://www.oxfamamerica.org/publications/oxfamexchange-spring-2011 What if Haiti’s rubble could house its homeless? Development work is hard to write about. At Oxfam, we try to avoid simplistic storytelling on one hand and impenetrable analysis on the other, because both do a disservice to our supporters and the people we serve. The issues that we face, however, are complex, and effective solutions require careful thought, sustained investment, and hard work. We worry that even our best-told stories may produce the same passivity that TV engenders. Like watching a movie unfold—however fascinating, the characters often seem distant, unrelated to your life.

Take the story of Chanthy Dam (see pg 6); it is a compelling one, but its relevance to your life may not be immediately clear. Oxfam’s work targets not only the symptoms of poverty, like hunger, but the root causes. “Root causes” refers to an interwoven system of relationships. Poverty is about power, and power is about how people relate to each other. Thus, providing only goods—like food— can be counterproductive unless we also help people raise their voices and claim the right to hold their leaders accountable. And Chanthy is doing that: ensuring that marginalized people in the Cambodian highlands recognize the power of their own voices.

I don’t want to underestimate Chanthy’s role or courage, but you and I have a role to play in her story. Those of you who are donors have supported her work financially. But all of you reading this now play a role too. After several threatening incidents, Chanthy admitted, “I did not realize how much I had upset powerful people.” We considered with care whether reporting on her work would put her at risk, but concluded that telling her story—elevating her voice―might be the best way of helping to keep her safe. Most injustice flourishes in darkness.

By reading this, you broaden the circle of those listening to Chanthy Dam. Amplify her voice by sharing her story. In doing so, you acknowledge your role—not as a passive viewer to the struggles of people like Chanthy, but as an integral part of the solution to injustice.

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