Oxfam Australia 2012 Report

for your support�

Vinsensia Oli, Pajinian village, Indonesia

Thanks to your generosity, our w more than 7 million people in 39 You are helping to transform liv brighter, more hopeful future. S

THANK YOUR ANNUAL REPORT

Front page Photo: Lara McKinley/OxfamAUS

work has reached 9 countries this year. ves and create a So from us to you:

K YOU! 7.02m

lives you are helping to change

$49.3m

million donated by you for our programs

905,307 of you support what we do

Together, we picture a world free from poverty — where people are valued and treated equally, have a say in decisions that affect their lives, and enjoy their basic human rights and needs.

Your generosity enables us to work with partners and communities on simple, smart solutions to tough humanitarian problems — solutions that help people take control, become self-reliant and create positive, lasting change in their lives.

So take a moment to celebrate all that you’ve achieved — the families you’ve touched, the lives you’ve changed and the difference you’ve made. Thank you so much!

7.02m

355,247 Oxfam Shop customers

program and shop partners

199,455

185,000 young people

6,592

Oxfam Trailwalkers

155,429

3,334 volunteers

305

action partners

694

48

7

program recipients

donors

campaign activists

staff

Oxfam Groups

Together, we are a global movement for change.

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BUY

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VISIT US

250

state committees

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Photo: Kieran Doherty/Oxfam

Thanks to you:

$4.41m

received from you to tackle the East Africa food crisis

2.25m

people received clean water, food, cash and livelihoods support

HELEN EWOTON, NAWOYATIR, KENYA

“When I want to fetch water for my family it takes one and a half hours to get there. This water won’t come home by itself. It’s me who has to go and fetch it.

Water from the scoop holes holds faeces, then we get diseases from those scoop holes.Some children from the neighbourhood became ill.

One child lost their life.

“When I saw the Oxfam team arriving to drill for water, I felt very happy … We were all very happy when we saw the water spurting out.

“In our Turkana culture, we create songs for the biggest events. Today we have water so we made a song for the water: ‘Oxfam is good for coming; for coming to drill water. They have drilled us clean water’.

“The goodness of the borehole is that it provides clean water. It will bring hygiene at home. It will bring good health and will help the school children to bathe quickly and go to school.

It will reduce the diarrhoea diseases in households.

It will help the goat not to catch any diseases.

“When there is no water, there is no life. Water is life.”

KEN NSELEBU, NZODZA, MALAWI “Since the floods in 2001 and before this irrigation scheme, I never harvested anything. The sad part is that I could not afford to send my children to school because I had nothing … there were times that hunger would force us to cook and feed on grass.

“I don’t only grow maize, but also other crops like pepper, eggplants and tomatoes.

Last year (2011) I decided to grow cucumbers, besides maize, for food and cash.

I started selling them during the last week of November and I make over MK7,000 (AUD $20) every week.

“[Oxfam] came in and assisted us to establish this irrigation scheme.

I joined the scheme in 2008 and have since been relying on it for food and cash crops because with climate change, the rains are unpredictable.

“Since joining the scheme, my four children are now in school … I cannot see my family ever going hungry again because we have plenty and I can buy any type of food at any time.

This scheme and especially crop diversification has changed my life so much and the lives of many in this area.”

Photo: Maureen Bathgate/OxfamAUS

Thanks to you:

1,823

farmers in Malawi benefitted from new crop irrigation

94kg

increase in harvests was achieved on average

BROOKE, WARRANDYTE PRIMARY SCHOOL,VICTORIA “We looked up poverty and ... we found out ... around 700 people actually die from poverty in an hour and that really moved us.

So that’s when we got onto the [Oxfam] website and we decided we needed to do something about it.

“Once we worked out we were going to raise money for Oxfam we thought ... ‘we’ll have a crazy hair day because we’ve done it before and we get lots of money’.

Photo: Lara McKinley/OxfamAUS

“Crazy Hair Day is a day when everybody does their hair and they come to school and they have a parade at the whole school assembly and normally a prize goes out to the class that raises the most amount of money and a prize with the person who has the craziest hair.

“The day went really well ... we raised $250 [and bought] a lamb, chicken family and a calf [through Oxfam Unwrapped].”

Thanks to you:

330

community events were held to raise funds for our work

197,924

Oxfam Unwrapped gifts you bought helped change lives

ROSELYN MOMOG JOSHUA, BAIRMURU, PAPUA NEW GUINEA “I am an illiterate, cannot read or write … and when [Oxfam] announced literacy classes for illiterate, I enrolled.

“Now I can read, write and speak broken English …

Since attending literacy, I sell rice and tinned fish at my canteen … I can use a calculator to calculate change. I can read a Grade Three level book. Now I can budget to pay school fees.

“Coming to literacy has changed me. When something big in the community happens,

Photo: Richard Kendall/OxfamAUS

I share ideas with the committees and councillors about the happenings because they ask me to give ideas. In my home, my children and my husband respect me now — in the past, no. In the past the husband is the boss and I submit, but it changed because now I can read.

“My dream is to be a pioneer to literacy … I want to follow my dream to become a true life skills promoter so others can see me as an example and come to literacy.”

Thanks to you:

79

women and three men in Yehimbole are learning to read, write and count

one

new community learning centre was built to provide classes for 279 people

Photo: Bonnie Savage/OxfamAUS

Thanks to you:

130,000 people took part in 848 events on National Close the Gap Day

4

“healing circles� for Aboriginal men, women and youth were supported

JOYCE DIMER, SOUTH WEST ABORIGINAL MEDICAL SERVICE, BUNBURY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

“Our people (the Noongar people) were dying too young ... with the funding, especially from Oxfam, I am able to go out into the communities ... to work with the people, to get them to change their lifestyles a little bit, in terms of healthy activities ... so it prolongs their life span.

“I makes me feel proud to have National Close the Gap Day here in Bunbury because we need to put the awareness out there ...

Talking to people face-toface, it was really good to see the surprise on their face and get them to sign [the Close the Gap pledge] and be part of the campaign.

“In the last six years, with the Close the Gap campaign, I have seen a change.

We’ve got more education out there. Our people are starting to manage their own health ... not too many of our people are being hospitalised … and more of our people are being trained to take on [health] work.

“To the people supporting the campaign, I am really proud that you are assisting us to Close the Gap. Good onya!”

BHOOMY DEUNGMARNY, SABONG VILLAGE, LAOS “In the past when we didn’t have the water pump, we had to collect water from the river … it took around one hour for every trip because it was heavy. We collected water four times in a day … twice in the morning and twice in the evening.

“Other problems were leech bites and mosquito bites … There was also a tiger …

Sometimes I would fall down because the path is steep …

I used to catch malaria, cold, develop a cough and get diarrhoea as well.

“After we installed the water system there were many changes in our village.

Collecting and using water is easy and it is easy to grow our garden. As for disease, there’s less sickness since Oxfam gave us water and sanitation training … Many things have improved.

Thanks to you:

3,060

people in Laos have access to clean water via 12 new water systems

409

families now have household toilets, reducing the risk of disease.

“The water is very important because … the whole village uses it, not only one person … It reduces our labour carrying water. The water is nearby now so we don’t have to go far … It only takes me about five seconds to get 10 litres; others can carry their water home in about four to five minutes.”

Photo: John Sones/OxfamAUS

MIKE FLAVEL, MELBOURNE, VICTORIA “I started supporting Oxfam in 1989 while I was at university. Twentythree years later I am still donating. The way Oxfam works is smart and clever — and respectful of the people it works with. I like the way it engages with local communities, coming up with local solutions. I like well-coordinated, practical solutions that get a result.

“Shout the Horn was a great idea and we were happy to take part — especially because it was such a positive thing Oxfam was asking us to do. It was a great opportunity to talk to our kids — that not everyone in the world was as lucky as us to have nice food. It’s important for kids to have a good sense of sharing and wanting to help others.

“As an organisation, Oxfam doesn’t just try to make a difference themselves — but tries to influences others to create a bigger change.

“I keep supporting Oxfam because I realise it is still making a difference to real people on the ground — and doing it enthusiastically.

It’s inspiring.”

Thanks to you:

26,893

online actions helped deliver big wins in for our campaigns

68%

of our funding comes from your donations

Photo: Lara McKinley/OxfamAUS

DINH THI NHAN, VAN GIANG, VIETNAM “I have worked with Mai Handicrafts (Oxfam Shop partner) for three years.

I had worked at another place but it was not as good as here. There we were not paid on time.

One special thing about working here is we can suggest our opinions.

“I feel good to work here.

They care for my health, the working conditions are clean, they pay us on time, the wage is good enough for me to cover my living costs food, medicine, school fees for my two children and a little bit for saving.

Photo: Bonnie Savage/OxfamAUS

“I would not know about fair trade if I did not work at Mai Handicrafts. If I did not work here my life would be hard and my health also not be good. Fair trade is a marvelous organisation.

It changed my life, brought me a much better life.

“We love our products.

They are so beautiful.

I think people who buy them understand the value in each product we make and they want to help … bring us better and stable lives. We are very happy and we thank you so much all of you.”

Thanks to you:

165

different products made by Mai Handicrafts are sold in Oxfam shops

1,080

Mai Handicrafts artisans are paid fairly for their work

Mohamed Hisham, ACTION PARTNER, COLOMBO, SRI LANKA “I’d always done community work at school, but when I left school I felt I was missing something … “[The Oxfam International Youth Partnerships program] was a powerful way to bring about social change — to be young people beyond our ethnic groupings or regional divisions.

“By being an Action Partner, I learnt there is no single way of bringing about change … we were all doing different things but all had the same passion that bonded us together. “[In OIYP} there are a lot of people doing such awesome work. So whenever I felt frustrated in my own advocacy work, there was this amazing OIYP network

Thanks to you:

6,368

young people shared 3things they can do to help change the world

305

Oxfam International Youth Action Partners were supported in 70 countries

that were always a source of energy and helped me have a bigger picture …

I call them my Oxfamily.

“I learned a lot through OIYP. [My next step] was to do advocacy to get the government to redraft the [Sri Lankan national] youth policy … Finally, after a year and a half, we got them to re-draft it … I have a voice — it keeps me going.”

Photo: Lara McKinley/OxfamAUS

Thanks to you:

3,334

volunteers contributed 72,269 hours of work

6,592

people hit the trail in three Oxfam Trailwalker events

Photo: Lara McKinley/OxfamAUS

BELINDA NISBET, K&L GATES, MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

“The 2012 Melbourne Trailwalker event was my first time volunteering with Oxfam. Quite a few colleagues had entered teams in the event, and our company was running Checkpoint 4 in Olinda.

“I was helping organise the car-parking at Checkpoint 4, to prevent it from descending into chaos as car parks are prone to do ... It was great fun and quite hectic at times ...

There was a strong sense of occasion and everybody seemed excited to be there — especially when teams began coming through.

“I loved being told some of the stories by support crews about what they’d

been doing to motivate their [teams] along the way. The day also gave me a good chance to get to know some of my colleagues outside of the office environment.

“I know that K&L Gates carried out some thorough research when developing its corporate social responsibility program.

Oxfam was an excellent choice [as a partner] because of its work towards solutions to poverty and social injustice, and also because of the way it provides opportunities for our employees to be involved in such initiatives and to have a hand in the work that Oxfam does ... I would absolutely volunteer again.”

YANTI BOYS, RAKNAMO VILLAGE, INDONESIA “I am the secretary of the women’s budget committee … [It] was important for us, to understand about our village grants … It was only the business of the village chief before that.

“We went out and did a survey throughout the village about the village grant. Then we met with the village government to understand how the budget was being used …

We found there were irregularities in the use of our funds. [Village leaders] had used money without proper procedures, for [their] own sake.

“The village chief did not welcome our initiative.

He made us feel unwelcome.

Photo: Lara McKinley/OxfamAUS

At first, [he] was very angry … He said to us, ‘Why do you women want to know about problems with the village fund?

“We felt discouraged and unconfident but [Oxfam partner] CIS accompanied us, they supported us and encouraged us to move forward.

“Before we formed the group, women were viewed as second class ... Now after our group has formed, we understand women can be equal to men, that they can be treated the same as men.

There has been a change in my mind. Now I speak up.

I am not silent.”

Thanks to you:

7

people from Waioti village successfully lobbied for clean water for their community

533

women and men learnt basic advocacy skills so they can campaign on local issues

FADUMO, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA “I came here after my son, Mohamed, became very sick about two months ago ... The watery diarrhoea stopped, but he was still thin and weak, and not able to eat or drink anything.

“A SAACID (Oxfam partner) outreach lady, who came to my home, told me that there was a centre which treats malnourished children in the district. She took me to the centre. When I came here, the nurses at the centre told me that Mohamed was ailing with malnutrition.”

“When he was admitted to the program he was very thin and I thought that he would never return to his standard weight, because he had stopped eating and drinking ... [But] after he began taking the special biscuits, he almost immediately began to eat and drink water and milk again ...

He began putting on weight ... He regained energy and became more active. He even began smiling again.

“This health centre is clearly providing lifesaving care ... We all thank SAACID and its donors for this donation of life.”

Thanks to you:

16

health centres in Mogadishu ran child feeding programs

155,000

malnourished children aged under five were treated

Photo: Geno Teofilo/Oxfam

SANDY WILLIAMS, OXFAM BOOKSHOP GROUP, ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA “The bookshop started about 25–30 years ago.

It started as a street stall and progressed to be out the front of shops, garages. We got the premises purchased with the Friends of Oxfam, bought the building for Oxfam, and the bookshop group has tenancy.

“We are all working for a common cause, to help Oxfam and raise money for their projects. Up until the end of last year we have raised over a million dollars since our inception. The results are pretty amazing considering most books sell for the price of a cup of coffee.

“We have 20,000 books.

I can’t even begin to list all the titles! All are donated.

The whole business is run entirely on volunteers. We have about 100 volunteers in all.

“It’s all about knowing sales go towards fighting world-wide hunger, poverty and social injustice. All our money goes there. We don’t buy books in, everything is donated; so all the proceeds go straight to Oxfam. It’s just fabulous.”

Photo: Simon Stanbury/OxfamAUS

Thanks to you:

30,000

books were sold at the Oxfam Books, in Adelaide

$125,416 was raised from second-hand book sales

Photo: Tania Cass/Oxfam

Thanks to you:

105

child marriages were stopped with help from police and government officers

9,552

people took an oath not to conduct, take part in or condone child marriage

PRAKESH, SATLANA VILLAGE, INDIA

“I became a We Can [End Violence Against Women] volunteer five years ago and now work on [Oxfam partner] Vikalp’s campaign to end child marriage.

“When I was in 10th Class I came to know about ‘We Can’. My family was full of conservative norms such as purdah (women keeping their faces veiled), child marriage, restriction on girls and women’s mobility. I myself was married as a child.

After I attended a ‘We Can’ workshop, I realised these practices are wrong.

“To make change I had to fight with my family. First, I stopped purdah in my family ... I have prevented eight child marriages including my sister’s. I contact the Collector (government official) and police to intervene to prevent the marriages.

“People are angry and fight with me because of my actions but I believe in this cause and will continue my work — their anger does not affect me. I am now influencing the Panch (village council) to build a girls and boys hostel and to give scholarships for girls.”

JULIE GOODWIN, SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES “As a cook and a mum, I’m passionate about good food and know the important role it plays in our lives. Food is not just essential to life. It brings us together; it’s at the heart of our families and our cultures.

“I remember as a child being told to eat all my dinner because there were children starving in Africa and it never really made a whole lot of sense to me how me eating my dinner would help them.

“As an adult, I’ve come to a really good understanding how each one of us, our actions, impact what happens to people all over the globe. And it’s our job as compassionate people to make sure the abundance of food on this planet is shared with everybody at the table. It is a simple goal for everyone to always have enough to eat.

Thanks to you:

11,000

people signed the GROW pledge to change the broken food system

240

Gather to GROW events were held in homes and workplaces to highlight global hunger

“I am involved in [Oxfam’s] GROW campaign, which is addressing issues of hunger and poverty. The world does produce enough food for everyone, but one billion people go hungry every day.

Oxfam is working to change that and I am proud to be a part of their efforts.”

Photo: Lara McKinley/OxfamAUS

Thanks to you:

13

families in six villages in Cambodia received cows

80%-90% of livestock are now vaccinated against disease

Photo: Dustin Barter/OxfamAUS

YUH MET, KANDEK VILLAGE, CAMBODIA “I used to not have a buffalo … I would rent a buffalo and provide my labour for other families …Before, our rice yield was about … 900kg per year. Then I would need to pay a 600kg rental fee for the two buffaloes.

“When Oxfam gave us a buffalo, we felt very happy.

We take care of it and after the buffalo has a baby, others can benefit. We can use it for ploughing, we can plant rice on time and we have a better livelihood.

“Then we wouldn’t have enough food to eat … we had food shortages most of the time — maybe eight months per year. … Without rice, we didn’t have money to send our children to school regularly. We didn’t have enough money for clothes.

“After getting the buffalo, my family is in better condition … We don’t worry about feeding ourselves and know we’ll have a better future.

The money we earn from our buffalo, we can save and spend on our needs.”

A huge thank you to every single one of you who helps us fight poverty and injustice around the world and make change a reality.

This is just the start of the many thousands of individuals and organisations who made their mark this year. You are all our superheroes!

Back page Photo: Pablo Tosco/Oxfam

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