Oxfam GB-India

Oxfam GB was set up in 1942 at Oxford , UK, as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief in response to hunger and famine in Greece. Today, Oxfam GB is a member of Oxfam International, a growing worldwide movement of 12 non-governmental organisations that share the same goal and together work in more than 100 countries. Other Oxfam International members are Oxfam America, Oxfam-Solidarite (Belgium), Oxfam Canada, Oxfam Community Aid Abroad (Australia), Oxfam Hong Kong, Intermon Oxfam (Spain), Oxfam Ireland, Novib-Oxfam Netherlands, Oxtam New Zealand and Oxfam Quebec.

Oxfam GB’s first overseas programme was in India. Registered as Oxfam (India) Trust to work in India, we operate through a network of six offices located in New Delhi, (National Office) Lucknow (for Uttar Pradesh,, Uttaranchal, Madhya Pradesh), Ahmedabad (Gujarat, Rajasthan), Heyderabad (Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra), Bhubaneswar (Orissa, Jharkhand), and Kolkata (West Bengal, Bihar, Assam).

Oxfam’s Mission

Oxfam works with others to find lasting solutions to overcome poverty and suffering.

Oxfam’s Focus

> Secure a right to livelihoods.

> Promote education and health.

> Reduce vulnerability to natural disasters and conflict.

> Ensure the right to be heard.

> Ensure gender equality and freedom from discrimination.

Oxfam’s Culture

> Make a difference

> Be collaborative

> Be accountable

> Be cost-effective

> Be innovative

Half-a-Century’s Partnership and Involvement

Oxfam GB believes in the dignity of people and their capacity to overcome their problems. Oxfam and its partners work with the poorest and the most vulnerable in their struggle against poverty, suffering and injustice. In India for more than 50 years, (since 1951) Oxfarn GB has supported and nurtured several innovations and new initiatives by small and upcoming social activists. Many of these organisations and individuals have since become role models in the field of development practice. Today, Oxfam’s dual mandate of humanitarian response and development work has broadened. As a campaign organisation, Oxfarn speaks out globally on behalf of the poor people on issue such as trade and violence, advocating changes in policies and practices that keep poor people poor. The campaigns are inspired by Oxfam GB’s grassroots experience in over 80 countries. Oxfarn operates in most of the states with its different offices in different parts of the country.

Priority Programmes

Livelihoods

A majority of poor people, especially women and marginalised groups like adivasis and dalits, have insecure livelihoods. The situation is worse for people who live in disaster prone areas.

Qxfam’s work on livelihoods in lndia is it oldest and largest programme, focusing on three main areas:

> Improving economic, security of small producers and farmers, especially women and those vulnerable to natural disasters.

> Expanding access to better and fairer markets.

> Safeguarding rights of the urban poor.

This Programme

> Builds community organisations, assets and infrastructure.

> Establishes rights, particularly of women, over natural and productive resources, namely, land, water and forests.

> Improves the quality of natural and productive resources by promoting appropriate sustainable management practice.

> Ensures greater access to markets for poor producer groups, particularly women’s groups, on fair terms.

> Improves working conditions and secures labour rights, particularly for women, in the unorganised sector.

> Integrates community-based disaster mitigation and disaster preparedness initiatives.

> Promotes access to basic services like health and education.

> Influences policy and practice so that these are pro-poor and gender-just.

Gender Equality

Different forms of discrimination, oppression and violence against women cut across class, caste, religion and ethnic groups.

Oxfam’s work on gender aims to secure gender equality at all levels and strives to create a fundamental shift in the perceptions, attitudes and behaviors of women and men to end violence against women.

This programme

> Views through a gender perspective all work undertaken by the organisation and its partners.

> Generates public awareness and debate on violence against women at home and at the workplace.

> Provides shelter, legal aid, medical aid and counseling to victims of violence.

> Supports trading an gender sensitization of a authorities dealing directly with violence against women.

> Advocates for legislation to safeguard women from domestic violence.

Disaster Preparedness & Response

India is prone to recurring natural disasters like droughts, cyclones, floods and earthquakes. Poor people, especially women and children, are more vulnerable to these disasters. Oxfam’s humanitarian programme responds to disaster and builds a culture of disaster preparedness through a two-pronged approach:

> Integrating community-based disaster preparedness and mitigation with security of livelihoods for vulnerable communities.

> Strengthening skills and capacities for disaster preparedness and response at various levels by working with communities, local NGOs, local administration, state and national government as well as with international NGOs and donors.

This programme

> Maps distastes on an ongoing basis.

> Provides immediate relief to people affected by natural and man-made disasters.

> Networks with organizations with similar mandates to respond to emergencies in a coordinated manner.

> Supports community-based disaster preparedness work.

> Ensures gender is mainstreamed in all aspects of disaster preparedness and response.

> Builds capacities of civil society organisations and the government for disaster preparedness and response.

> Influences policies and practices on disaster preparedness and disaster response.

> Advocates international standards of quality for humanitarian aid.

Girl’s Education

Though more girls are going to school today, their literacy levels continue to lag behind those of boys. Girls from dalit, adivasi and other marginalised sections of society as well as those living in difficult circumstances face more barriers.

Oxfam’s programme on education promotes rights of vulnerable girls to quality education.

This programme

> Supports grassroots initiatives that can serve as best practice models.

> Encourages adult education with a focus on women.

> Advocates for a conducive policy environment for universal primary education.

Response to Conflict & Peace Building

In India’s pluralistic society people from different religious, ethnic backgrounds, classes and castes live and work together. Yet, there are conflicts and women are often the worst victims. Oxfam’s work on peace building focuses on reduction of soceital conflict, building of communal harmony and strengthening of peace processes.

This programme

> Responds to the immediate needs of affected communities.

> Supports initiatives to understand and analyses conflict situations.

> Promotes alternate, peaceful ways of resolving conflicts.

> Aids peace process, especially involving the youth.

> Documents women’s experiences of suffering and coping with societal conflicts.

HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS, despite interventions by the government and NGOs, remains a major challenge. Lack of awareness and access to public health services make the situation critical.

Oxfam’s work on HIV/AIDS focuses on prevention strategies and access to care, support services and treatment.

This programme

> Generates awareness about HIV/AIDS.

> Encourages innovative care structures for those affected by HIV/AIDS.

> Supports behavioral change processes to prevent and contain HIV/AIDS.

> Builds capacities of diverse groups, like traditional birth attendants, drug users, women’s groups, networkers of dalit people, commercial sex workers and pinhead members, to deal with HIV/AIDS.

> Campaigns to integrate HIV/AIDS into health care provisional.

> Advocates for increased access to medicine and care programmes to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

> Fosters networks for policy advocacy.

> Promotes integration of HIV/AIDS into all development initiatives.

Priority Campaigns

Make Trade Fair Campaign

The Make Trade Fair (MTF) campaign is the cornerstone of our livelihoods programme. We believe that trade can be a powerful engine for economic growth in developing countries if the rules are not rigged in favour of rich nations.

Oxfam’s global research report, ‘Rigged Rules and Double standards’ argues for new forms of international cooperation and a new architecture of the WTO to enable poor producers in developing countries to avail opportunities that trade creates. Oxfam’s ‘Cut the Cost’ campaign, within the larger MTF campaign, lobbies for greater access to medicines for the poor in developing countries.

The MTF campaign is against.

> Agriculture export subsidies given by rich nation. This depresses international prices and deprives poor farmers in developing countries getting fair returns through exports.

> Practices of Transnational Corporations (TNCs) that prevent poor producers from getting a fair price for their products and exploit labour down the value chain.

> Patents on durgs which hinder access to affordable medinces. This has pernicious effects on public health in the poorest nations of the world.

The campaign creates space for civil society to engage with global trade issues through awareness generation and public debate. Popular events help carry voices of the poor farmers and producers to national and international trade negotiation fora. The campaign lobbies governments to change the rigged rules.

In India, the campaign focuses on food security and livelihoods concerns in agricultural commodities; TRIPS and public health; and nature of employment in the unorganised sector.

Campaign to End Violence Against Women

The Campaign to End Violence Against Women (CEVAW) is pivotal to our Gender Equality programme. CEVAW, to be launched soon, will strengthen ongoing efforts of Oxfam and its partners to end violence against women in India. It will focus on changing attitudes, behaviors and practices of men and women that justify and perpetuate violence. Oxfam will work with civil society groups and build on its grassroots work and experiences across the county. CEVAW is poised to unfold in the five countries of South Asia to highlight different manifestations of violence. In India, CEVAW will focus on domestic violence.

Contacts

New Delhi

C-5 Qutub Institutional Area, New Delhi -110016

Tel : 011 265164 81/87, 011 268566 38/89

[email protected]

Lucknow

1-Dilbagh, Butler Road,

Lucknow – 226 001, Uttar Pradesh

Telefax: 0522 22047 83-85

[email protected]

Ahmedabad

1st Floor Manikyam Building, Opp. Samudra Annexe,