Oxfam Express NOV 2016
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Issue 56 oxfam express NOV 2016 樂施 • 四十 共創 • 無窮 FOUR DECADES, ONE MISSION: END POVERTY www.oxfam.org.hk OxfamHongKong (852) 3120 5000 [email protected] OXFAM HONG KONG: 17/F, China United Centre, 28 Marble Road, North Point, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 3120 5000 Fax: (852) 2590 6880 Oxfam Hong Kong – Macau Office: Alameda Dr. Carlos d'Assumpção, No.258, Praça Kin Heng Long, 18 Andar F, Macau (Toll Free Hotline: 0800 809) Oxfam Hong Kong Interactive Education Centre: 9/F, China United Centre, 28 Marble Road, North Point, Hong Kong Printed on recycled paper The Oxfam Shop: LG 8, Jardine House, 1 Connaught Place (Tel: 2522 1765) using soy oil-based ink World without poverty Inequality breeds poverty One in nine people Half of the Roughly 2.5 billion farmers The 80 per cent of the world's population richest 1 per cent worldwide go to bed hungry every night. who grow food for us live on US$1 a day. now have more wealth than the rest of the world combined. can only share 20 per cent of the world's resources. Inequality, unfair allocation of resources and policy failure result in hundreds of millions of people not being able to escape poverty. Photo: Sam Tarling/Oxfam rights and dignity.and developmental Economic and opportunities, social development limited allocation along with of resources,globalisation and have the denialfurther of deprivation suchIts asdefinition the lackeconomic, ofincludes access cultural, tobothproblem education, material social that Povertyhealth,andis affectedand structural medicalisnon-material a bycomplicated factors.political, care complicated poverty issues: the gap between the rich and poor is growing; opportunities for upward mobility for the poor are far and few between; and gender inequality continues to hinder women from leading better lives. 1 Is this the world and future we want? Sources: Oxfam, The Food and Agriculture Organisation Oxfam believes that every creature on earth is interdependent. As long as each one of us takes action, we can tackle inequality. The causes of poverty Unfair trade hinders farmer Inequality breeds hunger Climate Change deepens development According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the poverty Around 80 per cent of the world’s hungry United Nations, the world produces enough wheat, rice and Inequality is not simply monetary. Nearly population are farmers, fishermen, other grains to feed an estimated 7.4 billion of its half of the global greenhouse gas pastoralists and farm labourers who are population. Global food production is in fact growing emissions, for instance, is produced by mostly from Africa. The existing food faster than population growth. Thus, the world’s hunger the richest one per cent. Their high grain production system has unfair problem is not because of insufficient food production carbon-producing lifestyles have political, economic and other systemic but due to the unequal and unfair distribution of accelerated climate change, bringing factors that hinder small scale farmers resources, which leave the poor with limited access to great environmental damage. The poor, from gaining access to land, water and land, reasonable wages, education and other resources. on the other hand, have to bear the other national resources to improve their consequence. In East and West Africa, lives. For example, one fifth of Ethiopia’s continuous droughts have caused crop population failure and the death of a large number engage in of livestock, putting hundreds of millions coffee planting of poor farmers at risk of food insecurity. or processing for a living. However, their livelihood Photo: Ricky Wong/Oxfam cannot be Take India as an example. Over 80 per cent of rural women improved there make a living from farming, but only 10 per cent of because of the them own land. Moreover, it is only those with land who can unfair trading mortgage their land for loans to develop their livelihoods, or system. benefit from the government’s development scheme; most landless women thus miss out on these vital opportunities. Photo: Pablo Tosco/Oxfam A holistic approach tackling inequality Supporting Empowering women to fight Tackling the root causes of communities to learn against inequality inequality skills for self-reliance The right to gender justice underpins all Through community-led development The lack of educational of Oxfam’s work. Through direct service, programmes, the poor can build their capacity opportunities and skills capacity building, public education, and confidence for long-term and sustainable result in poor communities advocacy and campaigns, we safeguard development. Furthermore, by advocating for failing to lift themselves out the rights of women and vulnerable policy change on the national and of poverty. With skills groups. We also promote awareness of international levels, we can tackle the root training and the necessary gender equality and anti-gender-based causes of inequality. violence among different groups. tools, they are better Oxfam actively conducts policy research, equipped to achieve advocacy and public education work to sustainable development. Photo: Christina Chan/Oxfam promote fair trade as well as pro-poor social Oxfam has been supporting local organisations in Laos and economic development models. We also since 1994. Somvong, a farmer from Huaphan Province, lobby governments, international institutions has learnt some farming techniques and received new and business corporations to implement fair rice seeds for planting. He has also taken part in a study policies on land rights, industrial and tour to learn about new farming skills in aother province. agricultural issues, taxation, trade, health care, education, and housing. We call on ‘The new seeds that Oxfam introduced grow faster than Photo: Aubrey Wale/Oxfam governments to allocate better resources to traditional ones, taking only four months to harvest. In Tika Darlami (centre) participates in support poor communities to cope with the the past, I could only yield 700 kg of rice, but with the women's group meetings in Nepal. She impacts of climate change. new seeds, the yield has increased to 1,000 kg. I have said, ‘We meet regularly to discuss For the purpose of raising public awareness enough food to feed my children now,’ he said happily. issues affecting our community. We about the problem of inequality, Oxfam learn about our rights and legal launched the ‘Even It Up’ campaign worldwide protection afforded under Nepali law. in 2014. A diverse groundswell of voices joined We find solidarity and support amongst us in this campaign, including billionaires, Making the voices of poor communities heard each other in the group.’ faith leaders and heads of influential When people have the power to claim their basic human The women’s groups are part of Oxfam’s institutions, such as the International rights, they can lift themselves out of poverty for good. Raising Her Voice programme. This Monetary Fund and the World Bank, as well as This core belief underpins our development programmes global programme has been trade unions, social movements, women’s in more than 90 countries. With our partners, allies and implemented in 17 countries, and aims organisations and millions of ordinary people with local communities, we help people fight for their to promote the rights and ability of poor across the globe. Together, we demand that own rights. women to increase their influence and leaders around the world take action to tackle ensure their voices are heard. extreme inequality, which breeds poverty. 2 Work report Working against poverty for 40 years Since its establishment in 1976, Oxfam Hong Kong (OHK) has been committed to helping people lift themselves out of poverty through our integrated, community-driven development programmes. In the past four decades, we have continued to tackle injustice and inequality through advocacy, campaigns and public education. 2016 marks OHK’s 40th anniversary. Over the years, we have worked to mobilise support and make the voices of vulnerable communities heard to fight against poverty. Below is a brief list of our important milestones. Looking forward, we will continue to work with poor and vulnerable communities, partner organisations and supporters like you to build a world without poverty. 1984 1976 Famine relief in Ethiopia: this was OHK’s first 1992 A group of volunteers relief initiative in Africa. Since then, we have • Set up the first OHK project office in Kunming, Yunnan, China. set up OHK. One of our supported community-based programmes, • Established Oxfam China Development Fund, and since then, first initiatives in the including sustainable livelihoods, basic with public donations amounting to over HK$1 billion, OHK has 1970s and 1980s was to infrastructure and education, health service, been supporting anti-poverty and humanitarian work in China, advocate for justice for HIV and AIDS awareness and prevention, these include projects in rural and urban livelihoods, disaster Vietnamese refugees advocacy of fair trade and food justice, and preparedness and risk reduction, basic education, gender who fled to Hong Kong humanitarian relief work in more than 20 equality, HIV and AIDS prevention, advocacy and campaigns. during the Vietnam War. countries across the continent. 2010 • Responded swiftly to Haiti and Qinghai earthquakes, and major floods and droughts through fundraising and providing humanitarian relief. • Launched Survey of Social 2008 Responsibility in Leading 2009 Responded to Wenchuan Earthquake in Agricultural Enterprises in China Continued to raise public awareness about climate China. OHK allocated HK$32 million to as an advocacy initiative to change through public education and campaigns. We support emergency relief efforts and the influence corporate practices. launched the Combat Climate Change Coalition with 29 first stage of a rehabilitation programme. non-governmental We then rolled out a HK$144 million organisations to five-year plan for long-term recovery. urge the Hong Kong government to adopt climate-proof policies. • Supported a five-year strategic programme2011 in Africa to enable poor communities to make their voices heard, particularly marginalised women.