Oxfam ExchSPRINGa 2006 nge CHALLENGING INJUSTICE R HEALTH CRISIS SPURS CAMPAIGN R COFFEE FARMERS DEMAND FOR ENVIRONMENT IN PERU ROLE IN INTERNATIONAL COFFEE ORGANIZATION R CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING GOLD MINING GROWS AS JEWELERS SPEAK OUT R CITIZENS WORK FOR PEACE IN AFRICA [email protected] 800/77-OXFAM [email protected] Washington, DC20036 USA Wendy Sherman Margaret Samuriwo Mary Racelis Jennifer Leaning,M.D. Natalie Hahn Kate Greswold Local 5 Union, Local2020 (Boston) and b Oxfam employees are represented hunger, andsocialinjustice. Benne James Down Michael Carter John Calmore David Bryer The Honorable Chester Atkins Akw Roger Widmann Kitt Sawitsky cr Oxfam Americaiscommitt P David Doniger L. David Brown K Pr Raymond C.Offenheiser Chair Jane BO OXFAM AMERICA 1 W 2 MAIN OFFICE Graphic Designer J C S W C Managing Editor D Spring 2006 V OXFAM EXCHANGE ANDREA PERERA COCO McCABE Boston, MA021 EFF DEUTSCH 1 e y Ser olume 6,Number2 6 W TEPHEN GREENE apil Jain opy Editor eating la HRIS HUFSTADER 12 16th St.NW IANE SHOHET riters ASHINGT esident ter C.Munson ARD OFDIRECT asi Aidoo t A.McKinle e vice Emplo t st Str t F 00 (Washington, DC). sting solutionst r eeman ee ON OFFICE t 1 1-1206 USA y ee y s Int OR ernational o po S ed t verty, o can bedefeated. Photo by Jeff Deutsch/Oxfam America CO VER: P ar ticipants inaMak sit T achieve ourmission. out alloftheadv not have any dollarrestrictions onlobbying, soitwillenableOxfamto carry The OxfamAmericaA to ourefforts to overcomeessential poverty, hunger andinjustice. w The OxfamAmericaAdvocacy Fund isanew nonprofit organization that W Announcing aNe o findoutmor as founded by OxfamAmericato advocacy support efforts that are e are pleased to announcetheOxfamAmericaAdvocacy Fund. W e at Send emailto Editor, We welcome readers’ commentsandideas. Please includeyour nameandaddress andmailto: letters as possible,butreserve therightto editforspaceandclarity. e T rit r ade F contents www e t Oxfam Exchange, air campaigne 5-14 o us! .oaaf.org [email protected] 4 3 e abouttheOxfamAmericaA ocacy andlobb R R R R CHALLENGING INJUSTICE POLICY UPDATE: RIGHT NOW: R R WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION v ent inFlorida.Itis only whenpeoplest . Oxfam America,26 West Street, Boston, MA02111-1206 Coldplay Campaignsto Make Trade Fair Health CrisisSpurs Campaign forEnvironment inPeru From OneVoice to aChorus:Residents Organize Controversy Surrounding GoldMiningGrows as Citizens Work forPeace andJusticeinAfrica Coffee Farmers DemandRole inInternational in theGulfCoa Jewelers, IndigenousCommunity Leaders SpeakOut Coffee Organization dvocacy Fund isa501c(4) organization that does w Organization: ying actionstha or faxto AMPLIFYING AGLOBALVOICE st FAILING TO BEFAIR AT THE 617-728-2596 dv and upcallfor changethatpo ocacy Fund, visittheWeb t w e feelar . We willprintas many e nece ssary t verty o Amplifying a Global Voice w The Role of Advocacy and Lobbying at Oxfam. o by John Ambler n Oxfam America is well-known for community-level work in the fight against global poverty. But laws at the national or even international level can also obstruct t A

the path to positive social change. Along with our extensive fieldwork, it’s essential C I R E M A h that we work to put in place—and implement—policies and laws that reduce

M A F

poverty and social injustice. X O / g H C S i We refer to our efforts to change policies as “advocacy” and to change laws as T U E D

F r

“lobbying.” In Washington, DC, Oxfam America, local partners, and allies are F E advocating for Gulf Coast hurricane survivors to receive sufficient US J government funds to rebuild their homes and jobs. In Africa, our regional office John Ambler is Senior Vice President for Programs at Oxfam and partners were instrumental in the drafting and passage of the Mozambique America. Family Law—a landmark piece of legislation granting women many social and economic rights previously denied them. Reforming local and national laws often has an impact on a broader audience. For example, we work to ensure fair prices and access to marketplaces for small-scale coffee farmers in Central America and Ethiopia. Our advocacy efforts must reach out not only to local merchants controlling the markets but also to transnational organizations setting the rules for the coffee trade. With a more level playing field, coffee-growing families as far away as Asia benefit from receiving a fair price for their produce.

Real change requires more than just recognizing what needs to be different. People need to get involved, to make their voices heard, and to ask government decision makers to change unjust laws. Their voices need to be heard in many different forums—national and international, global and local. And Oxfam helps amplify these voices.

We also use advocacy to press for change on a global scale. At the recent World Trade Organization negotiations in Hong Kong, we joined our international allies in speaking up for more favorable trade arrangements for developing countries. As our lobbying and advocacy grow in scope, we recognize that these are specialized activities with particular legal and resource needs. We are excited to launch a separate institution—the Oxfam America Advocacy Fund—that will work E

specifically on lobbying for legal changes that benefit the poor at home and across G N

the world. With enhanced capability, and the involvement of more supporters than A H

ever, we believe there are few limits to the positive changes we can achieve. C X E

M A F X O

3 Failing to be Fair e

t World Trade Organization fails to reform farm policies.

a The World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting last December could have been something to celebrate. Gathered together in Hong Kong, world leaders had a d huge opportunity: They could have lifted millions out of poverty by reforming farm programs that reward industrial farms and punish small-scale farmers. p Oxfam America called for elimination of programs that prevent small farmers and u those in developing countries from getting a fair price for their products, among

other reforms. Right now, the US doles out billions in agriculture subsidies, which y disproportionately go to mega-farms. These farms then overproduce their crops and

c flood international markets, causing prices to drop and making it impossible for i family farmers in the US and places like Mali, Benin, and Senegal to compete. l Changing trade rules could have reduced the inequities in US farm policy. But o WTO ministers didn’t go for it. They didn’t agree to reform agriculture subsidies in a meaningful way, or open their markets to developing countries. p “This is profoundly disappointing and a betrayal of development promises by rich countries, whose interests have prevailed yet again,” said Oxfam’s Phil Bloomer, Head of the International Make Trade Fair campaign.

WHAT’S NEXT There is some good news. Oxfam has several other opportuni- ties to Make Trade Fair in the coming year. We will continue to influence lawmakers to shift farm payments that go to huge M A

F operations to more sustainable agriculture programs that X O

N benefit smaller farmers in the US and don’t harm developing Ó M R

E country farmers. We will also look at these and other issues of T N I / S

E importance to poor people, such as easy access to cheap L A U N

I medicines, in the handful of regional free trade agreements V

D I

V currently being negotiated in places like the Andes, southeast A D Asia, and southern Africa. Activists outside WTO meeting called for an end to poverty. “Oxfam delivered the Big Noise petition to the Director General of the WTO and the US Trade Representative with almost 18 million signatures. Together, we showed world leaders there is growing support for fair trade policies that will lift people out of poverty. While we are not there yet, we are getting closer by the day,” said Vicky Rateau, Trade Campaign Manager. “With some help, we can make sure world leaders agree to a meaningful plan toward reducing global poverty.”

ACT NOW: SIGN UP TO THE BIG NOISE E G

N Join millions of people around the world who are A

H calling for decision makers to make trade fair. Go to C X

E www.maketradefair.com to sign the petition!

M A F X O

4 A C I R E M A

M A F X O / N O S R E V L O W

A Y O CHALLENGING R INJUSTICE

Together, we can end poverty. We share this vision with the many partners we work with, providing them with funding and support. But, we can’t end poverty by treating its most visible symptoms. Simple relief is not enough. Oxfam America knows that real change requires more than recognizing what needs to be different. National or international laws and policies can obstruct the path to positive social change. People need to get involved, to make their voices heard, and to ask government decision makers to change unjust laws that keep many in poverty. The stories that follow show how citizen action can change unjust policies and laws. Your voice can stop corporate environmental abuses and destructive mining practices. Your voice can influence reform of farm programs that reward industrial- sized farms and punish small-scale farmers. Together, we have the chance to make change happen. Together, we can challenge injustice. Read more to find out how.

Above: A flyer distributed at the annual People’s Social Forum in Mali, an annual event promoting citizen involvement in social policy, government accountability, and fighting poverty. CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING GOLD MINING GROWS AS JEWELERS, INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY LEADERS SPEAK OUT

By Andrea Perera

The ad was pretty hard to miss. A heart-shaped gold locket dangled responsibili- from the top of the page. Within it were two images that symbolize the ties in part environmental and human toll of gold mining: a “Danger: Cyanide” sign because the people who posted in front of a Nevada mine and a child toiling outside a Congo mine. live near mines traveled The No Dirty Gold campaign, a joint JEWELERS TAKE A STAND the globe to share effort between Oxfam America and AGAINST ‘DIRTY’ GOLD their concerns. Earthworks, a nonprofit environmental The “Leaders and Laggards” ads organization, purchased the New York marked the first time eight of the Last spring, community lead- Times ad this February to publicize world’s top jewelry retailers pledged ers from five countries attended a both the jewelry “leaders,” who have to move away from “dirty” gold sales shareholders meeting of the made in-principle commitments to and call on mining corporations to Newmont Mining Corporation in source more responsibly produced reform their practices. Colorado and spoke directly to the gold and the “laggard” companies that CEO about the social and environ- The leading jewelers endorsed princi- have yet to do so. mental costs of mines. Last fall, ples that include respect for human community leaders from three The ads culminated an amazing second rights; free, prior, and informed consent countries visited US mining colleges to year for the campaign, which is working of affected communities; respect for talk about the mining industry’s to end destructive mining practices, workers’ rights; and protection of parks impact on their communities. And educate consumers about gold mining’s and waterways from mining waste. last winter, a Guatemalan contingent impacts, and build consumer support Jewelers such as Zale Corporation, met with Paul Wolfowitz, president of for industry reform. During the past Tiffany & Company, and Helzberg the World Bank, to talk about the several months, indigenous community Diamonds represent influential voices future of an open pit mine. representatives have spoken out, because they are some of mining supporters have sent thousands of corporations’ biggest customers. Most The visits had real and lasting results. encouraging e-mails, and major news of the gold produced worldwide—80 Newmont agreed to have regular outlets have published in-depth percent—is used to make jewelry. meetings with the Western Shoshone reports about the negative effects of and to support the establishment of an “Some of the leading jewelry retailers gold mining. independent monitoring mechanism are recognizing that they have a for one of its new projects in Ghana. “This year was a major milestone for responsibility not only to their cus- And as a result of a presentation at the our efforts to reform the global mining tomers but also to communities affected Colorado School of Mines, professors industry,” said Keith Slack, campaign by gold mining,” said Carrie Dann of developed a groundbreaking course manager and senior policy advisor at the Western Shoshone Defense for mining students that will analyze Oxfam America. “The public has Project, an Oxfam America partner the social and community issues related become increasingly aware of the organization based in Nevada. to mining.

E impacts of mining, and responsible G Speaking of the campus mining tour, N jewelry companies now realize that they INDIGENOUS LEADERS SPEAK A

H need to take action to help make gold TO CEO, TOP OFFICIAL Mario Tema, an indigenous community C

X leader from Sipacapa, Guatemala, said: E Mining corporations and jewelry mining less harmful to communities

M “This was a very important initiative

A and the environment.” retailers began to recognize their F X O

6 the sale of public lands to mining and other commercial interests without the What is Free, Prior, and consultation of local communities, Informed Consent? campaign supporters sent more than 13,000 e-mails and made The No Dirty Gold campaign calls on hundreds of phone calls. the mining industry to recognize the Congressional leaders eventu- rights of communities and to respect ally withdrew the legislation. the environment. The right of free, Meanwhile, since the No prior, and informed consent gives Dirty Gold campaign was indigenous peoples and local commu- launched two years ago, more nities the ability to decide if, when, than 30,000 consumers have and how mining projects proceed on signed a petition urging mining their land. International conventions corporations to produce gold and national laws support this right. more responsibly. Some identified with the environ- mental messages. Others wanted to support the communities living near the mines, who want a say in develop- because we spoke to ments on their own land. Daniel Owusu-Koranteng of Ghana was among representatives people who are the next generation of “What we’re talking about is the life of the mining industry. They need to from five countries who attended a shareholders meeting of future generations,” said Dann. “Not Newmont Mining Corporation in Colorado. "We ask that know the impacts of the industry they just Indian children, but all children.” the company stop polluting our oceans and freshwater with are preparing to enter. And they need mining waste, stay out of our protected forests, and only to learn how to operate with respect mine with the informed consent of communities," said Owusu-Koranten. for indigenous peoples.”

CAMPAIGN SUPPORTERS CONTACT CORPORATIONS AND ELECTED OFFICIALS As representatives from affected communities spoke out, No Dirty Gold campaign supporters used their consumer power to help. Last October, during the runup to the “Leaders and Laggards” ads, the campaign’s online community sent Zale Corporation and other jewelers approximately 30,000 faxes asking F F

them to clean up dirty gold sales. O K A W About 100 activists made personal Y E L D phone calls to several stores. That A R response helped move Zales from the B Laggard to Leader category in the New York Times ad. ACT NOW: SUPPORT THE NO DIRTY GOLD CAMPAIGN Then, in December, when US Rep. E G

Visit www.nodirtygold.org and sign the No Dirty Gold N

Richard W. Pombo, a Republican from A

pledge to end destructive gold mining practices. H California, introduced an amendment C X E to a budget bill that would have allowed M A F X O

7 A C I R E M A

M A F X O

/ Carol Schieffler of Lafitte, Louisiana, earns his living by making nets for shrimp G N

E fishermen. His shop got flooded in the storms. But worse than that, his business H C

A has dried up since the hurricanes damaged many of the fishermen's boats, putting I L U J them out of work.

FROM ONE VOICE TO A CHORUS: RESIDENTS ORGANIZE IN THE GULF COAST

by Coco McCabe Davida Finger’s little rental car had bounced along so many bayou roads of Gene Adam, a fifth-generation and zipped down countless swamp overpasses that when she turned it in shrimp fisherman in Lafitte, La. Nearly at the end of the month, the agent did a double take: 4,000 miles? In two hours later she emerges into the dark night, her notebook packed with the six weeks since Finger joined Oxfam America as a state coordinator, facts about the devastation the hurri- she has been crisscrossing the parishes of southern Louisiana, weaving a canes have brought to this little fishing web of connections between working folks hit hard by hurricanes Katrina community in Jefferson Parish. Adam’s and Rita and the nonprofit groups and governmental agencies that can boat sank during Katrina. He was able help them recover. to salvage it, but repairs are going to cost him $50,000. Since the string of hurricanes tore “We saw what happened early on in Down the road a piece, she hears from across the Gulf Coast last year, Oxfam New Orleans and East Biloxi when Carol Schieffler, a net maker who lost America has joined together with a marginalized communities aren’t taken two-thirds of his business when the growing number of local organizations into account,” said Ashley Tsongas, storms hit. From Butchie Caulfield, to marshal support for the region’s Oxfam policy adviser. “That neglect Finger learns that Rita was the final poorest people and seek a greater will happen again in the rebuilding blow, on top of his poor health and investment of federal dollars in their phase unless people have a chance to spiraling fishing costs, that convinced futures. The aim is to ensure that their influence the process.” him to sell his shrimp boat. And E

G voices—their needs, their dreams—are N through all these conversations runs a

A And that’s where Finger comes in.

H heard as reconstruction funds get common theme: Louisiana’s marshes

C Darting out of her car and through the X stretched thin across Louisiana, E are disappearing. pelting rain, she ducks into the house

M Mississippi, and Florida. A F X O

8 “There’s no more marsh to protect A FIGHT FOR FEDERAL DOLLARS adviser, spent the day before the us,” said Adam. “There’s no place for On a broader scale, Oxfam has also notification deadline hammering out the water to go but up.” been working to influence affairs at their ideas with the help of three com- Coastal erosion and the effect it is the state and federal levels. Addressing puters and one testy printer. Their having on rural Louisianan’s homes the challenge Biloxi City Councilman biggest concern was the block and jobs is just one of a host of issues Bill Stallworth faced in trying to get grants—and how to ensure that the Finger is piecing together into a mosaic assistance from the Federal Emergency legislature had a chance to influence of community concerns for which she Management Agency (FEMA) for a their allocation. hopes to mobilize broad support with poor section of the city severely “The amount of money coming in is the help of Sharie Blanton, a field damaged by Katrina, Oxfam arranged about the same as the annual budget humanitarian coordinator for Oxfam. for him to make a trip to Washington. for Mississippi,” said Tsongas. “At the “I’m trying to bring people together who He made sure the Mississippi delegation same time, given the magnitude of the are working on similar issues so they can in Congress knew just how bad things disaster and reconstruction needs, those speak with one voice,” said Finger. were in his flooded and flattened funds will need to be dispensed wisely neighborhood, and shortly afterwards and fairly so that people who need it MIRA MAKES A MARK IN FEMA set up an emergency relief most get the help they desperately MISSISSIPPI center in East Biloxi. need. Representatives of the impacted communities should oversee that While the effort to unite these voices As the federal government got ready to process.” The oversight bill the team in Louisiana is just getting underway, allocate $5.1 billion in community provided ideas for that day was still similar advocacy efforts in Mississippi development block grants to help the alive and working its way through the are already producing results. With state recover, Mississippi legislators system as of mid-February—a testament Oxfam’s help, the Mississippi began to convene for their annual to its value. Immigrants Rights Alliance (MIRA)— once a tiny organization with a budget of $2,500—has become a leading advocate for immigrants who are “A big part of what we’re doing is empowering people to helping to rebuild the coast. make their voices heard.” Immigrants have faced a host of unfair practices, including evictions from —Safiya Daniels, Community Development Specialist, Oxfam America their living quarters and non-payment of wages. “Our advocacy is not spearheaded by three-month session. How would those Meanwhile, down on the coast, Safiya ideology or opinion. It’s spearheaded billions of dollars be spent? At the Daniels, a community development by fact,” said Alejandro Rosales, an urging of several legislators, the state specialist for Oxfam, was putting Oxfam America rights specialist on chapter of the National Association for together a flyer alerting folks to what loan to MIRA. “When MIRA talks the Advancement of Colored People was at stake with the block grants, and about inhumane living and working (NAACP) and Oxfam offered ideas for urging residents to call for a fair distri- conditions, we’ve witnessed these bills the lawmakers filed that would bution of the funds. About 1,000 things firsthand.” And the agency has ensure that a fair portion of the money people sent letters to their legislators. fought to correct them. was directed toward housing for the “A big part of what we’re doing is Many of the workers MIRA has people who need it most. empowering people to make their encountered have been cheated out of Huddled with a small group in the voices heard,” said Daniels. “This is their pay, said Bill Chandler, the Jackson office of NAACP State challenging work, given the historical alliance president, adding that MIRA President Derrick Johnson, Oxfam’s context, and I don’t know that many has pursued a number of avenues to Mississippi program coordinator other groups are doing it.” address the problem and has success- Deborah Bey, and Tsongas, the policy E fully recovered more than $200,000 in G N A

pay owed to workers. H C X E

M A F X O

9 HEALTH CRISIS SPURS CAMPAIGN FOR ENVIRONMENT IN PERU Heavy pollution in a highland city prompts citizen action in Peru—and North America

by Chris Hufstader

The smoke from the metal smelter in La Oroya, Peru, rolls down the street and drifts off into the hills, spreading sulfur dioxide fumes and lead dust everywhere. “I come here every day,” said a taxi driver delivering visitors to the city from Lima, four hours away on the coast. “My eyes burn and my throat hurts. The air is very polluted in La Oroya.” Since the metal-processing plant was established in 1922 to melt down ore and produce copper, gold, lead, and silver, pollution has spread up and down the highland valley and city of La Oroya, where 30,000 people live at 12,200 feet above sea level. The aging metal smelter in La Oroya, Peru, is the primary source of lead dust and sulfur dioxide emissions The people of La Oroya are in a contributing to the public health crisis in the city. challenging situation: The very plant that supports them and the entire was supposed to be reducing lead and La Oroya in a state of emergency. region’s economy is also polluting sulfur dioxide emissions as well as MOSAO also called for letters from their city. Recent studies by the US improving wastewater treatment. citizens to show widespread support Centers for Disease Control, the Despite some small improvements, for their campaign. By the end of University of St. Louis, and Peru’s severe pollution continues, and February, it had gathered more than Ministry of Health have similar many fear that the company will con- 16,000 letters. conclusions: Blood lead levels of tinue to postpone efforts to clean up Oxfam has also helped build interest children near the plant are as much as the operations. for MOSAO’s campaign in North 10 times higher than those permitted America. When Oxfam asked 190,000 by the World Health Organization. LETTERS SUPPORT CAMPAIGN of its online activists to join the letter- Air pollution is also exposing people So how can citizens push a powerful, writing campaign, more than 7,600 to sulfur dioxide, cadmium, and arsenic, foreign-owned company to respect their people responded. all known to cause respiratory diseases right to live in a clean environment? and cancer. Lead poisoning among The La Oroya Movement for Health Oxfam is also calling on Doe Run’s children near the plant is particularly (known by its Spanish initials customers for help. Johnson Controls, severe: Nearly 99 percent of them have MOSAO) is waging a campaign calling the largest producer of car batteries, elevated blood lead levels. on the government to hold Doe Run buys most of its lead from Doe Run. to its original environmental agreement. Many of these batteries are sold to the The metal-smelting plant was acquired Oxfam America is funding a five- Ford Motor Company and other car by Doe Run Corporation of Missouri member technical committee in La manufacturers. Oxfam is in discussions E in 1997 from the government of Peru. G Oroya that is advising MOSAO.

N with both these companies about ways

A The company has repeatedly postponed

H they can help urge Doe Run to meet its

C full compliance with an environmental MOSAO has support in Peru’s X

E commitments to a clean environment management plan included in the congress, where 13 senators have filed M in Peru. A

F terms of the sale. By 2006 the company a motion to declare the area near X O

10 COLDPLAY CAMPAIGNS TO MAKE TRADE FAIR Coldplay and Oxfam America promote awareness of trade rules that keep farmers in poverty

by Andrea Perera

Coldplay championed the Make Trade Worldwide, the Big Noise petition has Coldplay front man Chris Martin has Fair campaign during the second leg gathered about 18 million signatures, seen firsthand the crippling effects of of its “Twisted Logic” tour, January many of them from poor people living bad trade rules on small farmers after through April. The concerts featured in developing countries such as traveling to both Ghana and Haiti music from the band’s Grammy- Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Zambia. with Oxfam. nominated “X&Y” album and a call to Oxfam delivered the Big Noise to “How on earth could anybody stand sign Oxfam’s Big Noise petition to world trade ministers in December at in a field with these people and say Make Trade Fair. This petition calls on the WTO Ministerial Conference in that it’s the right thing to do to dump world leaders to change trade rules Hong Kong. their excess produce cheaply on a that keep millions of farmers from third world country?” Martin said. making a decent living. “It’s beyond me. But the truth is, the Coldplay has established a deep people responsible haven't talked to commitment to Oxfam the farmers in the areas affected.” America and its causes. In 2003, Oxfam volunteers gathered 10,000 Big Many of the world's biggest stars, including Coldplay’s Noise signatures during Chris Martin, have been “dumped on” in support of Coldplay’s 14-date US Oxfam's campaign to Make Trade Fair. The images tour. In 2005, tell the story about how countries like the US give farm subsidies to industrial-sized farms, leading Oxfam gathered them to overproduce crops like cotton, corn, and 63,600 signatures. rice, which are then dumped at rock-bottom prices on global markets, driving poor farmers out of business. E G N A S H M A C I L X L I E W

G E M R A G F X O

11 A C I R E M A

M A F X O / S R E H C T E P

H T E S

COFFEE FARMERS DEMAND ROLE IN INTERNATIONAL COFFEE ORGANIZATION

by Andrea Perera

The farmers squinted into the cameras, their mouths bound by gags, their hands cupping coffee beans. They stood in silence, demonstrating what it feels like to be cut out of the debate.

Last September, coffee farmers from who are struggling with the changing comes through long-term capital seven countries traveled to Salvador, face of the coffee crisis. investment, access to markets, and Brazil, to add their voices to the political representation. “I wonder if the participants at the World Coffee Conference, a special World Coffee Conference know what meeting of the International Coffee COOPERATIVES IN CRISIS the coffee crisis has truly meant for Organization. The ICO is an intergov- When the international price of coffee producers,” said Pradeep Nandipur of ernmental organization that brings dropped to historic lows in 2001, the Karnataka Growers Federation in together coffee-producing and coffee- family farmers in places like India. “In my region, farmers commit- consuming countries. Guatemala and Ethiopia fell into crisis. ted suicide because they could see no With a glut of coffee on the market, The World Coffee Conference kicked way out of their mounting debt. They many couldn’t find buyers for their off Oxfam America’s campaign to had no way to repay it because their crops. Others couldn’t pull in enough influence the next International Coffee income was gone.”

E profits to pay off their farming expenses

G Agreement which will be negotiated N To survive these challenges, farmers and feed their children. A this year. Oxfam is working to make H

C and farmworkers said they require

X the agreement better reflect the needs Many farmers who survived the price E some stability, the kind that only drop were members of fair trade M and concerns of small-scale farmers A F X O

12 M A A F C X I O R

E N M Ó A

M M R A E F T X N I O / / S O R S E U H C C

T S E E P D

R H U T E O L S

Facing: Fair trade cooperatives are one of few reliable Above: With the help of funding and technical Outside the World Coffee Conference in Brazil, volunteers options for small-scale coffee farmers. “We tell assistance from Oxfam, farmers who joined fair showed how small-scale coffee farmers feel when they are cut [farmers] that they need to think about the future,” trade cooperatives in Ethiopia built elementary out of the debate over their own livelihoods. Inside the said Guillermo Campa, President of the IJATZ schools and water tanks. conference, Oxfam and its partners called for members of cooperative. “Think about the price dropping like it the International Coffee Organization to include small-scale did in the past. If they work with fair trade, they can farmer and farmworker issues in the next International have a stable price.” Coffee Agreement, to be negotiated in 2006.

cooperatives. By agreeing to certain principles, such as transparency with members, democratic elections, and “I wonder if the participants at the World Coffee Conference setting aside a percentage of profits for know what the coffee crisis has truly meant for producers. In the community, cooperative members my region, farmers committed suicide because they could see received a guaranteed minimum price for their crop. no way out of their mounting debt. They had no way to repay it because their income was gone.” “When the prices were low, fair trade was the best market we had,” said —Pradeep Nandipur, Karnataka Growers Federation in India Moise Coz, administrator of the IJATZ coop in Guatemala. Farmers who were part of fair trade But even as farmers were counting the cooperative for less and wait a few cooperatives said they made enough benefits of their fair trade premium, the months for payment. Or they can sell money to buy food, clothe and educate crisis was changing. The price of coffee to middlemen, called coyotes, willing their children, and buy more farmland. began to recover, creating competition to pay a higher up-front price.

Some coops even had enough money between the coops and local middlemen E The cooperatives try to remain com- G to buy mills to process their own representing importers or mega- N A

petitive by using some of their savings H

coffee or to help local schools buy roasters. Some farmers now find C

to pay the difference between their X E chalkboards and desks. themselves in an awkward position.

price and the coyotes’ price. But many M

They can sell their coffee to their A F X O

13 A C I R E M A

M A F X O / S R E H C T E P

H T E S

Cooperatives protect their members when the unexpected happens such as last year’s Hurricane Stan. In Guatemala, individual farmers said they lost between 25 and 100 percent of their coffee production, as well as some livestock and vegetables. Oxfam America has provided a $100,000 grant to help farmers recover.

fall short. They need to use their sav- depend on what happened in the past,” At the World Coffee Conference, ings to pay the administrative staff or said Carlos Reynoso, manager of Manos Oxfam America and its partners pre- electricity bill. In the end, the best Campesinas cooperative in Guatemala. sented coffee producing and consuming thing cooperatives can do is try to countries with a declaration articulating remind farmers that what goes up must WHAT CAN BE DONE? the needs of small-scale farmers and come down. When the international So how do coffee cooperatives respond? their cooperatives. The declaration calls price drops, the cooperatives will be How do they get their members to for these issues to be addressed in the the only ones offering a price safety sell them enough coffee so they can next International Coffee Agreement. net and specialized training. fulfill their contracts with importers This is just one component of a strategy and roasters? And how does the “We explain why they aren’t receiving to give the world’s 25 million coffee International Coffee Organization help? the money up front. We have costs to farmers a real chance to do what they’ve pay off,” states Guillermo Campa, Stronger cooperatives are more compet- done for generations—and turn a profit President of the IJATZ cooperative. itive in a fluctuating market. In order to that makes it all worthwhile. “We need “We tell them that they need to think get there, cooperatives need access to to take advantage of this historic about the future. Think about the debt refinancing, low-interest loans for opportunity,” said Seth Petchers, Coffee price dropping like it did in the past. working capital, long-term capital Program Manager at Oxfam America. If they work with fair trade, they can investment, information, and markets. “We can use these negotiations to put have a stable price.” With a voice at the ICO, small-scale measures in place that better address farmers and their cooperatives can what these farmers face.” But that argument doesn’t always work. advocate for these interests. “People who live day to day can’t just

ACT NOW: BUY FAIR TRADE CERTIFIED™ PRODUCTS Oxfam America, working with partners and allies around the world, is calling on consumers to ™

E put pressure on their local supermarkets—to guarantee that they stock Fair Trade Certified G

N products, display them on prominent shelves, and market them to their shoppers. Visit A

H www.transfairusa.org/do/wheretobuy to find a retailer near you that carries Fair Trade C

X ™

E Certified products.

M A F X O

14 CITIZENS WORK FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE IN AFRICA by Chris Hufstader

West Africa: A Campaign to Stop the Illegal Arms Trade Some of West Africa’s most famous writers, actors, The Control Arms campaign in West Africa, a and pop stars are leading a campaign to stop the region awash in small arms and plagued by con- trade in illegal arms. They are part of the Control flict, is calling for members of the Economic Arms campaign organized by Oxfam Community of West African States (ECOWAS) International, Amnesty International, and the to transform their arms trade moratorium into a Action Network on Small Arms. A new media binding international treaty that will end the campaign featuring nine prominent artists was trafficking of weapons and help build peace and launched during the World Social Forum and the security. The global Control Arms campaign is African Reggae Festival, both held the same amassing 1 million signatures on the Million weekend in January in Bamako, Mali. During Faces petition in time for the next UN conference these events, 27,000 people signed the Million on small arms this July in New York. Nix, one of the better-known rap Faces petition, the Control Arms campaign’s call to stars in Senegal, lent his image to a media push for the Control stop the illegal trade in weapons. Arms campaign in West Africa. The poster reads: "Each year, two bullets are produced for every man, woman, and child on Better Laws Respect Rights for Women the planet." In some southern African countries, women are D Also in Mozambique, a new Family Law that considered legal minors: They cannot own, buy, establishes rights for women to inherit property, or inherit property, or make many basic decisions stay in school until 18, and file for divorce in about their lives without the permission of a male cases of abuse relative. Women who must depend on men for A C D In South Africa, a new program that organizes I R financial security are more vulnerable to poverty, E M A women’s rights groups advocating for better M

violence, and infection by HIV and AIDS. A F X

violence prevention laws and policies O / H C

Oxfam America has supported efforts to pass laws S T

D U

In Zimbabwe, a coalition of rights organiza- E D that increase women’s rights in southern Africa, F F

tions that is urging the legislature to pass a new E including: J domestic violence bill and that is cultivating a Sheila Mahere is a member of D In Mozambique, a new land law that allows national women’s rights movement. Zimbabwe's legislature and a proponent of a new domestic illiterate women farmers to file claims for violence law. land ownership based on oral testimony from In all three countries, Oxfam has supported traditional leaders research, public education campaigns for grassroots communities, and training for groups pushing for changes that will help create laws and policies that protect women’s rights.

ACT NOW: STOP THE SPREAD OF ARMS The Control Arms campaign is asking governments to toughen up controls on

the arms trade. The Million Faces is a visual petition—a way for you to E G

show your concern about the spread of arms. The aim is to collect one N A

million photos and self-portraits of people from around the world. H C X E

Visit www.controlarms.org and sign the Million Faces petition. M A F X O

15 Help Us Plan by Letting Us Know Your Plans.

Is Oxfam America named as a beneficiary in your will, trust, retirement plan, or life insurance policy? Please let us know.

Unlike most charities, Oxfam America spends the majority of money from planned gifts as it comes in rather than building a large endowment. By letting us know about your planned gift, we can budget for the future and ensure that your wishes are carried out.

As an additional benefit for helping Oxfam America with your planned gift, you will be given membership in the Oxfam Legacy Circle. This special recognition society is our way of saying thank you for having the forethought to make the ultimate gift.

Please contact Cyndy Viveiros at 1-800-776-9326 x494 or [email protected] about your planned gift and learn more about the benefits of joining the Oxfam Legacy Circle.

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID BOSTON, MA PERMIT NO. 85359

26 WEST STREET BOSTON, MA 02111-1206

© Oxfam America 2006 0602007 printed on recycled paper Oxfam America is a registered trademark of Oxfam America, Inc., and the Oxfam logo is a registered trademark of Stichting Oxfam International.