Express 2018May Eng
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Issue 59MAY 2018 Right the wrong Poverty is solvable — it is a problem rooted in injustice. Eliminate injustice and you can eliminate poverty. It will not be quick or easy, but it can be done. Together, let’s do what’s right. Photo: Albert González Farran/Oxfam Photo: Albert González World without poverty Empowering smallholder farmers to make food fair “I am from a backward caste. My father and mother in law don’t like me because of that. They always wanted to expel me from the family. I don’t have any job, I don’t own any land, and I am poor.’ — Suresho Aina, 39, a smallholder farmer in Uttar Pradesh, India. Photo: Ricky Wong/Oxfam What’s wrong? Women smallholder farmers in Uttar Pradesh make up 38 per cent of the total agricultural workforce. Due to traditional values and gender inequality, they are not recognised by men, by society, and by the government as farmers. As a result, they have very limited access to resources, government schemes and programmes, and micro credit. Worse still, most women farmers do not have access to or control over land, which seriously hinders their productivity and income. According to a study conducted by Oxfam, only six per cent of women in Uttar Pradesh own land, less than one per cent participate in government training programmes, and only eight per cent have control over agricultural income. What’s Oxfam doing? Oxfam is supporting women smallholder farmers in India to improve their yields and income by setting up 375 women groups (40 women per group) at the village level. Agricultural training and support are also provided. To tackle the root causes of the problem, we support women smallholder farmers like Suresho Aina to fight for their land rights and make their voices heard through the AAROH Campaign. This is a campaign led by women farmers that aims to change land laws through advocacy and lobbying the Indian government; 15,000 women are involved in the campaign. Standing together with women farmers against injustice. Smallholder farmers are people who: How to achieve the goal? Own small plots of land on which they grow subsistence crops Organising women into women farmers and one or two cash crops relying almost exclusively on family 1 groups labour. Lobbying the government to change Produce food for us and represent the majority of the poorest 2 land laws and hungriest people on earth. Campaigns to change social attitude Mostly reside in the suburbs of developing countries. Nearly 90 3 per cent of the world’s 600 million farmers are smallholder farmers. Building up the network and capacity 4 of civil societies, lawyers and others 1 World without poverty ‘‘We are the Qiang people (an ethnic group) in Beichuan, Sichuan, China. I grow vegetables and work as a day labourer for an income. I am a member of the village development committee. I mobilised other women in the village to help build a road which is important for our livelihood development. In the beginning, villagers – particularly the village head – were sceptical about women’s ability to lead the project, but we showed them that we could do it. The village now recognises our contribution!’ – He Qiong Photo: Ricky Wong/Oxfam What’s wrong? Decades of environmental degradation, natural disaster, poor transportation, and limited government resources have crippled the development of smallholder farmers’ livelihoods in Beichuan, Sichuan Province, China. Women villagers tend to have fewer resources, and fewer opportunities to make life-shaping decisions than men due to traditional values. What’s Oxfam doing? We recognise people’s power to change their lives. That is why we are working with a partner organisation in Beichuan to support farmers there to improve their lives and mobilise government resources to develop the community. Through it, we encourage women to take part in community development, and make sure that their voices are heard. Villagers involved in the project also make decisions as a group and share the workload. Currently, we are: Building Storm drains Supporting organic farming Building roads Beichuan County is a disaster-prone area; Supporting farmers to convert to organic Many villages in Beichuan are built on heavy rains during flood season can easily farming to rehabilitate the soil. Farmers high mountains and deep valleys. Poor destroy crops. That is why we work with have learnt how to make organic fertiliser transportation and communication networks farmers to build storm drains to drain using pig and chicken manure, clear weeds have made it difficult for villagers to escape floodwater, and protect their livelihoods without damaging the soil, and control poverty. The roads built with Oxfam’s and lives. pests. Some farmers have increased their support, however, have reduced the time income by growing organic vegetables. and cost farmers need to spend on transporting their grain and vegetables to the market to sell. 2 Work report Oxfam in Sierra Leone and Liberia Oxfam provides clean water, toilets and hygiene classes to children in Port Loko's Educaid Primary School in Sierra Leone. The country was one of the most affected by the Ebola disease outbreak. The 2014 Ebola outbreak The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the most severe in recorded history in terms of the number of human cases and deaths; the average survival rate is around 50 per cent. How can you get Ebola virus? Oxfam response 1. Direct contact with body fluids of a person who is sick or died from Ebola 2. From objects contaminated with the virus Oxfam has been operating in West 3. By infected animals through direct contact with blood fluids or meat Africa since the 1990s. We immediately scaled up our Prevention: emergency programmes in response Guinea to the outbreak. Oxfam worked in six Avoiding direct contact with body fluids of infected countries, including Sierra Leone, Ebola virus Sierra people Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Gambia and Leone Nigeria Guinea Bissau, to prevent the Regular hand washing spread of Ebola both by improving using soap and water access to water, cleaning Liberia Avoiding direct equipment and protective clothing, contact with fruit bats and by talking with communities about Ebola and offering them ・More than 11,300 deaths Wearing of support and information to try to ・More than 28,600 cases protective clothing prevent further infections. ・14 January, 2016 – End of Ebola flare up in Liberia Cremating bodies ・17 March, 2016 – End of Ebola flare up in Sierra Leone of deceased people We have provided over 1.4 million people with: Water and sanitation Ebola prevention and education Hygiene kits Livelihoods development 3 Work report Population: approximately 6 million 70% of the population lives in poverty Oxfam interventions before the Ebola outbreak: Life expectancy: 51.3 (2015) emergency relief for survivors of the Sierra civil war, livelihoods development, Leone Human development index: 179/188 countries (2017) public health, sustainable, safe and sufficient water, sanitation and hygiene services, women empowerment Only 57% of the population has access to safe drinking water Only 40% has access to a private or shared latrine Population: over 4.6 million Oxfam interventions before the Ebola outbreak: 64% of the population lives in poverty Livelihoods development, sustainable food production, hygiene awareness, Life expectancy: 61.2 (2015) Liberia gender equality Human development index: 177/188 countries (2017) 41% of the population faces food insecurity; chronic malnutrition is high Data: Oxfam, The World Bank, The World Food Programme Restoring livelihoods Aminata, 26, and her mother Hawa, 65, are farmers in Katumbo, Sierra Leone. During the Ebola crisis, the government restricted community members’ movement between villages and towns. This had a devastating impact on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and petty traders who depended on selling their produce at markets. Aminata said, ‘Normally, I sell my carrots to the capital in Freetown and other places, but during the Ebola crisis, the markets were almost down, and there were roadblocks. So, I couldn’t get people to buy my vegetables and I had no income.' 1 After the restrictions began to be lifted, Oxfam worked with communities to rebuild their businesses and redevelop their farmlands by providing cash grants. Farmers used the cash grants to buy seeds and tools for farming, and stock for their stalls. Aminata said, ‘I received $68 pounds (about HK$750) from Oxfam, I used the money to start farming again and expand my farm. I was happy, my children and my mother were happy because I could start doing some small trading business and my kids could get food and go to school.' 1. Aminata Jalloh (right) and her mother Hawa Koroma. 2. Oxfam works with Behyepea community members in Tappita district, Liberia, so that families have the support they need to get back on their feet after the Ebola crisis. 2 4 Work report Water and sanitation, and public health Oxfam is widely known for delivering high-quality public health programmes to achieve maximum impact on the health and well-being of communities affected by emergencies. During the Ebola outbreak, Oxfam's Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) teams worked with communities to create an environment in which public health risks were reduced and the safety and dignity of emergency-affected communities was enhanced Sallieu Kargbo, 22 Hygiene teacher, EcuAid Primary School Port Loko, Sierra Leone ‘I’m in charge of the hygiene club in the school. Some of the kids here have lost their fathers and mothers during the Ebola crisis. They long for an education. I work with club members to make Oxfam provides clean water, toilets, showers and hygiene classes to sure that our environment is clean. We keep all 600 students aged 12 to 23 in Port Loko's EducAid High School, Sierra Leone.