30 Years in Africa. Oxfam Work Report:

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1 Oxfam Work Report: 30 Years in Africa Africa, the second largest continent, is rich in natural resources; however, the 48 countries south of the Sahara Desert is one of the poorest regions in the world. More than 700 million people in this region face a range of crises: hunger, disasters, war and conflicts, HIV and AIDS and unfair trade. Half of these people lack safe drinking water. Oxfam Hong Kong has been working in Africa since the early 1980s. Our first engagement there was during the food crises in Ethiopia, and since then, we have supported poor people in about 30 countries across the continent. We approach poverty reduction on many levels from community-based projects (sustainable livelihood, basic infrastructure and education, health service, HIV and AIDS awareness and prevention) to advocacy of fair trade and food justice. We direct resources to ensure the rights of women and other marginalised groups. Emergencies are addressed through multi-faceted initiatives, combining relief, preparedness, reconstruction, development and peace-building. Here is a brief report

2 1 (green areas) Civil Society Development 16 Rehabilitation Algeria 2. Eritrea 3. Uganda 4. Burundi 5. Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) 6. Angola 7. Zambia 8. South Africa 9. Mozambique 10. Zimbabwe 11. Ethiopia 12. Malawi 13. Rwanda 14. Burkina Faso 15. Mali 16. Niger 17. Chad 18. Mauritania 19. Senegal 20. Gambia 21. Namibia 22. Madagascar 23. Liberia 24. Sierra Leone 25. Kenya 26. Somalia 27. Sudan 28. Tanzania 29. South Sudan Disaster Management Food Security Health and Sanitation Training & Capacity Building Basic Infrastructure Advocacy Gender Equality HIV/AIDS Prevention Basic Education Sustainable Livelihoods Humanitarian Relief 8

3 Project Highlights 1984 Famine relief in Ethiopia 1987 First long-term projects in Africa, in Mozambique 1992 Shipped 2,500 tonnes of rice to Somalia for the food crisis there 1994 Relief in Rwanda; Projects started in Eritrea, Malawi and Sudan Ethiopia: Oxfam supplied items for survivors of the 1984 famine 1997 Advocacy on debt, land ownership and landmines in Mozambique 1998 Joint-Oxfam AIDS programme began in South Africa 1999 Humanitarian work in Angola 2000 Water and sanitation with Ebola survivors in Uganda 2002 Food relief in Angola, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe Sudan: Oxfam supported poor families to start up small-scale businesses Fair Trade Coffee Campaign with farmers in Ethiopia 2004 Set up Oxfam Africa Development Fund in Hong Kong 2005 Supported more than 20 disaster management projects in 14 countries in Africa, including responding to the food crisis in Kenya 2006 Focused work in Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi In Darfur, where the crisis was in its sixth year, Oxfam continued with advocacy, conflict management and provisions: more than 500,000 people received water and other basic supplies for survival Malawi: Oxfam provided seeds for a better maize harvest Supported 35 projects including two disaster risk reduction projects in Mozambique and Zambia. Implemented by locally based organisations, the initiatives focused on building residents capacity, especially women s roles, to withstand, respond and recover from disasters Responded to the food crisis in East and West Africa Chad: Fresh water at an Oxfam-supported refugee camp for displaced people from Sudan

4 Poverty Reduction through Livelihood Development Oxfam Hong Kong has been working with local partners and Oxfam affiliates in Africa to assist poor households especially women, farmers, elderly and marginalised people to bring in more income and food through sustainable and conservation farming, crop diversification, livestock production, sustainable fishing methods, and trainings. Zambia: Crescia Siabula joined Oxfam s chili project for some income. Altogether there were three harvests in the last few years and she made about HK$6,000! She spends the income on food and education for her grandchildren. Work Highlights Zambia: In 2009, Oxfam began a three-year community-led disaster risk reduction (DRR) programme that combines sustainable livelihood with disaster risk reduction and preparedness as well as women empowerment in three districts in Southern and Western Provinces. 480,000 vulnerable people in almost 40 communities received assistance and learned to cope with food and income insecurity and disasters through the programme Malawi: Oxfam Hong Kong has been working in Malawi since Since 2007, Oxfam has supported 5,250 families in 40 poor communities in activities such as agricultural training, micro-credit, soil conservation and other initiatives. Ethiopia: Community-based trade, rural credit and savings and women s training for over 96,000 people Zimbabwe: Grains and vegetable seeds for 60,000 farmers Sudan: Agricultural training, income generation, veterinary training and food security for 186,000 people Mozambique: Oxfam has organised training sessions for several rural cooperatives; farmers across the country now have a better living. They grow drought-resistant crops such as tapioca, and fast-yielding crops such as onions.

5 Supporting People with HIV and AIDS Oxfam has been supporting AIDS-related work and projects in Africa since Most of our programmes in Africa have integrated HIV and AIDS components, such as policy advocacy, enhancing community participation, dissemination of information and home-based care services. We also inform and educate people about the risks of HIV and AIDS, and support preventive action to change behaviour patterns. Work Highlights Malawi: Mary Tukula used to travel up to two days to the nearest hospital to get her anti-retroviral medication. Now, thanks to the Dziwe Radio Listening Club, the medication is available at her local health centre. The Club is supported by the community, Development Communication Trust and Oxfam. In South Africa, Oxfam ran large-scale anti-hiv and AIDS programmes to prevent the spread of infection, to improve treatment, to reduce stigma and discrimination, and to advocate for better legislation In Malawi, Oxfam campaigned for better access to HIV and AIDS medicine; about 100,000 people benefited from the project In rural Zambia, Oxfam s anti-aids work includes advocating safe sex as prevention; we also supported an integrated livelihood programme which aims at promoting awareness of HIV and AIDS prevention amongst youth In Ethiopia, we provided treatment and health education for 25,352 people (mostly women and children), antenatal care for 1,650 women as well as assistance towards safe births, better hygiene awareness and lower maternal mortality rate South Africa: A woman living with HIV (left) visits schools to promote awareness of HIV and AIDS prevention. Zambia: Oxfam works on HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and advocacy; promoting safe sex is a necessary strategy.

6 Promoting Gender Equality Oxfam Hong Kong believes that both women and men everywhere should have equal rights. The policies, campaigns and projects we formulate take gender issues into consideration so as to tackle the fundamental problems of poverty facing girls and women. Work Highlights Malawi: Assisted 25,000 women most vulnerable to HIV and AIDS to have access to markets and ensured that women are equal players in all community-based activities Oxfam Hong Kong has been supporting efforts to assist poor women and their communities with practical skills needed for securing sustainable livelihoods Mozambique: Worked with local NGOs and successfully advocated the government to pass a family law to recognise property rights for women in common law marriages, and to raise the minimum age that girls can marry (young girls are often forced into marriage for the dowry) Promoting Basic Education Basic education is a human right and Oxfam Hong Kong supports many efforts to make it a reality for all. A major focus of our work involves motivating the community to ensure that young girls get an education so they will ultimately escape the vicious cycle of poverty and thereby improve their wellbeing. Work Highlights Mozambique: Advocated universal primary education and in Zambezia Province, we supported 260,000 children to go to school Zambia: Supported the building of eight community schools in Copperbelt Province to provide free education for children and training for teachers In Africa, Oxfam has supported the building of new schools and dormitories, teacher training, awareness-raising about HIV and AIDS and equal rights to education.

7 Managing Disasters and Risks Wherever and whatever the crisis, Oxfam Hong Kong strives to reduce people s vulnerability in the short and long term. Our disaster risk management work therefore links emergency assistance with projects to support the sustainable development of local and national structures. A priority population is groups of people who are being left out of aid efforts: this often includes people in remote areas, women, elderly and marginalised people. Over the years, Oxfam Hong Kong has supported humanitarian response and disaster management projects in about 20 countries across Africa. We have also advocated for peaceful resolutions in Darfur and sustainable community development instead of short-term relief in East and West Africa. Darfur Crisis 2009 Oxfam started operating in northern Sudan in In Darfur alone, Oxfam has provided aid including safe drinking, hygiene and sanitation and livelihood support to over 400,000 people, most of them living in the vast, crowded camps. Here in the photo, children are collecting water from an Oxfam water point in Darfur. East Africa Food Crisis 2011 In Mogadishu, Somalia, Oxfam works with partner organisation SAACID which runs feeding centres for malnourished children. Here, an SAACID nurse assists a mother and her two children. Oxfam has assisted three million people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia through the food crisis with water and sanitation, food, cash relief and livelihood support. West Africa Food Crisis 2012 To help solve food insecurity, through a local partner, Oxfam supports 30 women in Taffogo, Burkina Faso, to cultivate a vegetable garden where they plant cabbages, aubergines, gombo (a local vegetable), onions and garlic. The project enables the women to diversify their diet and they will be able to sell any surplus. Oxfam is assisting about 1.2 million people through the crisis. Together with one-off supplies, we will also support their livelihoods and assist them to prevent, prepare and cope with future crises.

8 Focusing on the Fundamentals in Poverty Elimination Oxfam acknowledges that poverty in Africa cannot be eradicated in a short period of time. We believe that long-term development and advocacy, along with participation of the community, will help poor people to improve their livelihoods. GROW for More Food and Income According to a hunger report by The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations last year, hungry people in Africa have increased by 36.8 per cent from 1990 to Oxfam has been working on a global food justice campaign called GROW. We assist impoverished farmers to grow in sustainable ways for more food and income. We call for individuals and groups, companies and governments to build a future where everyone has enough to eat. Make Trade Fair Farmers in Africa produce coffee beans, cotton, sugar and many other agricultural products to make a living. However, due to the globalisation of trade and the unfair trade policies that developed countries have imposed, the prices of agricultural products have dropped significantly, affecting the livelihoods of the farmers. Oxfam launched the Make Trade Fair campaign in Since then, we have been advocating national organisations, governments and the business community to implement fair trade and guarantee a reasonable return for farmers. Oxfam s Grow Campaign aims at assisting impoverished farmers to grow in sustainable ways for more food and income Oxfam has supported the Make Trade Fair campaign since We call on governments, institutions, multi-national companies and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to change the rigged rules so that poor farmers livelihoods can be protected. Let s Continue to Work Together Oxfam has been in Africa for nearly 30 years for emergency aid and poverty alleviation. We believe that temporary assistance is not the solution to poverty. Poor people can only truly escape poverty when they can help themselves. Adopting an integrative approach, Oxfam will continue to help poor people in Africa to help themselves through sustainable development, humanitarian relief, capacity building, campaigns and advocacy as well as public education. We need your continuous support!