How can we manage toilets better in large emergencies? Cox’s Bazar shows us the way

Safwatul Haque Niloy Emergencies, Innovation, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

In a blog for World Toilet Day, Oxfam’s Safwatul Haque Niloy looks at a pioneering project with engineering firm Arup that is pinpointing the best ways to deal with the huge challenge posed by waste from thousands of latrines

‘The last food crisis was a wake-up call in Somalia: it’s clear pure humanitarian doesn’t work any more’

Jessica Fullwood-Thomas Conflict, Drought, Food security

As East Africa faces drought and famine, Jessica Fullwood-Thomas talks to Oxfam in Somalia’s Muktar Hassen about a crucial lesson from the 2017 food crisis: that the region needs a “triple nexus” approach across humanitarian response, development and peace work to deliver sustained change

Increasing Participation & Creating Inclusive Employment Opportunities for Youth

Shekhar Anand Participation and Leadership, Youth employment, Youth Participation

by Ahmed Elassal and Shekhar Anand Oxfam’s Youth Participation and Employment (YPE) Program supported by the Danish Arab Partnership Program (DAPP) works with a wide range of partners in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia. The program developed interesting interventions for youth employment responding to the context, needs and factors such as skill levels of entrepreneurs, educational and geographic background, extent of exposure …

Challenges to Social Entrepreneurship Ecosystems in the MENA Region

Giada Cicognola Innovation, Livelihoods, Youth employment

Social entrepreneurship (SE) has gained significant interest and recognition in the past few years. Social entrepreneurs are tackling social and environmental challenges with innovative sustainable solutions, thus combining business with social impact. Social entrepreneurship in the southern Mediterranean region has the potential to invigorate local economies as well as to promote regional stability by activating positive synergies among economic sectors and …

Unlocking social entrepreneurship’s transformative potential for gender justice

Francesca El Asmar Gender, Women's Economic Empowerment

On Social and Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, we celebrate the women who are innovating every day to respond to the problems they face in their communities, challenging a system that is stacked against them. Social entrepreneurship (SE), as a tool to drive inclusive growth and development, is a growing trend globally and in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. …

Lessons in innovative financing for creating employment in the Middle East and North Africa

Ahmed Elassal Livelihoods, Women's Economic Empowerment, Youth employment

Background Emerging market economies face a significant credit gap and access to finance is considered the biggest obstacle for enterprises. Banks have been the traditional source of funding, but the financial crisis has led banks to be even more reluctant, which is creating an active debate about the importance of broadening the range of funding options available beyond banks. Such …

Handwashing innovation

Joel Trotter Emergencies, Humanitarian, Innovation, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

Joel Trotter describes how it feels to see Oxfam’s brand-new handwashing kit tested, refined, and ready to go into action. Oxfam’s Promotion and Practice Handwashing Kit is a robust, user-friendly handwashing station that is easily assembled in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. It allows for improved, timely handwashing and reduces people’s health risks in emergency displacement camps. It was …

ICTs in emergency response – what we’ve learnt

Laura Eldon Humanitarian, ICT4D

How can and should information and communication technologies (ICTs) be employed in humanitarian contexts to improve the quality and efficiency of aid delivery? Laura Eldon reflects on the findings of the Scaling Humanitarian ICTs Network (SHINE). Over the last three years Oxfam has sought to show how ICTs can best be used in emergency programmes through the Scaling Humanitarian ICTs …

Evolving ICTs in humanitarian: The power of networks

Amy O'Donnell ICT4D, Innovation, Methodology

Amy O’Donnell unpacks the idea that ICTs save time, money and improve accuracy, whilst exploring the conditions needed for them to add value in humanitarian response. For three years, the Scaling Humanitarian ICTs Network (SHINE) funded by Sida has been exploring the role of Information Communications Technologies in humanitarian response. Last month all five countries in the network: Ethiopia, DRC, …

Cash transfer programming in Zimbabwe

Khodeza Rume Aid, Food & livelihoods, ICT4D

Khodeza Rume, a Humanitarian Support Personnel in Food Security and Livelihoods, reflects on a recent electronic cash programme with the World Food Programme and Econet.  With the 2008 financial crash, Zimbabwe suffered a cash crisis and economic collapse which resulted in chronic food insecurity. The situation has since been exacerbated by the effects of El Niño with an estimated 4.1 million …