In a blog for World Mental Health Day, Julian Kosh looks at a pilot project to support survivors of abuse, trauma and cancer in Kenya and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. At its core is a ‘flexible funding’ approach that gives women’s rights organisations the freedom to test new approaches to mental health in the ways they think best
Africa is so rich in farmland – so why is it still hungry?
Farmers who can’t afford fertiliser or pesticides will never feed themselves – or our continent, say Anthony Kamande and Dailes Judge. That means, alongside action on climate change, conflict and market reforms, leaders and policymakers at this week’s African Union meeting must address massive under-investment in agriculture
East Africa vs Ukraine: two tragedies, two very different responses
East Africa is facing its second hunger crisis in a decade, yet it barely registers in the news, and the international system is failing… How did the humanitarian system end up in this mess? Duncan Green on the stark messages from the new Oxfam/Save The Children paper, Dangerous Delay 2, a follow-up to the briefing Dangerous Delay, which warned of the need for change back in 2012
Fighting for invisible women in Kenya: a story and podcast of an extraordinary changemaker in the pandemic
“I am a reflection of how a widow can thrive. I am a reflection of how widows can remain invisible…” Roseline Orwa, advocate for Kenyan widows, is star of the first episode of a new podcast series telling four stories of changemakers in a time of Covid. Oxfam’s Filippo Artuso and the LSE’s Barbara van Paassen tell us more about the series – and the research that informs it
What do small women’s rights organisations want from INGO funders? Less red tape and a seat at the table
In the first of a series of blogs for International Women’s Day, Laura Norman and Mona Mehta set out three things women’s rights organisations want from international NGOs – and how Oxfam is responding with an innovative fund that aims to give women activists real power to do what’s best for their communities
A fresh approach to visual communications in development: allow me to illustrate
2020 brought many surprises. At the beginning of the pandemic, the last thing I expected was to be coaching voice actors down a crackly line to a recording studio in Afghanistan. My organisation, Integrity Action, was producing an animated video to showcase one of the impact stories from our work – this was part of our shift, over recent years, …
Women’s land rights on paper are not enough
Land is critical to our daily lives. It is intrinsically linked with our identity, dignity, livelihoods, food, housing, education and health. Secure land rights are essential to sustainable and equitable economic development as well as to social and political development. This holds true, especially for women. For women to have secure land rights, the legal and policy framework must recognise …
Low costs, high risks, and empty promises? The price of oil in East Africa
If constructed, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) would become the world’s longest heated pipeline. Communities that will be impacted are worried about their land, money, environment, and future. Oxfam is urging project developers and the governments of Uganda and Tanzania to listen to these communities and take immediate action.
Putting people’s voices first
Using innovative research approaches, Africa’s Voices Foundation share how they use technology to reach the hardest to reach. Development and governance should be led by the views of those who are affected by its implementation. This is our goal as Africa’s Voices Foundation. By using innovative research approaches, we help to open communication channels between organisations and communities, so that …
Taxation conversation over the airways
Based on conversations with those involved, Sue Moore reflects on a recent programme to encourage discussion on how the government spends taxes in Kenya and improve understanding of tax compliance behaviour. Tax is a hot topic for Kenyans with many public conversations around how the government raises and spends this revenue. Kenya’s constitution recognises the right to public participation in …