Oxfam Indonesia’s country office is stepping back to make way for local organisation the Penabulu Foundation, which is now on the path to joining 22 other member organisations, as a full Oxfam affiliate. What will this mean? We talk to outgoing country director Maria Lauranti, who has played a pivotal role in the change.
‘We speak the language of refugees: people trust us’
Twelve years after he fled conflict in South Sudan, John Jal Dak is winning international recognition for the work of the refugee-led organisation he founded in Uganda – including being named one of the Obama Foundation’s Leaders in Africa.
How should governments support people hit by climate damage? Five practical lessons from Kenya…
As the world looks to next week’s COP29 to deliver on promised Loss and Damage funding, Chiara Liguori shares insights from a pioneering Scotland-funded project that repaired damaged water systems, provided cash to impacted communities and supported peacebuilding.
No English? No French? No job: why NGOs need to rethink their insistence on colonial languages
You could speak three languages and still not count as ‘bilingual’ to many development sector recruiters – and that needs to change, says Oxfam in Africa’s Abbas Kigozi.
When inclusion is an illusion: sign language interpreters and the pitfalls for ‘inclusive’ development
How did a meeting for disabled people in Uganda end up using sign language that local deaf people couldn’t understand? Julia Modern reflects on how that failure is rooted in racialised ideas about who is an expert – and shares six tips for effective deaf inclusion. (And you can also watch a Ugandan Sign Language translation of the blog.)
Book Review: Power to the People: Use Your Voice, Change the World, by Danny Sriskandarajah
From ‘liquid democracy’, to the ‘underground fungal network’ of citizenship that supports progressive change, the former Oxfam GB CEO offers lots of useful ideas about how the 21st century can live up to its initial promise as the ‘century of the citizen’, says Duncan Green.
When will the ‘grand bargain’ deliver a better deal for women’s organisations in Pakistan?
How can local Women’s Rights Organisations benefit from the global pledge to channel 25% of global humanitarian funding to groups like theirs when they haven’t even heard of it? Sarah Zafar and Shahnawaz Ali on insights from conversations with Pakistani WROs into what they need to flourish.
‘I would expect more trust’: five things holding back LGBTQIA+ led organisations in the Ukraine response
LGBTQIA+ organisations responding to the crisis in Ukraine need better support from international donors, including more flexible funding and support to boost the visibility of the LGBTQIA+ community. Charlotte Greener shares insights from conversations with two LGBTQIA+ groups working in Ukraine and neighbouring Poland.
Across Asia, local LGBTQIA+ activists are finding their Voice
Over the past eight years, the Voice programme has been supporting the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights. In a blog for Pride month, Kayla Lapiz and Ishita Dutta look back on some inspiring examples of local action as the programme comes to an end.
Want to decolonise your INGO? Get used to taking a back seat…
‘Dinosaurs’ must become ‘chameleons’ and ‘ostriches’ change into ‘eagles’ as international NGOs fundamentally rethink their role so they can work in true partnership with local actors, says Oxfam’s Adama Coulibaly.