As Oxfam turns 80, here are three big ideas that I think will shape its future…

Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah Influencing, Innovation, Power Shifts

Eight decades after Oxfam began with a meeting in an Oxford church, we must respond to challenges our founders could not have dreamed of, from re-imagining what an international NGO should be, to the need for totally new sources of funding, to the world-changing impact of technology, says Oxfam GB CEO Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah

Using technology to enhance youth employment in the Middle East and North Africa

Ahmed Elassal Youth employment, Youth Participation

Challenges in context According to an Oxfam report, half a billion people could be pushed into poverty by COVID-19. The International Labour Organisation (ILO), warned that the crisis is expected to wipe out 6.7%  of working hours globally in the second quarter of 2020. The situation has directly hit the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region. Export, travel, transportation …

Technology and inequality

Claire Spoors Gender & Development Journal, ICT4D, Inequality, Participation and Leadership

We are at a crossroads on the digital highway. Advocacy Adviser, Claire Spoors highlights some key themes for the international development sector to consider when thinking about the intersection of technology and inequality. Recent World Bank estimates reveal that reducing inequality is a more effective way to eradicate poverty than increasing a country’s annual growth rate. Oxfam’s Fighting inequality to …

Reinventing the toilet

Brian McSorely Emergencies, General, Humanitarian, Innovation, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

Brian McSorley on Oxfam’s contribution to ensuring the poorest people on the planet have access to a loo. Earlier this month, Bill Gates stood up to address an international conference holding a jar full of human faeces.  In a sector that has been underfunded and overlooked for decades, The Gates Foundation has been a disruptive and positive force in raising …

#TechWomenAfrica: Connected women and youth-bridging the digital divide

Muthoni Maingi Gender, ICT4D

Muthoni Maingi, Head of Digital Campaigns at Oxfam International, reflects on the challenges for gender equality in online spaces and her recent visit to the #TechWomenAfrica conference.  Earlier this month I had the privilege of attending the #TechWomenAfrica conference held in Accra, Ghana. The meeting convened over 250 women and girls from across the continent to discuss solutions for unlocking …