Updates around Christmas Time!

The latest News is the Yemen Crisis!

Millions of people in Yemen are facing a severe humanitarian crisis, widespread hunger and chronic malnutrition.
Oxfam is providing emergency water and sanitation, and cash grants to some of the worst affected

The Situation in more detail
More than 10 million people in Yemen - almost half  the population - are suffering from a shortage of food. Millions of people have exhausted their ways of coping, and cannot afford to buy enough food for their families

 Yemen's political crisis last year increased hunger in the country as food and fuel prices surged. According to the UN, malnutrition rates in some parts of the country are alarming, with one in three children severely malnourished

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/emergency-response/yemen-crisis

What Oxfam is Doing
We are giving cash grants to help people buy food and water to feed their families. In Al Hodeidah we have distributed cash transfers to 100,000 people across 870 remote villages, and provided training on safe hygiene practices


What you can do
Get blogging
Spread the word, Talk about what is going on!!
Donate to Oxfam
Donate online

Don't Keep Calm...

Land Freezing and Land Grabs

Hello All, This is my first Blog on Oxfam Campaigns, All this information can be found on the Oxfam Website, However this is a condensed version, like a quick guide to Land Grabbing.

So What is a Land Freeze or Land Grab and Why are we campaigning?

An area the size of the UK is being sold off globally, this has been going on for a decade.

Big Land deals in poor countries are forcing families from their homes, off their land and leaving them no way or no where to grow food to generate any income or source of food.

The amount of land that is tied up in these big deals could potentially help a huge amount of the millions of people who go to bed hungry every night. Instead this land is being bought by foreign investors, which mostly intend to export the food grown on said land. But this often leads to a Land Grab.

A Land grab is a deal that violates human rights, fails to consult to affected people, has no consent and happens in secret!

What we want!!

Oxfam is calling on the World Bank to temporarily freeze its investments in big land deals!
(The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programs)

The world bank can play an important role in getting the situation back under control, for this to happen the bank must:

• Freeze for 6 months
• Review the extent to which the world bank holds its policy's and practises on land deals and are open and transparent
• Commit to improving its policy and practise on big land deals

What about the UK Government?

They need to:

• Urge the world bank to take action
• Use the presidency of the G8 to put land high on the global political agenda 

(The Group of Eight (G8) is a forum for the governments of eight of the world's largest economies)

 Responsible investment in agriculture and better support for small scale farmers is an essential part of fighting poverty!

However, this is where the land grabs are happening, poorest countries with weak protection of land rights.

What we can do as Campaigners:

Together we can pressure the World Bank and the UK Government:

•  Sign the online petition
• Stage a media stunt
• Hold a stall in a public place, hand out literature and talk to people about the issues
• Contact your MP
• Tweet or Facebook
• Make a video and upload t to You Tube

Hope this all helps guys! And you understand a little more about Land Freezing and Land grabs!

For More info Visit

www.oxfam.org.uk/land
www.oxfam.org.uk/toolkit
www.theyworkforyou.com
www.worldbank.org

Thank you already!

I have already had lots of interest in my new scheme! As I mentioned before, I feel this may be a long task ahead of me, however I think its going to be fun!

As a brand new campaigner, I need to learn alot! I am hoping to attend Oxfam live, and if anyone else is interested have a lookie at the website (www.oxfam.org.uk)

I will start bombarding you with facts and figure as soon as, don't worry!

My revission will start tomorrow... I will be mega clude up so I can spread the word!

Welcome to our new campaign blog and group

Here as Oxfam Stowmarket, We have created a new campaign group and the first thing before any meetings, we have a new blog, So if you are interested in Oxfam as a charity rather than us as a shop this might tickle your fancy!

As the Deputy manager, I have taken a real interest in oxfam's work and in knowing that not many people know exactly what they do, want to spread the word and work of Oxfam into my community here in Suffolk.

Anyone can join the group, We will have a monthly newsletter going around, as well as this blog.

If you are interested e-mail Stephanie on reeds310@gmail.com for more information!

As we have never done anything remotely like this before, this might be a slow process. However I feel that my links with Oxfam and knowlege combine with a team of enthusiastic people will be enough.

I am hoping to have meetings, monthy or two monthly, to arrange fund raisers and events, as well as taking Oxfam's message into the streets, not asking for money, but to tell people of our work and why we are so passionate!

Look forward to this incredibly, and I hope you do too!