Oxfam East Asia

World Humanitarian Day celebrated in Yangon

“It was completely chaotic; roads were blocked with fallen trees and electric posts. I had no idea how big the disaster was until much later. For me, being a humanitarian worker for more than a decade, Cyclone Nargis allowed me to apply the humanitarian principles that I believe in – humanity, impartiality and independence – to help the people affected by the disaster,” –Theingi Soe, public health advisor with OXFAM

The principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality and the role of humanitarian aid workers were the key themes for World Humanitarian Day, celebrated today by the international humanitarian community in Myanmar. 

Today, on 19 August 2010, humanitarians around the world are celebrating the second World Humanitarian Day. Established by the General Assembly (GA) of the United Nations in December 2008, the day is intended to increase public understanding of humanitarian assistance activities worldwide. The Day also aims to honour humanitarian workers who have lost their lives or been injured in the course of their work.

This year, the humanitarian community has agreed to use the Day to raise awareness of what it means to be a humanitarian aid worker by describing their work, explaining the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence by which humanitarian workers abide, and by portraying the hazards humanitarian aid workers face. Read the rest of this entry »

Oxfam the Beast

 By Aye Lei Tun, Communications Officer

Midway through applying ‘Thanaka’ to her face - a yellowish-white cosmetic paste made from ground bark, Hla Tint warmly welcomed the entire Oxfam team into her home. We had asked to visit her to discuss the changes that had taken place since Oxfam had started working with people in her village, Than Pawe, six months earlier.

Just as we were about to sit on a bench outside her house she started calling “Oxfam, come here. Please come here”. We thought she was shouting to us so we started getting up again, but on the contrary - it was a cow she had called.

Then Hla Tint continued, “As the amount of daily savings willing to be contributed by participants varied, we finally agreed on saving 300 kyat (USD 30¢ a day), an amount everyone can afford. I’d never experienced saving money before, but I came to understand that these savings would be ours someday. This could provide capital for one of my family members to start a small business. That’s why, I am pleased with saving.”

Read the rest of this entry »

JOB OPPORTUNITY: Regional Human Resources Manager for Oxfam GB in East Asia

Based in Bangkok, the Regional Human Resources Manager will develop, advise on and implement the full range of human resource strategies necessary to support effective people management across East Asia. He/she will ensure human resource management contributes to and is aligned to the region’s strategic goals and lead the region’s commitment to learning and development and knowledge management.

Level: Global B2 
Closing Date: 29th August 2010
Telephone Interviews: 26th/27th August 2010
Interviews: 23rd and 24th September

For full detail, follow this link http://www.i-grasp.com/fe/tpl_oxfam.asp?newms=jj&id=33270&rss=1

Backyard Goldmine: The Story of Koh Preah Eco-tourism

Seeing a huge income potential lying around in this remote, off-the-beaten track island, Oxfam Regional Media Coordinator Uamdao Ben Noikorn and Oxfam Logistic Officer in Cambodia Im Solinda talked to the local people on how they learned to turn natural resources into money without having to leave their home.

Koh Preah, Stung Treng Province _ In a time when ecotourism is a buzzword with virtually every destination being advertised as eco-tourism. It is comforting to find at least one place that is truly just that and minus advertising. Read the rest of this entry »

Value of Water Filter – Women’s Perspective

Hang Kosuan Village, Stung Treng _ For most people, the 80-liter plastic container and a clay water filter are probably the last things they consider as quality household items. But for many poor women, these simple, no-nonsense things give them a freedom they have never experienced before.

The items, distributed by Oxfam as part of its Typhoon Ketsana emergency response, save them a lot of time and energy from gathering firewood and boiling water with the container’s size twice as much as the clay jar commonly used in the rural area and the filter’s proven effectiveness.

For mother of eight like Khay Chan Thon, 48, whose children take turn suffering from diseases such as dengue fever, malaria, and typhoid, seeing her kids make a speedy recovery without complications like diarrhea was also a huge relief.

Khay and her daughters were responsible for carrying and boiling the water as the men needed to sleep after fishing all night. “It used to take us almost two hours or four trips or more to get enough water because we’re a big family. The filter also saved our time from collecting firewood.”

Malay Chan Thon, 19, was cutting up the fish in preparation to sell them to the market.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ketsana – A Blessing in Disguise for Some

Stung Treng, Cambodia _ Somewhere in a small, remote village where everyone has been more or less affected by Typhoon Ketsana since September last year, there was at least one family that saw the disaster as a life-saving incident.

Posing in front of the water filter, Heun Chan Doeun, 31, shyly admitted that it was not really properly placed as it was in direct sunlight and kids sometimes dipped their hands into it. “Still it improves our health,” confirmed the mother of six.

With five young children to feed and one waiting to come out in a few months, Heun Chan Doeun, 31, found the idea of spending 40,000 Riel ($10) on a water filter almost impossible despite the doctor’s order that her husband must not drink boiled water or he would suffer from a kidney stone again.For months, Heun had to endure seeing her husband in pain. With an average annual income of around 840,000 Riel ($210) or less, a regular hospital visit was out of the question and painkillers had become a necessity along with rice, seasonings, and gasoline for the family’s motorbike.

Read the rest of this entry »

Postcard from East Asia: A Recap of Oxfam GB 2009

A four-minute video summarises some of Oxfam GB’s work in East Asia throughout 2009.  Highlights include:

Building women’s economic leadership

• Poor women’s economic leadership @ Mindanao, Philippines
• Organic Vanilla and Arabica enterprise @ Indonesia
• Livelihoods recovery after Cyclone Nargis @ Myanmar

Building effective governments 

• ‘Building Opportunities’, capacity building for local government @ Indonesia
• Strengthening participation of local people in policy development @ Vietnam
• Youth-friendly HIV/AIDS service  @ Thailand
• Climate change campaign run up to Copenhagen @ Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodia

Building resilient communities

• Emergency preparedness practice @ Indonesia
• Climate change adaptation project @ Thailand

Everyone counts: When young people in Vietnam come together to tackle climate change

Understanding that young people in Vietnam are very dynamic and powerful social force, in 2009 Oxfam explored the opportunity to work directly with them. Thuy Dinh, Advocacy and Communication Team Intern shares her peer view in working with Vietnamese youth.

“Environmental issues are such big issues that we cannot do anything about them…Agree or disagree”. That was my writing question in the TOEFL iBT Test not so long ago.

I was so surprised and triggered by the question that I started my essay without thinking, “Saying one person can’t do anything to save the environment is nothing but an empty rhetoric and an unreasonable excuse of some lazy individuals”. That’s exactly true from what I see! Working with youths in Vietnam, I’ve never doubted what they can do for their environment. If only one person takes action, nothing much will probably be changed. But if many people take action, individually or as a group, the impacts will be further resonated, creating an echoing effect that can lead to big change and make a huge difference. Read the rest of this entry »

VIETNAM: Child-Centred Methodology promotes equality among ethnic minorities school children

From Dak R’lap District of Dak Nong Province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, Vice-Headmistress Nguyen Thi Ben of Le Hong Phong Primary School shared her thoughts after one year Oxfam GB started its Education project in the province.
[Original post in Vietnamese: http://bit.ly/d3bRsu]

Oxfam came to Dak Nong as a cool breeze. Amongst its suitcases full of experience in livelihoods, disaster responses, gender equality etc., Oxfam GB chose education to support the province.

Without big noises, Oxfam just gently involved in the issues that teachers most concerned and cared about: Child Centered Methodology. (Our teachers often say that Oxfam always provide just what the doctor ordered).

Just nearly a year with four specialised workshops, 108 resource teachers – Dak Nong participants have been recharged with fresh energy. At the workshops, the teachers learnt and shared experiences passionately. Back to their districts, to their schools they quickly scale up Child Centred Methodology model (CCM) for their colleagues. Read the rest of this entry »

THAILAND: Photography camp boost self-confidence and self esteem of children living with HIV

Having HIV is not an easy situation for adults, and growing up with it is even more challenging. In Thailand, increasing numbers of HIV positive children in Thailand are reaching adolescence and facing extremely challenging issues such as feeling inferior or lack of self-esteem. This is what Oxfam and HIV Prevention and Treatment (PHPT) is trying to help these young people cope with.

This photography camp is a part of a series of activities for children with HIV aged 8-17 years old in Chiangmai and Samut Sakhon province, Thailand. I got a chance to see the final two days out of a four-day workshop in Samut Sakhon. There were about 20 kids there and about the same number of trainers, staff, and observers! No, they are not abusing the project’s budget. The trainers, who are professional photographers and writer, volunteered to do it for free. Camp facilitators, who are second year students from Bangkok University, are also volunteers. They just come to help with their hearts.

“We are already successful in advocating with the government for access to Antiretroviral (ARV) medicine and treatment for newborn and young chidren with HIV so they can live longer. As these children become teenagers, the challenges changed. Even though they have the medicines, their situation is different and more sensitive than others in terms of living with others in the society and self-esteem. If we don’t work on this point to support them, they might feel inferior and withdrawn from the society, and as a result, they won’t care much about HIV prevention and taking ARV medicine continuously,” explained Chalermsak Kittitrakul, Oxfam’s Project Coordinator.

Several ‘kids camps’ have been organised to help the children and caretakers understand how they should take care of themselves and how to take medicines correctly. This is the first time the camp is organised differently to focus more on self-confidence and self-esteem.