Oxfam Southern Africa Blog

OXFAM lights candles of solidarity in Malawi

Story and pictures by Innocent Kommwa, Malawi

In solidarity, OXFAM staff light their candles. Credit: Innocent Kommwa

The year 2013 marks the 30th anniversary of the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial commemorations. This year’s global theme was “In solidarity, we can end HIV”. Although the main international events were held concurrently the world over on 19th May 2013, Oxfam staff in Malawi joined in by hosting a short event on Friday 31st May at its offices in Lilongwe. The event attracted the participation of representatives from some of Oxfam’s neighbouring organisations in the Green Heritage Building, such as the Norwegian Church AID and the United Nations. Events for the day included the symbolic wearing of ribbons, a presentation of Oxfam’s AIDS workplace policy and programmes, a testimony on living positively and symbolic candle-lighting.

In her remarks, Oxfam Associate Country Director, Abi Akinyemi emphasised the need for Oxfam staff to reflect and think beyond raising awareness on issues of HIV and AIDS, and begin to show compassion.“We have come to a point where we have realised that there is lots of awareness. We now need to go beyond that and show that we care. We need to reach people within our office who may either be infected, or affected by HIV and AIDS,” said Akinyemi. More importantly, if our members of staff and family are living with HIV, they should know that we care and there is support for them within Oxfam.”

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Lighting up Lives: The Rural Sustainable Energy Development Project in Zimbabwe

By Cornelius Muchecheti and Margret Masanga

Solar panels on the roof of a house. Credit: Cornelius Muchecheti and Margret Masanga

Susan Mavuvo and her family live in a homestead in Gomba village, Masvingo.
Susan’s family sustain themselves by growing and selling vegetables and other crops. They use this income to pay school fees, and to purchase food and medication. Susan earns additional income through sewing clothes and uniforms for community members.

Since the year 2001, she has been a member of Cheziya community garden. It is through this membership that she became a beneficiary under the Rural Sustainable Energy Development Project [RuSED]. Since the RuSED project started with the introduction of solar lanterns and solar home systems in homes, life for the villagers has improved. In the time that the RuSED project has been running, some immediate change can be seen. At institutions it is the solar generated electricity that has brought about an immediate change in the daily provision of services. The Gutu community that is working with OXFAM on the RuSED Project have benefited from the Ruti Irrigation initiative. The energy project is therefore building on this.

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You Can’t Eat Electricity: Cutting carbon, cutting inequality in South Africa

How can low carbon development be pursued without making inequality and food insecurity worse? South Africa, like many middle income countries, faces the challenge of how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the context of high levels of inequality and persistent hunger and malnutrition. High, and rising, prices force too many people to choose between using scarce household budgets for food or for energy.

This Oxfam discussion paper considers how putting action on inequality and hunger at the heart of the low carbon development agenda in South Africa could also help to mobilize new constituencies of political support for low carbon action, which could be critical if vested interests in the carbon-based, energy-intensive economy are to be overcome.

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Reaping the rewards of Conservation Agriculture

Paulina showing her maize field; Credit: Tingo Matupa Project Officer/BSHDC

Paulina Banda is a 41-year-old woman and married, the family has three children; two boys and one girl, aged 21, 15 and 6 respectively. She is a primary school dropout from Kamowa Village, Group Village Head Stande in the area of Traditional Authority Kunthembwe in Blantyre District.

Paulina’s household is one of the many vulnerable households that her community chose to benefit from Projects Direct. ‘’My family could not have enough food to last us for the whole year due to persistent dry spells in this area,” Paulina starts narrating her story.

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Nothing about us without us!

The Guest of Honour, the Mozambique Minister of Trade and Industry, Armando Inroga officially opening the dialogue. Priyal Pillay/Oxfam

Informal Cross Border Trade (ICBT) has the potential to contribute significantly to economic, sustainable growth and development in southern Africa. It is estimated that ICBT in Africa contributes about 43 percent of official gross domestic product.

So far there has been substantial proportion of informal cross border trade transactions in sub-Saharan Africa that includes staple food commodities such as maize, rice and cattle and low quality consumer goods such as clothes, shoes and electronic appliances but a number of barriers to trade have consistently hindered an increase of this economic activity. Informal cross border traders (ICBTs) refer to registered and unregistered business activities undertaken across borders.

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Balaka and Blantyre farmers build resilience to climate change

Mary Ligomba in front of her failed maize crop (2011 -12 crop season) Photograph: Zilani Khonje

Travelling between the Malawi’s capital Lilongwe and Blantyre the commercial city can be exciting. The five-hour journey takes you through three districts of Dedza, Ntcheu and Balaka. The latter is regarded as a rain shadow area but also its one of the districts normally hit with prolonged dry spells during the rainy season. Cotton is the common cash crop because of the high temperature in the district. Another common sight passing through the district is dry wilted maize. Now this has been spared in 2013, as the rains according to the meteorological department, have been normal. Good news for farmers in the area I must say.

Nevertheless, for past three years, 42-year-old Paulina Banda from Kamowa village in Blantyre district has experienced a reduction in her crops harvest. Like many in her village, Paulina can relate the decreasing crop to climate change and variability. For them, the prolonged dry spells resulting from erratic rainfall have increased poverty in many household as villagers keep selling their goats and other household items to purchase food. For others, charcoal burring, and casual labour has become the only source of income to support them to buy food for the family. In Balaka and Blantyre rural, the forest is fast disappearing because of charcoal burning. Soil fertility has been lost due to erosions caused by deforestation. With loss of soil nutrients, crop productivity is highly affected hence reduction in quality production of both food and cash crops in the two districts.

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A delayed live video of the panel discussion presented by Oxfam focusing on the Brazilian experience in addressing poverty, hunger and inequality. Held in Durban on March 14th, 2013.

Cash transfer or food aid?

By Zilani Khonje

Agnes showing off part of her maize. Zilani Khonje/Oxfam

You see, the politics of food aid in Malawi is quite interesting. Food aid or cash transfer? Whose voice matters in making decisions on what those missing their food entitlements should get? To me it is the major donors such as the World Food Program (WFP)! Not that I am saying they are the rightful people, no! I say this because the government of Malawi I believe has the power to influence or demand what kind of aid should reach its people.

On the other end, non-governmental organisations such as Oxfam also tend to believe that they know the right kind of aid needed for the vulnerable and poor in need of food. Regardless of who is right or wrong, it is clear that the voice of the voiceless is silent or ignored in deciding the course of their lives in the face of hunger.

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‘Behind the Brands’ launch – Oxfam tackles 10 food giants

Approximately one in eight people go to bed hungry every night, while the 10 biggest food companies together generate sales of more than $1 billion a day. These companies have immense power but are failing to use it to help build a world where everyone has enough to eat.

Oxfam’s GROW campaign has gone head to head with 10 of the biggest companies in the world. With the launch of the Behind the Brands social media campaign, the aim is to rally consumer support and pressurise the world’s food giants into becoming more ethical.

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Domestic Resource Mobilisation: A tax study of the South African economy

Developing countries face challenges including widespread poverty, ever increasing unemployment and widening inequalities. South Africa’s experience of these challenges has given rise in the post-Apartheid era to an examination of the nature and dynamism of income distribution and the factors that drive it; the role of fiscal policy as a redistributive tool and the progressivity of tax and transfer policies have come into sharp focus.

The failure by any state to tax adequately is not only an indicator of, but also forms the basis for, underdevelopment. Therefore difficulties in collecting taxes are generally a reflection of a weak economy and an ineffective government. Most importantly, if governments do not have adequate tax revenues they are then forced to rely on external sources of support to provide public services.

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