Agrégateur de nouvelles
Oxfam: Why militarizing aid in Afghanistan is a bad idea http://bit.ly/dv4WwX Duncan Green blogs
Oxfam: In Japan? Oxfam Japan International Volunteer Group is looking for new volunteers & board members! http://bit.ly/9rD9Ta
Oxfam: Haiti earthquake: What Oxfam is doing http://bit.ly/cA67Cn here's a quick update
Oxfam: Oxfam International Annual Report 2008-09 http://bit.ly/oi-annual-report-09 persistent poverty & injustice must & can be overcome
oxfam_es: Sigue el blog de Helen Hawkings desde #Haiti: Tapando grietas http://bit.ly/bhuK25
Oxfam: Gender Perspectives on the Global Economic Crisis http://bit.ly/9UVvBS some pro-poor gender-sensitive policy responses
Humanitarian Desk Officer
TEAM PURPOSE: To ensure coordination between regional humanitarian actors and Oxford for response and generalist support for selected humanitarian initiatives JOB PURPOSE: To support and advise on the effective and timely delivery of priority humanitarian programmes. To facilitate regions/countries access to HD programme support resources (people, funds, logistics, advice).
Why militarizing aid in Afghanistan is a bad idea
Along with several other international NGOs working in Afghanistan, Oxfam last week published a powerful paper on the damage being caused by the militarization of aid. In many ways it resembles the debate on how to ensure that Haitian reconstruction builds, rather than undermines, its battered state.
In the last half hour, one Afghan woman died from pregnancy-related complications, another of tuberculosis and 14 children perished, largely from preventable causes. Eight years after the fall of the Taliban, the humanitarian and development needs in Afghanistan remain acute.
Undoubtedly, Afghans have seen some improvements, particularly in the expansion of access to healthcare and education. But while it costs approximately $1 million a year to support the deployment of a single US soldier in Afghanistan, an average of just $93 in development aid has been spent per Afghan per year over the past seven years. Over $1 billion – more than Afghanistan’s combined national budgets for agriculture, health and education, has been committed to the US military’s ‘Commanders’ Emergency Response Program’ (CERP) for this year alone. Even pro-development Europe spends five times as much on military operations in Afghanistan as on aid.
As the political pressure to ‘show results’ grows, the boundaries between counter-insurgency
Mightier than the sword? Handing out pens to Afghan children
and aid are getting ever-more blurred. In “Commanders’ Guide to Money as a Weapons System,” a US army manual for troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, aid is defined as “a nonlethal weapon” that is utilized to “win the hearts and minds of the indigenous population to facilitate defeating the insurgents.”
Much of the problem stems from the so-called ‘Provincial Reconstruction Teams’, military-dominated institutions with a mixed record, building some schools with leaky roofs and latrines emptying into community water sources, but also addressing immediate needs for schools and clinics. The trouble is, they are also undermining the process of rebuilding Afghan institutions, by assuming their responsibilities without a clear exit strategy for ensuring that Afghans take their place.
Schools supported or constructed by PRTs are also perceived by Afghans to be at higher risk of being attacked by the insurgents. Many fear that, by extension, the same applies to health clinics and other community facilities constructed by PRTs or other military actors.
There are better alternatives available, such as the Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS), managed by the Ministry of Public Health and introduced in 2003, which seeks to ensure that basic health services are available at the community level and integrated into a national structure of healthcare provision. Or community based education working alongside the Ministry of Education to establish 1,000 schools serving 93,000 students across 20 provinces. Or the National Solidarity Program, which I’ve written about before. NSP provides block grants of up to $60,000 for elected community councils to implement their own projects. But the long-term process of building the capacity and transparency of local institutions is almost as important as the outcomes of these small projects. To date, NSP has expended $1 billion on community development in 22,480 villages across all 34 provinces in Afghanistan.
Sadly all this is being sidelined by the logic of war, and ‘quick fix’ efforts to throw up a few classrooms to undermine support for the insurgents. To be effective and sustainable, development should be determined by Afghan needs and implemented with Afghan participation, even in insecure areas. An army is accepted if it protects people, and if the state it defends is seen as legitimate. The credit earned and skills acquired in providing essential services must go to Afghan institutions.
Finance Assistant
E-Communications Officer
Responsable de Programme de Reduction de Risques, Chad
Investigador/a Senior
Oxfam: Technology Saves Lives In Haiti http://bit.ly/c0GXY7 (forbes.com)
Oxfam: United Nations World Food Program Reaches Nearly 1 Million Earthquake Victims in Haiti http://bit.ly/cu1xC1
Administrative Assistant, Aid Effectiveness Team
Director, Aid Effectiveness Team
COORDINATES WITH:Aid Effectiveness Team staff, members of the Washington DC office, Finance Department and Information Technology Department staff, and other Oxfam staff as needed.
PURPOSE OF POSITION:To provide information management, administrative, communications and documentation support to the Aid Effectiveness Team.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: Program support:- Compile research studies about aid effectiveness and summarize results as needed.
- Conduct web searches on specific research topics and summarize results.
- Serve as the primary point-person for informational requests about the aid effectiveness program.
- Participate in regional office planning and coordination meetings.
- May support project research in support of the program.
- Keep informed of all aspects of the program’s activities.
- Facilitate communication and collaboration with a broad range of stakeholders.
- Provide administrative, logistical, communications, and documentation support to the team.
- Prepare consulting contracts and track deliverables and payments.
- Handle routine business and financial matters including processing requests for payments, tracking budgetary expenditures, and the maintenance of financial records.
- Prepare and review unit and team invoices for submittal to finance department.
- Plan and organize meetings and seminars.
- Facilitate internal communications via weekly department reports and intranet postings.
- Maintain contacts database and manage e-mail marketing software.
- Provide logistical support for event planning.Perform other administrative and support functions as needed.
- Create systems and manage the files and documentation of the team.
- Copy and edit documents to ensure quality and consistency.
- Assist in creating PowerPoint presentations.
- Help create and maintain any team databases.
- The incumbent will stay abreast of professional standards, trends and issues affecting this set of responsibilities, demonstrating continuous learning of the field.
- S/he will work effectively and collaboratively in support of building a team-based culture of work, will perform all duties appropriately for a multi-cultural environment, treating all persons with dignity and respect, and will be familiar with and committed to Oxfam America mission and goals.
- Periodic travel may be required up to a maximum of three weeks per year.
- Bachelor’s degree in relevant field or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience is required.
- Experience in international development and human rights issues.
- Experience with policy advocacy to the US government.
- One to three years of administrative and office management experience.
- Familiarity with international development and human rights issues.
- Experienced in word-processing, spreadsheets, presentation, and web design.
- Proficiency with MS Office suite.
- Proficient organizational and administrative skills, able to prioritize workload and multi-task.
- Strong listening, comprehension and documentation abilities.
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment and under pressure.
- Very good oral and written communications skills.
- Accuracy and strong attention to detail.
- Familiarity with the operation of office equipments (fax, photocopying, email, voice mail systems, etc.).
Oxfam: Radiohead Does Big Things for Haiti at Small Venue http://nyti.ms/9TzBEr (nytimes)
Oxfam: Overall water provision, sanitation & cash for work r working vry well. Now we need the Haiti Debt Cancelled http://bit.ly/6V6Bej
