4.1.2 OXFAM UK
4.1.2.1 Background
In 1942, the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief was set up in the
middle of World War II to ensure the supply of vital relief to civilians in
Europe especially in Greece and Belgium. In 1948, the first Oxfam shop was
opened in Oxford as the UK's first permanent charity shop. In the 1950s,
Oxfam's work expanded to reach struggling communities in Africa and South
America and in 1965, the name Oxfam was officially adopted as the Oxford
Committee for Famine Relief new name. In the 70s, Oxfam started its work in
Asia. In the 90s, Oxfam International was established and for the past decade,
the organisation's work has focussed on tackling the root causes of poverty
with its work ranging from life's basics such as water, education and health to
more complex issues such as climate change and human rights (Oxfam UK,
2013).
4.1.2.2 Goals and Strategy
Oxfam's work is guided by the following six strategic goals to
help reduce poverty (Oxfam UK, 2013):
- Goal One: The right to be heard - people claiming their right
to a better life
- Goal Two: Advancing gender justice
- Goal Three: Saving lives, now and in the future
- Goal Four: Sustainable food
- Goal Five: Fair sharing of natural resources
- Goal Six: Financing for development and universal essential
services
The above strategic goals are supported by six operational goals
that shape the way
the organisation operates:
- Goal One: Creating a worldwide influencing network
- Goal Two: Program quality, monitoring and evaluation (MEL)
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- Goal Three: Strengthening accountability
- Goal Four: Investing in people - Goal Five: Cost effectiveness
- Goal Six: Income strategy
4.1.2.3 Sector of Activity
Oxfam's worldwide work focuses on the following sectors: Food,
Water, Health and Education, Women Rights and Climate Change
4.1.2.4 Project Selection and Management
Oxfam's projects follow its Global Performance Framework (GPF)
which helps measuring the effectiveness of projects against six thematic areas:
Humanitarian response, adaptation and risk reduction, livelihood enhancement,
women's empowerment, citizen voice and policy influencing. Oxfam carries out
monitoring and evaluation exercises on programmes both on country and global
level in the following ways (OXFAM, 2013):
- Bi-annual monitoring reviews during which partners and
programme staff reflect on the information gathered throughout the
implementation of a programme and decide on the impact that it will have on
their future work.
- Annual country reviews which allow country teams and
stakeholders to meet and review their roles and strategies within different
countries using
the information gathered during the bi-annual monitoring
reviews.
- Programme evaluation for programmes whose value is over £1
million using the Oxfam Evaluation Policy through independent assessments which
will help improve Oxfam's global work.
Oxfam's programmes are subjected to its Monitoring, Evaluation,
Accountability and Learning (MEAL) approach with enables the organisation
to:
- Assess the impact of its programmes worldwide
- Increase its accountability to its stakeholders, and - Learn
intensively from previous interventions
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