An IWD Thank You!

It wouldn’t have been possible without you.

On March 7^th, nearly 150 people attended Women and a Well-Fed World at the Hall of Laureates to hear three women panelists (Dr. Dorothy Masinde, Denise O’Brien, and Muthoni Muriu) share their thoughts on the role women play in feeding the world and the significant equality barriers those same women face every day. It was a truly beautiful event – the space was gorgeous and there was even time for networking before the panelists spoke, thanks to our 10 co-sponsoring organizations who hosted an information table. Let us take this space to say THANK YOU to all whether you volunteered, were responsible for any part of planning, attended the event, or helped us promote through your networks. The event’s success would not have been possible without your support! Pictures are forthcoming on our Facebook page, but here's a lovely picture of our Action Corps volunteers.

Then…on March 8^th, the Iowa Oxfam Action Corps took to the streets of downtown Des Moines to participate in a 15-city campaign awareness action. After months of planning (and secrecy), we were finally able to share the specially wrapped candy bars and our message. The ask: Let’s tell Mondelez, Mars, and Nestle to support women cocoa farmers in their supply chains. 12 volunteers with posters, candy bars, and petition clipboards shared the message with an estimated 1,000 people, handing out 388 candy bars, and collecting (over two days) 169 petitions signatures. Click here to view our pictures! To the nightlife of Des Moines who listened to our message and to the many volunteers who braved the cold and rain to share that message: THANK YOU!

Celebrating International Women’s Day is more than taking the time to honor the sacrifices and contributions of women. Celebrating this day reaffirms our commitment to ourselves and to each other, no matter our gender – because we are all humans and we all deserve to live lives of dignity and promise. And when we see the broken promises – lives of women and children torn by hunger, despair, and injustice: we take a stand. International Women’s Day may be over, but the fight for gender equality and equality for all will press on. Stand with us, it’s never too late.

It’s not possible without you.

The State of the State of the Union address

As declared in the U.S. Constitution (Article II, Section 3): “He [POTUS] shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”

On the evening of February 12th, President Barack Obama gave his 4th State of the Union (SOTU) address. Typically, the State of the Union takes the shape of a to-do list and in this case, it was a glimpse of Mr. Obama’s plan for his second term. As expected by people closely following the speech was the time and energy given to talking about the American economy. Nearly 65% of the speech was focused solely on “reigniting the true engine of America’s economic growth”. It’s not the first time the President has spoken about the economy during the SOTU. It wasn't surprising. However, there was something said that may have surprised many who are working to end global hunger and poverty…it came about 46 minutes into the speech:

“We also know that progress in the most impoverished parts of our world enriches us all. In many places, people live on little more than a dollar a day. So the United States will join with our allies to eradicate such extreme poverty in the next two decades: by connecting more people to the global economy and empowering women; by giving our young and brightest minds new opportunities to serve and helping communities to feed, power, and educate themselves; by saving the world's children from preventable deaths; and by realizing the promise of an AIDS-free generation.”

Wow! That’s a big promise – but we know we can accomplish it. We're a nation of big ideas. This isn't a Democrat or Republican issue. It's an issue of basic human integrity and it's not right that so many around the world should suffer. We know that aid works – projects like LRP can’t be allowed to expire. Programs like Feed the Future can’t be allowed to suffer as a result of the impending sequester. Oxfam has long advocated for policies and the development of institutions like LRP and Feed the Future that empower the impoverished to lift themselves to a better state. Let's get to that better state!

To watch the full State of the Union address, click here.

You're Invited!

With International Women's Day just a month away, we're beginning to build awareness around this day of celebration for the economic, political, and social gains being made by truly amazing women all over the world. But, it may have some people wondering...well, why such a large focus on women? Now, as in the past, there are wide gender inequities all over the globe that ultimately leave women (and children) without the ability to realize their full human potential. Here are a few facts taken from Oxfam America's website that detail some of the inequities:

• Sixty-six percent of the world’s work falls on women’s shoulders, yet they earn only 10 percent of the world’s income.
• In the majority of countries, women’s wages are 10 to 30 percent lower than men’s.
• Worldwide in 2008, nearly 800 million people over the age of 15 could neither read nor write—and two-thirds of them were women.
• In war and conflict, women typically experience the worst atrocities, including rape, forced prostitution, and mutilation.  
• Gender-based violence kills one in three women across the world and is the biggest cause of injury and death to women worldwide, causing more deaths and disability among women than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents, and war.
• Health crises, like the HIV/AIDS outbreaks in southern Africa, can also have a disproportionate impact on women because of harmful cultural practices and unequal laws and government policies.

For those above statistics (and the many others that are not listed here), it's not a stretch of the imagination to learn that women represent 60% of the world's impoverished. Organizations like Oxfam work to empower women - providing education, resources, food, and security so that women can lift themselves (and their families and communities) out of poverty and build a better future for the coming generations.

Join us in Des Moines for our 2013 International Women's Day event being held at the Hall of Laureates on Thursday, March 7th starting at 6:30p. Speakers from Women, Food, and Agriculture Network (WFAN) and Oxfam America will present a panel discussion called "Women and a Well-Fed World: Facing the Challenge - Gaining Ground" which highlights the remarkable achievements women have made in feeding the world.

RSVP today and share the Facebook invite with your friends!

Join the Action Corps

Join the Oxfam Action Corps in Des Moines!

www.oxfamactioncorps.org

 

Free spaces are available at training April 13-16, 2013  – Apply now!

• Are you concerned that the people who grow the world’s food—many of whom are women—cannot afford to feed their own families? And that one in eight people goes to bed hungry every night even though the world produces enough food for everybody?

• Do you want to take action in your city to achieve policies to sustainably feed a growing population and empower poor people to earn a living, feed their families, and thrive?

• Are you willing to reach out to others in your community to hold governments and businesses accountable for the impact of their policies and practices on the environment and global food security?

Oxfam America, an international relief and development organization, invites you to join the Oxfam Action Corps, an exciting effort to cultivate grassroots leaders and political change.

Oxfam Action Corps volunteers work closely with Oxfam staff to engage their community and elected officials. We will provide training and support throughout a one-year time commitment. You'll meet amazing activists, build community, and drive political solutions.

Here is what previous Oxfam Action Corps volunteers said:

“Oxfam Action Corps has given me a ton of confidence… gaining knowledge and being able to speak to people about the issues.” Amy, Business Operations Analyst, Des Moines

“I liked it, loved it, actually. I now have a better appreciation for activism and I do believe that it can really make a difference!” Debby, Graduate Student, VT

"This has become one of the best parts of my life… I can't express enough how satisfying it is to be organizing with people who are just as committed and dependable and passionate." – Isaac., Educator, New York City

Sign-up by February 14 at: 

www.oxfamactioncorps.org

The Hunger Map

Background: The World Food Programme (WFP) is the food assistance branch of the United Nations. Annually, WFP feeds nearly 90 million people worldwide, 60% of which are children, with an average of 2.5 million metric tons of food. WFP is the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and Oxfam International and Oxfam America find a great ally in WFP on numerous fronts - check out this article and short Youtube video on one of their combined initiatives called R4. Another way Oxfam America helps WFP is by working to increase the effectiveness of U.S. food assistance to the U.N. - no easy feat in today's political climate!


So, The Hunger Map...

WFP has on their website a highly interactive map called (you guessed it) The Hunger Map. What a resource! You can click on any country and instantly see details about the % of population classified as undernourished as well as major contributing factors to food insecurity. From there, tabs near the top of the screen (labeled as Hunger, WFP, and People) can take you to images and stories of lives touched by food assistance. Prior versions of this map were only available as a downloadable "flat" file mostly geared towards formal classroom instruction.

More than being a massively useful resource in explaining hunger and poverty, the map is a high-contrast visual representation that the world we live in is unjust. Look at Africa - such a huge portion of the continent is highlighted for their varying degrees of food insecurity. Political strife, climate change, poor economies, etc. all contribute to a lower quality of life for tens of millions living there. I invite you to take a peek at a few countries with WFP offices and explore the major contributing factors and what work is being done there to eliminate hunger - often in partnership with Oxfam :-)

Whether with WFP or Oxfam - ending hunger is no game (sorry, had to thrown in a Hunger Games reference). Aid works - let's keep it working!

The loss of LRP...

You’ve heard us talk about it before: LRP. It’s short for the USDA Local and Regional Procurement Project. LRP started as a pilot program in the 2008 Farm Bill and was based on the proven findings that providing cash grants to purchase food in surplus-producing areas of the region where it will be distributed saves time and money.

Over the course of the 4-year project, nearly 2 million people received food rations through vouchers, Food for Work activities and school feeding programs. That amounted to nearly 55,000 metric tons of food! You might be thinking to yourself, “How is this any different from what food aid already does?”. Well, most food aid provided by the U.S. has to be grown in the United States, transported to the shores, shipped overseas on U.S. shipping vessels, arrive in the crisis region, transported to the specific area being affected, and then distributed. This whole process sometimes takes 3-6 months and well, time is money and more importantly, lives! That’s where LRP comes in. If you can replace the first three steps with: acquire food in-region, then you’ve saved a huge amount of time (months saved = lives saved) and reduced the cost because you no longer have to ship the food such long distances.

 

But…this program was allowed to expire during recent “fiscal cliff” negotiations. Earlier in 2012, the Senate Ag Committee had put forth an effort to make it a permanent program with a $40 million appropriation due to its success. Nope – didn’t make it through. Although 'inconvenient' seems like a heartless word choice, this really isn’t a time to mess around with life-saving foreign assistance. Issues such as climate change continue to threaten the already food insecure, leaving hundreds of millions to ponder their very survival. How do we tell them that a program that we know is successful and saves lives was allowed to expire?

And when disaster strikes, how long must millions now wait for emergency food aid to arrive? 3 to 6 months? We can do better than that…WE know we can. 

Tell Congress you oppose cuts to effective, poverty-reducing foreign aid!  Together, we’re a powerful voice for change. Let’s be a voice for those who too often go unheard.

Top Five Reasons to Attend Organizer Training

Although we’ve just moved into 2013, there’s a huge opportunity knocking at your doorstep: Oxfam Action Corps training! Applications are now being accepted to be a lead organizer in Des Moines. We could speak volumes about our year as organizers but here are few reasons (David Letterman style) why you should seriously consider attending training in mid-April:

Top Five Reasons Why You Should Attend Oxfam Action Corps Organizer Training

5. It’s Free! The 4-day training held in Washington D.C. covers your travel, hotel, and meals. The staff at Oxfam America go to extreme lengths to make the training a memorable, inspirational, and educational experience. They recognize the value their volunteer organizers bring to the mission of Oxfam and you’ll be treated very well. In return, they ask for your one-year commitment to building a movement for social justice in your city.

4. It’s in Washington, D.C.! What an incredible place filled with so much history! You'll be in classroom style training most of the day but your evenings will be free so you'll have the chance to explore D.C. with your newly made friend/organizers. And, in your final day at organizer training, you'll walk across Capitol Hill to lobby your congressional representatives and ask them to support a world that's fair for everyone.

3. You Can Make a Difference! Your energy and passion for social justice will take you to some amazing places over your year with Oxfam. And it all starts at organizer training. You'll learn why these issues matter in today's world and that only through our combined efforts can we truly change the world. Organizer training brings you closer to your own personal values and reinforces the notion that we're better together than we are divided.

2. You'll Meet New People! You’ll meet some amazing individuals (like yourself) hand-picked by Oxfam leadership to spread awareness about social justice issues in major cities across the U.S. Be prepared to be inspired by their energy, commitment, and passion for making the world we live in a better place for all.

1. Opportunities Abound! You already have the power to be a leader – maybe you need that extra push to develop your skills or maybe you’re already a seasoned organizer and are looking for a new opportunity. With Oxfam Action Corps, that’s exactly what you get – opportunity. Most of all, the opportunity to grow as a community leader and as a private citizen. The leadership team at Oxfam America is ready to help you succeed with the organizer training and support throughout your year. Your year will be what you make of it, so make it a good one and have some fun!

Make 2013 the year you take a stand for social justice. Apply here! The application takes less than 10 minutes. Don't delay - Feb. 14th is the last day to apply!