Dave and Jen For Oxfam

Oxfam Australia is part of a global movement of dedicated people working hard to fight poverty and injustice.

Those are words from the Oxfam Australia site and no better way to introduce the organisation to those who may be unfamiliar with their work. Of course, there is a lot more to the work that Oxfam Australia does than can be summed up in a paragraph or on this page itself. There are a wide range of campaigns, projects and activites that Oxfam undertakes and enables and an equally varied way to be involved. By joining the Oxfam Cambodia Challenge for 2008 we are excited to view some of the sites of Oxfam’s work in Cambodia and gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of their efforts. Working within the NGO sector, supporting Oxfam Australia as regular givers and involvement in various campaigns in the past has given us the opportunity to feel like we are indeed joining in a greater cause to make the world a better place. A statement like that could be taken on so many levels but it’s the appreciation that such small things as education, sanitation, clean water, provision of livestock or training that can make ongoing and long term changes in so many regions around the world.

Whilst financial support and involvement in campaigns and activism are great ways for being involved, there is still something to be said about the idea of awareness of issues at hand. Sometimes the fundraising industry itself has interesting discussions about the “value” of awareness as an outcome of fundraising campaigning, but thats simply not an issue for anyone but those deciding where best to direct resources and determining the value of campaign outcomes. For most people, it should be readily apparent that even gaining an understanding of the issues that face our and other communities is a worthwhile use of time. The excellent Oxfam Australia website makes it possible to “thumb through” some of the campaigns and issues at hand, with the ability to drill down to further information, reports and case studies. It is in this way that we found ourselves fascinated with how little we knew of the actual quality of life in Cambodia, outside of it’s terrible history and its relatively fortunate postioning between popular tourist hot spots in Thailand and Vietnam.

Outside of what Oxfam Australia means to us, there is an importance to highlight in their work that makes such work widely regarded as some of the best practice in the NGO sector at large. We would urge you to at least have a flick through the Frequently Asked Questions. Some people would ask why they should donate money rather than fly to and with their own two hands, but Oxfam is rightly correct in their preference to enable local communities to enact their own change. By all means, everyone should consider donating their own time to support the local work of the organisation, or involvement in other campaigns… or even jumping on bikes to fundraise. Like us!

Keeping in mind these are our personal thoughts as fans and supporters of Oxfam Australia only, we would urge you to see what inspired you the most about Oxfam’s work yourself! There is bound to be something about the world that gets your, erm, knickers in a twist.