May 8th, 2009 | by Bob Ferguson
Not long ago I managed to record a quick–and badly lit–video interview with Chad Stokes (from the band State Radio) and Sybil Gallagher (from State Radio’s organization Calling All Crows) backstage before their sold-out show at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom.
In this three-minute clip, Chad and Sybil talk about how State Radio is supporting Oxfam America’s work distributing stoves to poor families, especially women, in Darfur, Sudan, and how you can get involved:
Why is Oxfam distributing stoves in Darfur? Designed with the input of local women, the different models of fuel-efficient stoves can increase security for women and girls in this conflict-affected region; dramatically reduce the cost of purchasing fuel for poor families; or cut the time that women spend preparing meals, giving them more opportunities to earn a decent income outside the home.
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March 5th, 2009 | by Anna Kramer
Photo: Eva-Lotta Jansson / Oxfam America
Like many of you, we’re all closely following the news about the situation in Sudan today. You may already know that the Sudanese government has revoked the operating license of Oxfam Great Britain. Together, aid groups have been providing life-saving assistance to some of the 2.7 million people displaced in the region.
Among those 2.7 million are the girls in the photo above, which was taken in April 2007 in Kebkabiya, North Sudan. Though the land is dry, the tens of thousands of people in and around Kebkabiya–many of whom have fled here for safety since the crisis erupted in Darfur–have access to clean water. Thanks to humanitarian efforts, Oxfam helped the town to build a water system–its first ever.
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March 3rd, 2009 | by Coco McCabe
Poking around the ReliefWeb site the other day, I stumbled on its analytics page—the place where it lists how many visitors come to the site and the kinds of information they might find there. Administered by the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, ReliefWeb bills itself as a global hub for people who need—or want—to find out what’s happening with humanitarian emergencies around the world. And guess what? In an age of supposed “compassion fatigue,” the number of visitors to the site climbed by 10 percent last year. Read the rest of this entry »
October 10th, 2008 | by Coco McCabe
Liberty, rights, and democracy: Villagers in the Democratic Republic of Congo embraced those ideals when they turned out to vote in 2006. Photo by Liz Lucas for Oxfam America
At the end of my street, a healthy new fall crop has sprouted—of signs. What’s for sale? Politicians. At least that’s what the disenchanted folks on the other end of the line hinted at Monday night when my husband and I volunteered to work on a phone bank at our local party headquarters. The mission was to call as many unregistered voters as we could in three hours and convince them that signing up to exercise their electoral right was a breeze—and worth the effort.
“I’m not a voter,” said one lady, making her status sound like a badge of honor. “I don’t like anyone.”
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