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Birtukan Dagnachew Tegegn, Ethiopia

On World Food Day, a different kind of hero’s journey

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Birtukan Dagnachew Tegegn believes in making a contribution to the world — through farming. “When you collect the harvest … it makes you feel like you are witnessing the wonders of nature,” she said. “[You are] taking care of the most valuable thing, which is the food we all eat.” But making a living this […] Read more »
Photo: Peter Caton/OxfamAus

Support for women farmers could help us beat hunger

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By Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director, Oxfam International. Across South Asia and Southeast Asia, millions of small family farms are the bedrock of national food security. But the pressure on these farmers is increasing. Population growth is not slowing, demand for land for development is accelerating, and agricultural productivity seems to be reaching a plateau. When […] Read more »
OxfamAUS

End violence against women in Papua New Guinea

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In Papua New Guinea (PNG), violence against women is part of everyday life. A shocking 50% of women have experienced abuse. At just 10 years old, Ruth lost her mother. She had no choice but to live with her uncle and aunt where she experienced regular beatings. Mama Rasta was accused of sorcery by her […] Read more »

Kalpona Akter and the Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity

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Kalpona is a former child worker who started work in garment factories when she was twelve. She is now the Executive Director of the Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity (BCWS), one of Bangladesh’s most prominent labour rights organisations. Find out how you can help improve the rights of workers in Bangladesh. Read more »

How cows are solving poverty

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In Panjar Bhanga village, near Rangpur in northern Bangladesh, women are kept at home by the traditions of their society. They are not recognised as wage earners, or people who can contribute to and manage their household income. For this particular community, milk was the answer. Read more »
Photo: Rodney Dekker/OxfamAUS

Women like Maleana need the support others have

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Women play a vital role in the global food system and produce a large proportion of the food we eat; yet they have little access to land and their farm work is often underpaid and undervalued. If women farmers had the same access to resources and decision making as men, their efforts would significantly reduce […] Read more »

Ending hunger: the women of Lembata

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One in eight people go hungry every day. Unbelievably, 80% of those going hungry are food producers; small-scale farmers, fishermen and women, forest foragers and landless farm labourers. They produce food, yet many still go hungry. The road to Hoelea from Lewoleba on the island of Lembata is the worst I’ve ever seen. It takes […] Read more »

‘Mining has a masculine face’ – the impact of mining on women

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By Christina Hill, Mining Advocacy Coordinator Oxfam’s work shows that the impacts of mining are not gender neutral. Women often experience the negative impacts of mining more than men, and rarely receive the benefits that men do. What do these gendered impacts look like in Indonesia? Do small ‘cowboy’ mining companies – which are dominant […] Read more »
Khadija

Syria crisis: ‘Your work lifts us from darkness into light’

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Khadija, who chose to give us a false name and cover her face for fear of reprisals when she returns to Syria, fled to Lebanon two months before this picture was taken on May 4, 2013, after being displaced numerous times within Syria by fighting between opposition and regime forces. She now lives in a […] Read more »

The female food heroes of Indonesia – part 8

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  HELP SAVE LIVES Right now Oxfam is responding to emergencies around the world, including the recent earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia. Donate now What are you actually going to do? By Juan Martorana – blogging from Indonesia The road to Hoelea from Lewoleba is the worst I’ve ever been on. It takes around 10 […] Read more »