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Introduction
Oxfam is an international charity firm that comprises of the most recognizable entities providing solutions to the increasing poverty in the globe. The organization operates in roughly ninety-four countries worldwide. According to Berry and Gabay (2009), it constitutes several other smaller organizations that provide donations to support specific projects. Presently, approximately 17 organizations partner with Oxfam. Their main aim is to promote the rights of people making them live within their manageable limits of life by controlling their own lives. They work internationally and directly involve the communities within their jurisdictions. Oxfam empowers these communities by enabling them to take personally incentives in deciding on the solutions to the challenges they face (Eade & Williams, 2000). Consequently, they empower such communities through the provision of funds to support programs that they settle to accomplish.
Background of Oxfam
Oxfam dates back to 1942 majorly formed to help the Greek civilians in times of war in Oxford. Before its restructure to its present name it was referred to as Oxford Committee for Famine Relief. Later on, in 1965, the name changed to Oxfam using abbreviated elements of the initial name to give it an international scope of operation. However, due to long procedures involved in the registration, it became an international body in 1995 upon registration by the independent non-organizational group registry department of the United Kingdom. Its vision was and still is “to work together for greater impact on the international stage to reduce poverty and injustice” (Oxfam International, 2015).
Oxfam Mission
The programs adopted by Oxford aim at addressing the causes of poverty and injustice to the less fortunate. They work with charitable and other organizations that voluntarily provide their support for the programs, enhancing their effectiveness. Their mission is to facilitate assistance in the various development projects that directly benefits the people facing poverty and injustice (Oxfam International, 2015). Oxfam works tirelessly to promote development and equality with a belief that poverty and powerlessness are avoidable through individual human action.
Oxfam’s Goals
Short-term goals
Oxfam has several short-term goals, which act as the skeleton of its daily operations. The goals include encouraging the community to recognize economic, political, and social resources within their vicinity, as well as providing clean water for the residents of the community involved. Moreover, it aims at fighting for the freedom of expression for the less fortunate in the community. Also, they set mid-term goals, which focus on providing basic education to the community where they operate and training the residents on mechanisms to mitigate daily calamities and enlighten the residents on their rights.
Long-term goals
Resilience
Oxfam restructures to provide a more strengthened resilience to disasters and conflicts. Through collaboration with countries that offer high training on disaster preparedness, the organization continues to train its employees and volunteers to meet high-risk management and mitigation by 2019. The trainees, therefore, will be able to act swiftly to disasters. Additionally, they continue to purchase modern equipment for emergency response (Oxfam International, 2015).
Rights and fragility
The organization continues to involve in a series of legal firms in its operations to champion for the respect of people’s rights. In line with this aspect, Oxfam incorporates the government, security firms, regional and international institutions in ensuring that any person who breaks the right of an individual be charged by the court of law (Berry & Gabay, 2009). The organization plans to accomplish the project by 2020.
Fighting for women’s rights
Oxfam strives to reduce conflicts and disasters from relationships. They strive to encourage respect for women to reduce the incidences of stress they frequently face. According to Oxfam International (2015), the organization has set strategies and education plans for men in marriages to ensure settling of such conflicts by 2019. Oxfam continues to partner with humanitarian organizations on gender justice and respect for women’s rights to accomplish their goals (Sweetman, 2000).
Stakeholders
The organization’s stakeholders include their partners who fund one or more developmental projects in their scope of operations. The stakeholders form part of the organization, and, therefore, take part in the decision-making process of the organization. Oxfam being a charity organization does not have an individualized owner; however, it employs several other individuals. A Chief Executive Officer (CEO) appointed by donors and associates of the organization manages the organization. The organization comprises of a panel of directors who make decisions of the group. The CEO approves all the developmental agenda passed by the panel through the concept of the donors. The directors head different departments aimed at providing set assistance to third world countries. The decisions made by the panel depending on the concepts from their donors and the communities they serve (Oxfam International, 2015).
Apart from the directors, the organization has other stakeholders who include customers, employees, shareholders, pressure groups, and trade unions. Regardless of Oxfam being a charitable organization solely depending on donations and fundraising schemes, they also participate in some income-generating businesses. Therefore, customers require fair treatment with professional staff or rather divert their loyalty to other charitable organizations. The customers are a source of additional income to the organization.
Most of the employees who constitute Oxfam stakeholders are volunteers. However, some of its employees work on wages. Notably, the employees maintain the daily operations of the organization. For instance, the employees take care of children in various orphanages. Moreover, the trade unions that constitutes the Oxfam group of stakeholders perform an important role in ensuring that the staff receive fair treatment, equity, and respect. Berry and Gabay (2009) assert that the trade union also determines the wages paid to the employees. Also, the union ensures universality in its operations regardless of age, race, or gender.
Suppliers also form an important role in maintaining the services of the organization. In addition to the assistance received from donors, suppliers provide other stuffs such as clothing and foodstuffs among other valuables. According to Khan (2003), the government ensures that Oxfam pays the taxes due to any registered organization even though it is a charitable organization. Consequently, the government ensures adherence to the constitution in its scope of work. Importantly, the local community determines the extent of the aid of Oxfam. The degree of expenditure of the organization depends on the need of the specific community they serve.
As a stakeholder at Oxfam International organization, I am charged with different and specific roles to ensure a reduction in poverty levels and injustices in the Third World countries that we operate in. First, as an indirect stakeholder in the organization, I have a role to participate in educating the community members on personalized economic development. This would act as a bridge to understanding the mechanisms in which the locals can use the locally and readily available resources to make basic products. For instance, in areas where agriculture does well, I would encourage a group of individuals to participate in agriculture. To achieve this, I would provide seeds to the customers that do well within their localities.
The organization helps me to understand the need for volunteerism and response mechanisms to the emergency. This provides an avenue for appreciating the need to empower those who are less fortunate in the community. Consequently, the organization provides a background for building an interactive program with the various legal bodies, thus ensuring the powerless receive justice in their daily deeds (Jennings, 2002). Professionally, the organization provides an avenue for understanding the various management strategies and their effectiveness in business operations.
Recommendations
I would recommend that the organization through its plan to promote education should incorporate adults to establish a learning foundation. Therefore, parents would appreciate the value of education. The children would subsequently receive encouragement from their parents in their studies. Without empowering the parents, they might not recognize the benefits of education, and, therefore, be unable to motivate their children. Secondly, I would recommend that the organization create more opportunities than just providing immediate help. This would limit the increasing number of people who need help. The organization can provide initial funds for the onset of the opportunity. This would empower the communities affected by the disasters. Consequently, the communities would be able to grow economically.
The organization should also directly link the communities to potential sponsors who would fund their projects. This would initiate the intensive involvement of the donor in various projects of their interest. The people, therefore, will boost the development of the region than it would have been in Oxfam’s plan of dividing the funds among several dependents.
Conclusion
Oxfam has been at the forefront in fighting poverty and injustices in the world. The process has been possible through education programs. From its short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals, the organization has placed great emphasis on human empowerment.
References
Berry, C., & Gabay, C. (2009). Transnational political action and global civil society in practice: the case of Oxfam. Global Networks, 9(3), 339-358.
Eade, D., & Williams, S. (2000). The Oxfam Handbook of Development and Relief. Business and Economics, 1(1), 1-216.
Jennings, M. (2002). ‘Almost an Oxfam in itself’: Oxfam, Ujamaa and development in Tanzania. Oxford Journals, 101(405), 509-530.
Khan, S. R. (2003). Deborah Eade Oxfam GB Geneva. Development in Practice, 13(4), 37-51.
Oxfam International. (2015). Oxfam International: The power of people against poverty. Web.
Sweetman, C. (2000). Women and leadership. Oxford: Oxfam.
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