Oxfam is a world-changing social innovation! We're all feeling rather happy at Oxfam HQ. Yesterday the Guardian newspaper published a list of the top 10 world-changing social innovations, as named in the Young Foundation publication Social Silicon Valleys, and guess what? Oxfam came in at number 6! Not only that but Fair Trade, something Oxfam actively campaigns for, also appeared on the list. Of course we couldn't have gained this kind of recognition without the help of all our supporters so thank you to all of you. Now we can all end the week on a high and really enjoy our bank holiday! Read the list of world-changing social innovations >> posted at 9:15 AM | Permalink 1 comments

International TV Turnoff Week! How much telly have you watched so far this week? Like us, you may well be unable to imagine what life would be like if you were the only one amongst your mates on Thursday morning who didn't know who had been evicted from The Apprentice - but have you ever really thought about turning off the TV and seeing what else you could do? We have just heard that this week is International TV Turnoff Week and we thought you might like to use the excuse to get involved! This initiative was started to encourage young people to turn off their televisions and switch on their minds. A study by a man called Roger Putnam at Harvard University revealed that since the 1950's people have favoured their TV sets over going out and interacting with people. Last year 5 million people backed TV Turnoff week! Many teachers support the initiative as they believe television can have bad effects on children, such as causing lack of concentration. So, as this week is also Global Action Week for Education, why not back your teacher and switch off? Find out more about International TV Turnoff Week >> Find out more about Global Action Week >> posted at 9:50 AM | Permalink 0 comments

Amir Khan visits survivors of the South Asia earthquake Thought you might like to read about Amir Khan's recent trip to Pakistan with Oxfam. After six months Khan - who won the Olympic boxing silver-medal last year - returned to Pakistan to be reunited with survivors of the South Asia earthquake (You may have read about it in the Sunday Mirror recently). His last visit was in December 2005 and he was worried some of them would not make it through the winter: "The money that people raised made a huge difference," he says. "It helped survivors stay alive through the winter. I want all of us to remember the survivors and I want international governments to make sure that these people are not forgotten." More about Amir's trip >> posted at 10:54 AM | Permalink 0 comments

Tell Tony Blair to keep his promises We need you to e-mail Tony Blair TODAY to tell him to keep his promises. Last year, he led the G8 Summit which promised to make poverty history. And, at a series of crucial meetings over the next three months, world leaders will decide whether they keep these promises. We need Tony Blair to make sure that the World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings and the G8 in July turn aid promises into real money for teachers, nurses and doctors who can deliver health and education to everyone in poor countries. We also want him to use his influence as a world leader to change the EU's position in the current trade talks, and deliver on his promise to champion an international Arms Trade Treaty. Just sending this e-mail will really make a difference. Here's the evidence: in early April 2006, the government of Zambia scrapped the £120 fee that rural people pay to see a doctor. They were able to do so because of the extra aid and debt cancellation agreed at that G8 summit last year. And the G8 leaders acted because millions of people like you told them to. When millions of people speak loudly enough, politicians have to act. But we can't get that message through unless you do your bit. So tell Tony Blair to deliver on his promises and insist that other world leaders do the same. Are you in? Send Tony the e-mail now >> posted at 11:39 AM | Permalink 1 comments

Global Action Week for Education This week (24 - 30 April) is the Global Action Week for Education, a week of events to highlight that education is a basic human right. The week is part of the Global Campaign for Education, which began in 1999. Since then, school fees have been dropped in many countries and millions more children can now go to school. The UK has just pledged £15 billion to education but much more than this is needed, including 15 million more teachers, before the chance for a proper education can become a reality for everyone. So Global Action Week is a great time to check out our new online educational game, Mapping our World. This has been designed for use in schools to help us understand our place in the world and, as we've discovered, it's more than a little bit addictive! Also, you might want to check out Cool Planet for Teachers, the Oxfam website aimed primarily at teachers looking for information on activities and games that you can do in school. Find out more about Global Action Week >> posted at 8:28 AM | Permalink 0 comments

Voices for Change youth conference 2006 Thought you might be interested in the Voices for Change youth conference 2006, which will see 150 young people converge in Europe's only sustainable conference centre in Wales. Attendees will share skills, build new networks, and learn about a wide variety of themes and methods of putting your ideas into practice. You will be able to choose from a series of themed workshops on 'Environment and Climate Change', 'Peace and Conflict', 'Health as a Social Issue', 'Refugees, Asylum and Migration', 'Trade Justice and International Trade Laws', and 'Minorities, Ethnicity and Religion'. Skills workshops will range from negotiating to fundraising, from creative and colourful campaigning to working with disabilities, from street theatre to youth participation in government structures. The age-range is 16-25 and they welcome all levels and types of experience. Fees are £250 for individuals and £300 for people sponsored by organisations, with discounted rates for anyone coming from outside Europe. The fees cover all food, accommodation and workshops during the week. For further information or to request an application form, contact Rachel Laurence. Application deadline is 30 May. posted at 4:40 PM | Permalink 3 comments

East Africa food crisis updates You may have seen a lot about this in the news over the past few days. Around 11 million people across East Africa are facing a serious food crisis. Water is scarce and food is running out. People have died and more will die if sufficient aid is not delivered fast. Oxfam has launched its biggest ever appeal in response. As the Oxfam wesbite says, "Oxfam is already providing food and water to more than 500,000 people in Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia and Ethiopia. We're also helping communities to repair wells and water supplies, and working to find long-term solutions so that people can rebuild their lives and avert future crises." For the latest updates, go to the main Oxfam website. Why not organise an event to help raise funds for the appeal? Download the fundraising toolkit here. posted at 3:55 PM | Permalink 0 comments

Keira's dress goes on auction today! Just a quick reminder that Keira Knightley's vintage Oscar dress will be going on auction today at 5pm. To bid for the dress and help raise money for Oxfam go to www.oscardress4oxfam.org. Don't miss out! posted at 1:19 PM | Permalink 0 comments

Vote for who you think could change the world Have you voted in the I'm In people's poll? It's for who you think could make the most difference in the fight against poverty. Over 3,000 different people were nominated by Oxfam supporters in the original poll, from Chantelle of Big Brother to the Queen. Now they've been cut down to 10 finalists for you to choose from, including George Bush, Tony Blair, Bob Geldof and even Bill Gates. There's also an option to vote for 'ordinary people', so if you think like the girl who nominated her Dad, you know what to do. Vote in the I'm In people's poll now. Whoever gets the most votes will receive Oxfam's challenge to make a difference. posted at 4:54 PM | Permalink 2 comments

What will you do with all your Easter waste? Read an interesting article in the Independent over the weekend that claimed 8,000 tons of rubbish was expected to be generated in the UK this Easter. Much of this will come from the 80 million chocolate eggs Britons alone have munched their way through - an average 200g chocolate egg comes with 54g of card and 2g of foil. The good news is that both these types of packaging can be recycled, and recycling is becoming easier than ever before now that the majority of local authorities provide a doorstep collection service. The article also mentions that the sale of Fairtrade eggs has soared, meaning more of you than ever before have enjoyed an ethical Easter. So now you've eaten all that chocolate make sure you recycle the evidence! To find out where your nearest recycling facilities are go to www.recyclenow.com. What do you think? Have you recycled your Easter waste? Post your comments below. posted at 1:21 PM | Permalink 3 comments

Generation Why on tour with Bell X1 Super-campaigner Caroline Rose reports back on her tour with Irish stars Bell X1. For the past couple of weeks Generation Why and the Control Arms campaign have been on the road, touring with Bell X1. The band kindly allowed Oxfam to raise awareness of the Control Arms campaign and collect mugshots for the Million Faces petition during their UK tour. There was loads of interest and support for the campaign amongst audiences up and down the country. The local volunteers campaigning at each gig were brilliant - during the tour they inspired over 1,000 Bell X1 fans to add their beautiful/ugly mugs to the collection (that's over 40 per cent of the total audience). In addition, loads more have been checking out the Control Arms website to join the campaign there. The band and crew were brilliant, they couldn't have looked after me better. Their enthusiastic vocal support for Oxfam and the campaign definitely helped us gain our fantastic number of sign ups. Despite initial nerves I quickly adapted to the tour bus and dressing-room life, and enjoyed every minute. Bell X1 must be applauded for their entirely ethical backstage demands, but if I see another tub of houmous any time soon... aaargh! The enthusiasm of the campaigners I met and the support for Oxfam amongst the public was brilliant to see. I think Portsmouth was my tour highlight: the sea, an amusement arcade, delicious food, great venue, an A Team of campaigners and a record number of sign-ups. Superb. And a quick mention of Gemma in Bristol. A first time campaigner for Oxfam, Gemma braved the sweatiest of venues, unwanted admirers, some seriously intense fans and a very late school night to talk to just about every single person there! A huge thank you to the band and crew, venues, all the campaigners and local Oxfam Outreach coordinators - everyone helped to raise awareness of the campaign, and put more pressure on world leaders ahead of the UN Small Arms Review Conference in June. More about the 100 Days Countdown for Control Arms >> posted at 9:38 AM | Permalink 5 comments

Signed Kaiser Chiefs and The Thrills goodies go to auction Big names and big auctions seem to be filling the Blog this week! Some of the biggest names in popular music have contributed to a collection of memorabilia, which Oxfam will be selling on eBay from 13 April. The Thrills signed album (above) will be on offer, as will signed red and green Kaiser Chief ties. Sir Paul McCartney, Radiohead and Ronan Keating are also among the stars who have donated signed items to the auction. The bidding will start at 1p for each item and it is hoped that the auction will raise thousands of pounds for Oxfam's work with some of the world's poorest people. Most of the items to be auctioned have been donated to Oxfam Music and Audio in Ealing, West London. The music shop is one of six Oxfam shops across the UK dedicated entirely to music, and as well as a offering a great range of CDs, vinyl and audio equipment, the shop regularly sells rare and collectable donations on eBay. Tony Lee, Manager of the Ealing Music Shop said: "We are delighted that so many artists are supporting Oxfam. Based on the success of this auction, we intend to make this an annual event." Timed to coincide with Oxfam's third annual Music Month, which takes place throughout April in approximately 200 Oxfam shops across the country, the auction of memorabilia will run for 10 days from 13 April to 22 April. To take part go to www.oxfam.org.uk/musiconebay posted at 12:44 PM | Permalink 0 comments

Your Say writer gets his letter in the Telegraph Just a quickie - perusing the papers over a mug of tea this morning, we noticed that one of our Your Say writers John Preece has got a letter in the Telegraph. It's a response to a very critical article in the same paper on Monday, questioning Gordon Brown's commitment to spending $15 billion on aid for education. As John puts it: "How does one remove a corrupt government? A £6 billion war for regime change? Or maybe one builds a few schools and improves the standard of education, so that the people can change their country by themselves." Nice one, John. Read John's letter in full >> Find out about working with the media for Oxfam >> posted at 10:08 AM | Permalink 2 comments

Can music change the world? Oxfam is looking for a Live Music Network Coordinator in Manchester to work with up-and-coming musicians, DJs and promoters to speak out against poverty and conflict: "We're looking for someone who loves music and knows the industry in Manchester," says Oxfam campaigner Sarah Blakemore. "In return, we can support you, pay your expenses and help you develop the career of your dreams if you give us your passion, energy and a couple of days per week over the next six months." Speak to Sarah at Oxfam on 0161 234 2793 or sblakemore@oxfam.org.uk to find out more. posted at 12:00 PM | Permalink 0 comments

Keira's Oscar dress up for grabs! Keira Knightley turned heads at the Oscars in her 'deep-claret taffeta silk gown' (that's deep-red silk dress to you and me) and now you can, too! The nominated actress has very generously offered this custom made dress to Oxfam for auction, with all proceeds going to support Oxfam's life-saving work in East Africa. Keira said: "This is such an amazing dress... I am really pleased to be able to donate it to Oxfam. I have seen the TV reports on the horrendous drought in East Africa... I know how desperate things have become, so I am happy to be able to do something to help." Oxfam hopes this dress, which is currently on display at the Notting Hill Gate Oxfam shop in London, will raise a lot of money. If it sells for £5,000 this would be enough to provide food for 5000 children for 30 days. Knightley's vintage dress will be auctioned on eBay from 5pm on 21 April to 5pm on 30 April. To bid for a piece of Oscar fashion history go to www.oscardress4oxfam.org. posted at 3:57 PM | Permalink 0 comments

World Health Day is today Every day, in some of the world's poorest countries, more than 38,000 people die from infectious diseases and 8,000 people die each day from HIV/AIDS. Today is World Health Day and there will be events all around the world to highlight the amazing work done by health professionals, and the current "chronic global shortage of health workers". Our very own Sarah Kline was on BBC Breakfast this morning, along with Manuel Dayrit of the World Health Organization (WHO), to talk about this shortage. They highlighted that 57 countries today are unable to provide basic health care, including immunisations, and of these, 36 are in sub-Saharan Africa. The countries have the vaccines, but they "don't have the qualified staff to administer them", according to the WHO. As the BBC website puts it: "More than four million doctors, nurses, midwives and managers are needed to make up the shortfall." Show your support Send one of our 'Basic Needs For All' ethical e-cards. Find out more about World Health Day and what it means. Read about Oxfam's health work around the world. Read about Oxfam's campaign for health and education for all. posted at 9:07 AM | Permalink 0 comments

After the wave: tsunami photo exhibition now on in Cardiff Oxfam Cymru has teamed up with some of the world's top news photographers to present 'after the wave', a visually stunning outdoor tsunami photographic exhibition in Cardiff Bay throughout the month of April. Fifty-eight giant photographs contrasting the devastation of the tsunami with powerful images of hope stand against the watery backdrop of Cardiff Bay. It is a visual testimony to the incredible strength of the men, women and children who have lived through the tsunami and are beginning to rebuild their lives. Open to the public between the Millennium Centre and the Pier Head Building, Cardiff Bay from 25th March until 25th April. Free admission. This exhibition also appeared in London earlier in the year, read Liz Dodd's exhibition review >> posted at 12:31 PM | Permalink 3 comments

Dispatches TV programme: tonight, C4, 8.00 pm Wanted to tell you about a really interesting programme on C4 tonight - a Dispatches documentary (with campaigner Mark Thomas) highlighting how easy it is to get hold of light weapons. The programme shows teenagers in Ireland and England setting up their own cooperatives to buy wall cuffs from Poland, thumb cuffs from Taiwan, and a sting stick from China. Our own Your Say writer Maddy Fry was one of the school children involved - read her fascinating account here. Find out more about the campaign to Control Arms here. Watch the programme tonight at 8.00 pm and tell us what you think. posted at 12:47 PM | Permalink 2 comments

Download the "I'm In" big banner to your site Wondered if you'd seen the new scrolling "I'm In" banner? It's like the thing on the left but it scrolls through the people who've added their names to "I'm In" on your site - people who've said they want to do something about world poverty. Download it to your site and get your mates to add their names - you'll be showing the world you want to get involved and end poverty and suffering. It will just take a few clicks. Are you in? posted at 11:34 AM | Permalink 0 comments

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