Oxfam's work in Russia in depth

In Russia, Oxfam’s focus is on creating new economic opportunities, fighting urban poverty, and raising awareness about Russia’s global role in relation to climate change and international development finance.

The context

Like other former Soviet republics, Russia has gone through transition and liberalisation since 1991 as well as partial modernisation, which remains an ongoing process. However, many scars remain from the Iron Curtain and its abrupt downfall.  

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia experienced a prolonged period of political instability and uncertainty which drastically widened the gap between rich and poor people. According to official Russian statistics, more than 20.6 million people earn less than the minimum subsistence level, and many are struggling to meet the basic needs of daily life.  Many still lack access to basic social services such as healthcare, and much remains to be done for the country to transform as a whole.  

How is Oxfam helping

Oxfam has been working in Russia since 2003, to improve the lives and livelihoods of poor people living in the Federation.

In Russia, we’re working with local and regional government to help foster an environment in which private enterprises can flourish. We’re also helping to improve access to existing services, such as healthcare, and help people realise their social and economic rights. Over the years we’ve branched out to find new ways to fight poverty, and we are working with the Russian government on issues including international development and climate change.

We have one office based in Moscow, with a small team of ten people, but our impact extends much further thanks to our network of about 70 national civil society organisations, as well as our partners in municipal government, academia and business groups in a number of regions across the Federation.

Entrepreneurial spirit

In Russia, 60 million people are unable to access financial services due to inadequate infrastructure and severe administrative barriers. This means that it’s very difficult for people to get a loan to start a business, or to get more support as their business develops.

That’s why Oxfam’s work has been focused on creating economic opportunities for poor people, helping them make a sustainable living through developing their own small businesses. Thanks to Oxfam’s support, by 2008, 4,000 people were able to start their own business, increasing their family incomes by an average of 30%. Now, they have better access to medical care, nutrition and homes.

Together with our partners, the Russian Microfinance Centre and Forus Bank, Oxfam has also been working with specialist microfinance institutions, local municipalities and governments to create a positive environment for small businesses. We’ve helped to strengthen the impact of two micro finance institutions through capacity development and funding innovations (such as branchless banking). This has resulted in increasing the reach of microfinance services to more than 10,000 people in 15 regions across Russia.

We're currently supporting the Russian branch of the International Business Leaders’ Forum to develop Youth Business Russia, linking micro-entrepreneurs up with successful local mentors, and creating new jobs in Voronezh, Kaluga, Novosibirsk and Vladivostok.

Youth Business Russia was the only opportunity to help start my business. With the profits I’ve made, I was able to open another stall. In the future, I hope to have at least ten stores in the town.

Olga Cherkasova, 27, a flower seller and beneficiary of Oxfam’s Youth Business Russia programme

We're also developing a social enterprise with a local women’s organisation in Rybinsk, exploring how we can get their incredibly imaginative felt toys out to a broader market and build a brighter future for themselves.

Parallel to this, we're working to create a more supportive environment for social enterprise more broadly by working with the Russian Microfinance Centre and supporting them in a joint project with the Grameen Creative Lab in persuading major Russian companies that making money and good corporate social responsibility can indeed go hand in hand.

Ensuring access to health care

Although Russia is a middle income country with some of the richest natural resources, many people still lack access to basic social services such as healthcare.

We campaign both locally and internationally, with the Russian chapter of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP), a coalition of 36 local NGOs, for an end to poverty globally. In Russia, our partners focus on ensuring free access to basic medical care to which people are already legally entitled. They work with local universities, health insurance funds, municipal health authorities to provide free legal consultations.

With this help I’m receiving free medicine and can go for regular free treatment

Maria, chronic asthma sufferer is receiving support from Oxfam in Russia’s healthcare project

Read Maria’s story

We also support large scale public campaigns in eight regions across Russia (Nizhny Novogorod, St Petersburg, Tyumen, Tosno, Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Omsk, Vologda) involving regional media, the local branches of the compulsory medical insurance body, medical professional bodies and local NGOs and community groups. These campaigns raise awareness of people's rights to free healthcare more broadly, and complement a series of free leaflets that contain clear, accurate information about the whole spectrum of free medical services.

One result of this joint campaigning work was a change in legislation that means that over 3 million people no longer need to register annually as permanently disabled in order to access free healthcare.

Russia's role in the world

Despite the challenges faced by the government during the global financial crisis, Russia’s economy is the tenth-largest in the world and according to the IMF is set to become even bigger, rising to 6th place by 2015. As a global power and a member of the G8 and G20, Russia has a global role to play in relation to three key areas for Oxfam: economic justice, climate change and international development finance.

We’re starting an exciting new piece of work looking at Russia’s role as a major producer of grains, feeding not just Russians, but also exporting to CIS countries and further afield to places like Egypt.  And in a world where – according to the World Bank’s latest survey on food issues – a billion people go to bed hungry every night, Oxfam is going to be working even harder so that the global food production system ensures there is enough to go round.

Russia is already experiencing the effects of climate change including notable changes in precipitation patterns and seasonal temperatures. These changes are likely to hit poor people hardest, particularly vulnerable women throughout the country. We’re helping to raise awareness about the causes of climate change and exploring ways in which people can adapt and mitigate against its worst effects. We’re a founding partner of Clicr – a community project aimed at promoting environmental awareness and responsible lifestyles in Russian society.  At a grassroots level, we’re working with WWF Russia on a project in the Tuva Republic in Siberia that aims to increase the income of 5,000 people living within its conservation areas.

We’re also working with one of the leading universities in Moscow, the High School for Economics, and the Russian chapter of the GCAP to raise public awareness of Russia's growing role as a global donor for development work, building a public policy forum where government officials, academics and civil society can address these issues together.

Visit our Russian language website

 

Last updated: May 2011