Programme Impact Report 2004
Oxfam GB's work with partners and allies around the world
Full report (594KB pdf)
Download individual chapters by Oxfam aim:
The Right to a Sustainable Livelihood (125KB pdf)
The Right to Basic Social Services (118KB pdf)
The Right to Life and Security (148KB pdf)
The Right to be Heard (71KB pdf)
The Right to Gender Equity (58KB pdf)
Rapport de synthèse en français (84KB pdf)
Resumen ejecutivo en español (84KB pdf)
Sumário executivo em português (81KB pdf)
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Introduction
This report is the culmination of our annual review process, that looks at the contribution Oxfam is making – together with our partners and allies – to overcoming poverty and suffering in the world. We are encouraged by what our programmes are achieving. The review this year shows that programmes are having an increasing influence on the policies and practices that keep people in poverty, and are reaching out to more and more people. These positive trends result from huge efforts by programme staff in shifting the way we programme – as envisaged in our strategic plan. New types of partnerships have been forged and strong alliances have been built with organisations around the world that are campaigning for change. This includes working together with other Oxfam International affiliates, especially in campaigning . Oxfam GB wants to acknowledge that much of the impact described in this report stems from the strength and breadth of the partnerships and alliances in which we work, and from the range of knowledge, skills, and influence that they bring.
The report shows that we are also learning about our weaknesses, and where we need to improve our work. Open discussion about weaknesses feels like a risky endeavour for Oxfam at every level. Oxfam staff need to trust that exposing failures and shortcomings will not be interpreted as poor performance. The same is true for partners in their relationship with Oxfam, and for Oxfam in relation to our supporters. But we believe that weaknesses must be discussed, both in the interests of improving the effectiveness of our work, and in terms of Oxfam’s accountability to our supporters, partners and people living in poverty. We also believe that the huge task of overcoming poverty – a task that we passionately believe must be achieved in our lifetimes – requires an honest sharing of what has worked and what has not worked in aid delivery. Many of the issues and difficulties we raise present challenges for other agencies too. New partnerships, strategies and commitments by the international community will be needed to confront them. In sharing our own real experience, we wish to contribute to a more honest and effective debate on aid effectiveness, and the role of policy change in achieving lasting changes in the lives of people experiencing poverty. We hope others will join us.
In our annual programme impact reviews, we look at a selection of programme work going back over several years, and draw on a range of evidence to make our assessments. Important in this – as illustrated at the beginning of this report – are the observations of poor women and men, partners, government representatives and others who know our work. Their perspectives help us understand what they value, and reflect on how we can best contribute in different situations. We also draw on evaluations undertaken with the help of consultants, who bring particular expertise and a more independent view into our assessments. More information on the impact assessment process can be found in Appendix A.
