By Danny Sriskandarajah, CEO, Oxfam GB, August 4, 2020
“Oxfam is rethinking the size and shape of our global network. As we phase out direct operations in some countries, we hope to increase investment in some of the most fragile places, and to create more independent southern ‘affiliates’ as equal decision makers. It’s a major transformation of our confederation model – moving from a development INGO confederation to a more globally-balanced, social justice network.
Throughout the process of setting our new strategic direction, a key theme has been to establish where an INGO like Oxfam adds value – how and where we should show up around the world, in order to achieve maximum impact in the fight against poverty and injustice. To do this, we’ve sought input from the communities we work with, partner organizations we collaborate with, donors we partner with, critical friends who walk alongside us and, of course, our own staff teams. At Oxfam Great Britain, we have also used focus groups and surveys to help us understand how best to inspire public support in the UK for our mission and the causes we care about. In ongoing conversations about these changes, from how we organize business support to our relationship with partners, we are working to ensure we have the right feedback loops in place. Taken together, these processes have helped us make strategic decisions and assess difficult trade-offs.
Organizations like Oxfam are an important part of the civil society landscape. In our case, we have been around for nearly 80 years and have a presence in around 90 countries. But like all institutions, our success over the coming decades will depend a large part on how prepared we are to engage and involve our supporters, partners and stakeholders. I hope the way that we have sought feedback in designing our transformation will leave us well-placed to step up to that challenge.”
Oxfam works with others to overcome poverty and suffering Oxfam GB is a member of Oxfam International and a company limited by guarantee registered in England No. 612172. Registered office: Oxfam House, John Smith Drive, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 2JY. A registered charity in England and Wales (no 202918) and Scotland (SC 039042)
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