Angola n Malawi n Mozambique n South Africa n Zambia n Zimbabwe

OxfAM GB SOuthern AfricA2009/10 Annual review

contents

4eSSentiAl ServiceS health and HIV services 6

education 10water and sanitation 12

14ecOnOMic juSticeclimate change 16

agriculture policy 18livelihoods in crisis 20

22riGhtS in criSiSemergency response 24

disaster risk reduction 26

28Gender juSticegender-based violence 30

women’s leadership 32

34incOMe And expenditure

36AcknOwledGMentS Oxf

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regional director’s message At the dawn of the 21st century, with all its groundbreaking advances in various aspects of human life, poverty stands out as an anomaly . In spite of voices both big and small, as well as local, national and global efforts to fight this great anomaly, it persists. Ten years after the declara-tion of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Africa lags behind the world in every aspect of human development. Only five of the continent’s 53 states have managed to halve the deaths of children under the age of five. In six countries child mortality has actually increased, while maternal mortality rates have risen in 23 of the 49 countries where data is available. The threat of food insecurity and hunger looms over many millions of people in Sub-Saharan Africa.

This great failure, which is holding millions of poor people, particularly women, children and minorities in the shackles of untold suffering, is not a result of the failure of a single actor . Rather it is the cumulative failure of global institutions, donors and developed countries that have reneged on many of their commitments, as well as African govern-ments that suffer from corruption, maladministration , tyranny, tribalism and gross inefficiency .

Oxfam believes that there is no short cut to dealing with poverty , and that we must work on multiple fronts to mobilise citizens, organisations and institutions to empower those affected and strengthen their ability to fight poverty and injustice.

During a review workshop that assessed the effectiveness of the Fair Play Campaign, one of the participants said to me: “This is a very important initiative that created new energy and momentum in advocating for the implementation of the Abuja declaration and MDGs. But without Oxfam’s active involvement and continued support the momentum will quickly die out.” Though this statement attests to Oxfam’s vital role in supporting development efforts in Africa, it also highlights the need for greater collaboration and support from many people and institutions to create the platforms for people to engage with policy makers in more coherent, structured and consistent manner.

Amartya Sen in his foreword to Duncan Green’s From Poverty to Power stressed that “if the evil of poverty and the crime associated with it can come through the actions and inactions of a great many persons, the remedy too can come from the cooperative efforts of people at large”.

This annual report shares Oxfam’s experiences and achievements ranging from saving lives affected by cholera, floods and displacement to networking, advocacy and campaign for pro-poor policy agenda in Southern Africa. It is a glimpse of what we are doing in the region, but also highlights the overall commitment, effort and programme drive that Oxfam is undertaking to fight against poverty and injustice. The stories not only reveal poor people’s realities but also invite for active interaction.

I am glad to acknowledge our donors, supporters, volunteers and staff who made it possible for Oxfam to work as an organisation and make a difference in the lives of poor people in Southern Africa.

fikre ZewdieRegional Director, Southern Africa

A woman dries wild fruit on the roof of her house in Mongu district, Western Zambia.

(Photograph: Nicole Johnston/Oxfam)

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n Our work in Southern Africa is becoming distinctly multi-country and regional — particularly around climate change, access to services and water , our approach to humanitarian preparedness, and our work with regional institutions such as the Southern African Development Community, the Pan African Parliament and the African Union.

n We launched the Fair Play for Africa and Red Light 2010 campaigns , scaled up our essential services campaigning in Malawi , and increased climate change campaigning in both Malawi and South Africa . We have also increased our advocacy capacity-building efforts in countries such as Zimbabwe , Angola and for staff in our regional centre .n In Angola we moved towards a governance approach and developed a programme that would influence the delivery of our various aims, particularly essential services.

n Zimbabwe is in transition and there has been a shift from a humanitarian to a recovery approach . In the coming year we need to ground the programme in a long-term development approach .

n We scaled up our engagement with climate change as part of the global process , particularly in our South Africa and Malawi programmes .

n Following the xenophobic violence in South Africa in 2008, the team moved towards a rights-based advocacy programme that supports the constitutional rights of migrants and non-nationals in the country.n Malawi has been working on improving small-holder farmers’ and producers’ access to the markets. Work is being done to improve off-season production through irrigation as a means of mitigating and adapting to climate change. Smallholder honey producers have also been supported to engage in the market. The Malawi programme is now shifting to focus on economic empowerment, climate change, humanitarian preparedness and response, HIV and AIDS and work around violence against women and girls (VAWG) for the next five years (2011-2015).

programme highlights

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From top: Elderly people collect water from a borehole in Matabeleland , Zimbabwe . Children on the shores of the Zambezi River, Zambia. (Photographs Nicole Johnston/Oxfam)Men transport water in Zambezia Province, Mozambique. (Photograph : Neo Ntsoma/Oxfam). Left: A girl takes care of her younger sibling in Zambezia Province , Mozambique. (Photograph: Neo Ntsoma/Oxfam)

essential services

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School children in Gurue district, Mozambique. (Photograph: Neo Ntsoma/Oxfam)

the essential services programme focused on health and hiv services, education , and water and sanitation.

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health and hiv services

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The Fair Play for Africa health campaign was launched in Angola in January and subsequently in South Africa , Zimbabwe, Zambia , Malawi, Kenya, Ghana, Mali and Burkina Faso. More than 200 organisa-tions have joined the campaign , which aims to ensure access to quality health-care for all.

The key call is for an AU-led accelera-tion plan for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and for African govern-ments to meet their health commitments and targets.

Fair Play for Africa, together with the Maternal Mortality Campaign, White Ribbon Alliance, 15% Now! Campaign, Save the Children and Oxfam, managed to put enough pressure on governments, finance ministers and the AU to ensure that the health, education and agricul-ture commitments made by heads of state remain on the table. A resolution was passed for governments to stick to their commitments in terms of health financing . The campaign also ensured key resolutions were passed in terms of maternal and child health, with the AU launching a Campaign for the Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa.

The Fair Play campaign has also ensured that the Africa Common position on the MDGs reflect s key priorities around health and the need for an acceleration of implementation to meet the MDG health goals.

The mobilisation in country is providing the necessary momentum to ensure that messages are reaching the leaders.

The campaign has several ambassa-dors, including Botswana’s former health minister Sheila Tlou as well as musicians and footballers.

the essential services progeamme has made great strides over the last year in its campaigns across the region and the continent, building momentum for change.

In May, English Premier League football giants Liverpool teamed up with Oxfam and Fair Play for Africa to hold coaching clinics for young people in South Africa in the run up to the 2010 World Cup. The LFC’s Community Outreach department shared its football skills with hundreds of young people and coaches in Rustenburg (top), Mamelodi (below) and Soweto (main photograph). They also visited Let Us Grow, a community-based organisation founded and run by Mama Rose Thamae (above). Let Us Grow is an Oxfam partner in Orange Farm, Johannesburg, that provides support to survivors of rape and sexual vio-lence as well as to people infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS. The home-based care project is a lifeline for many people who might otherwise die alone or neglected. Photographs: Neo Ntsoma/Oxfam

health and hiv services Time to meet healthcare goalsFair Play for Africa campaign

Ten years ago, in New York, world leaders committed to the United Nations ’ MDGs, promising to halve poverty and increase access to healthcare . Nine years ago in Abuja, African leaders promised to spend 15% of their budgets on health, and to take personal responsibility and provide leader-ship on HIV/Aids and other preventable diseases .

Every year since 2001 Africa’s leaders have committed the AU and their governments to the promotion and protection of the right to health in a series of international and continental declara-tions. These commitments provide a com-prehensive package for addressing maternal mortality, child mortality , HIV/Aids, TB and malaria.

Africa accounts for 22% of the world’s births, but for half of the 10-million child deaths that occur globally every year. A woman in sub-Saharan Africa has a one-in-16 chance of dying in pregnancy or childbirth , compared with a one -in-4,000 risk in developed countries .

But all is not doom and gloom: some countries are on track to ensure that people have access to quality healthcare. Botswana, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Niger , Rwanda and Zambia have all met the Abuja target of 15% of government spending going to health.

But they are the exception. Most Afri-can countries are way off target and 14 countries are actually moving backwards. Only five of the continent’s 53 states have managed to halve deaths of children under the age of five. In six countries, child mortality has increased. MDG number five aims to reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters. Yet maternal mortality rates have risen in 23 of the 49 countries where data is available.

Some strides have been made in the fight against malaria, as well as in TB detection and treatment. But HIV prevalence remains high and continues to rise in many coun-tries, and there is an increasing need for antiretroviral treatment.

African governments have described health conditions as a “continental state of emergency” — now they must move beyond rhetoric and adopt an accelerated plan of action, with a timetable and firm policy and programme interventions. Fair Play is calling for a realistic plan for the next five years that is well resourced from government allocations and supported by donor countries. In a resource-scarce environment , AU governments must review healthcare delivery systems to ensure they are cost-effective . We cannot afford “busi-ness as usual” any longer.

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civil SOcietY heAlth fOruMIn Zambia the Civil Society Health Forum (CSHF) is gaining momentum and participated in the 2010 health budgeting process. Both donors and govern-ment regard the forum as a fully-fledged partner in monitoring healthcare delivery in the country. The CSHF and Zambia’s Radio Phoenix launched a radio programme on the rights of Zambians to healthcare. The programme gives the CSHF a platform to raise awareness and foster dialogue with citizens about their right to health services and how they believe problems in the health system could be addressed.

AcceSS tO MedicineS cAMpAiGnAs part of the Access to Medicines Campaign in Malawi , a strategy was implemented in 2009 around the country’s elections and successfully profiled health as a critical issue. Strong campaigning capacity was built with key partners such as the Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN), which has undertaken a series of lobby and advocacy processes. MHEN and the National Organisation of Nurses and Midwives in Malawi have lobbied government to reverse its decision to suspend funding for training of nurses in a number of colleges.

With the district roll-out of the Access to Medi-cines Campaign, the focus is on the District Heath Implementation Plan and budget development

processes . Lobby efforts have resulted in the estab-lishment of five static antiretroviral therapy clinics in existing health centres (one in Blantyre and four in Phalombe).

The programme in South Africa has contributed to the dialogue on the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme, for which a White Paper has been prepared. It has also supported the development of a mass public campaign for government support for implementation of the NHI. Joint Oxfam Support for Campaigning on Health (JOSCH) partners continue to have a positive effect on advancing the implementation of the National Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS.

In Angola gender and HIV training is a key aspect of the essential services programme. The Fair Play for Africa campaign and other advocacy efforts such as the Know Your Status Campaign resulted in a strong network of organisations working jointly on advocacy and policy influencing .

Training of traditional birth attendants has resulted in health personnel in Bie reporting an increase in referrals of antenatal cases from birth attendants . Training of traditional leaders has also helped challenge some of the harmful beliefs and practices that drive infections and violence against women. A strong alliance with women parliamentarians is being developed to ensure more gender-sensitive budgetary allocation.

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health and hiv services

From left: Patients queue for medical attention and medication at Kanyama hospital, Lusaka, Zambia. (Photographs: Nicole Johnston and Oupa Nkosi/Oxfam). Opposite: Nurse Lucy Chilinda tends to a baby at Bwaila Bottom Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi. (Photograph: Abbie Trayler-Smith/Oxfam)

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ZAMBiAin Zambia some creative advocacy work resulted in the district education Board releasing small grants to 17 community schools and making a commitment to deploy more teachers to improve the quality of education . School sanitation activities have also been successful in supporting learning, retaining teachers at community schools and encouraging teenage girls to remain in school.

MOZAMBiQuein Mozambique our work around education has kept the issue of school councils high on the agenda of the Ministry of education . A national symposium on school councils was held in december 2009 in Maputo, where government made a commitment to enforce regulation around the functioning of these councils . civil society is engaging the Ministry of education to include in its structures a body

that will focus on the operationalisation of school councils and follow up on decentralisation reforms at national , provincial and school levels . parents , guardians and communities are more aware of their roles and rights in education, and there is growing evidence of improved dialogue between government institutions and civil society organisations (cSOs) and a greater involvement of cSOs in advocacy.

MAlAwiin Malawi Oxfam is supporting partners in the imple-mentation of an advocacy project around increased access to quality education for orphans and vul-nerable children (Ovc). After various lobbying meetings with officials, Kasungu district allocated funding for bursaries . lobby efforts with 44 school management committees resulted in these schools removing user fees, and almost all districts estab-lished Ovc bursary committees .

education

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Mozambique has made huge strides in improving access to basic education since the end of the civil war, but it is an uphill battle. For parents and teachers in rural towns and villages, this is one they are determined to win. Each school, no matter how impoverished , has a school council elected by mem-bers of the community and dedicated to ensuring its children get a good education. Schools in affluent cities would admire the zeal with which they approach this task: apathy is not an option here.

“This school was built by the community — they collected stones and made bricks to build the walls and then they lobbied government for the timber and iron sheets for the roof,” explains Pedro Nam-agila, director of the Errego Primary School in Ile.

But the lack of basic amenities is not the only challenge the school council faces: ensuring children stay in school is a major concern, with about 60% dropping out before completing Grade 5. For fami-lies struggling to grow enough food to survive, every child in school is a pair of hands lost in the fields. And as the HIV pandemic spreads, large numbers of

children drop out of school to work or care for sick relatives and younger siblings. “If a child drops out, we will go and ask the family why,” says Ferraz Lugeira, chairperson of the school council. “If they say it is because they don’t have books or stationery, we use money from a fund for orphaned and vulnerable children.”

This determination by parents that their children get a better chance in life than they have had is echoed at the Namaripe Primary School near Gurue. The children walk long distances to school, and there is often not enough space to accommodate them once they get there. The province has a ratio of 91 pupils to each teacher and the roads are bad or non-existent, making it difficult for the Education Department to deliver school books or do inspections.

Americo Vaela, the chairperson of the school council, is determined that no child be turned away. “Lots of children don’t come to school because we don’t have enough classrooms . So we build classrooms with thatch walls and roofs until we can make the bricks we need.”

“Each year we receive more and more students, so the school council will get together and figure out how many bricks each family should make,” says school council member Padania Henriques. “We ask people with building skills to lend us their expertise and others help us with the physical labour of building.”

Other members of the council ensure that children who have been orphaned by Aids are still able to come to school. “We try to help by making sure the orphans have books and stationery,” says Manuele Mutocorowa.

But even with the best will in the world, the school councils — run by commu-nity members who are themselves living in poverty — can only do so much. And ironically, this self-help spirit can serve to maintain the status quo, as it is often easier for communities to do it themselves than to lobby government officials for action. The councils are meant to ensure transparency and accountability around funds allocated from national level through the provinces, then the districts and on to the schools. But often these funds arrive late or not at all, and textbooks and teachers’ salaries are delayed.

Local and international NGOs have been able to make some impact through initiatives such as the Zambézia Education Project, which provides basic class-room materials, safe housing for female teachers in rural areas, and builds and equips teacher resource centres and libraries. But this is not a sustainable solu-tion, so Oxfam and its partner organisations Kukumbi and the Association for Mozambican Women and Education (AMME) are working in communities and with school councils to help citizens demand accountability from their govern-ment, and ensure resources designated for education reach their children.

It is a long, slow process but active citizenship — in which communities demand their due — is the only way that Mozambique’s children will be ensured their right to an education, and a way out of poverty.

Where apathy is not an option

Children attend class in Gurue district, Mozambique (opposite and top). Girls walk to school (above centre) and parents attend a school council meeting in Gurue district (above). Children at Montes Namuli Primary School (below) crowd around their teacher to have their work marked. Children at play in Gurue district (bottom). Photographs: Neo Ntsoma/Oxfam

Our water, sanitation and hygiene (wASh) programme is shifting from short-term emergency work to strategic , longer-term thinking.

Strong partnerships are being developed with regional stakeholders such as nAwiSA (the network for Advocacy on water issues in Southern Africa) to support civil society voices and share lessons from our country programmes.

Our Zambia wASh programme, which is funded by the european commission , successfully introduced community -led total sanita-tion (cltS). Social mobilisations and hygiene outreach sessions resulted in the construction of 1,428 household toilets with zero subsidies, which surpasses the originally planned 1,080 facilities . it is anticipated that the programme will achieve far greater sanitation coverage than originally envisioned. cltS is proving very effective in Zambia and led to the revision of the national rural water Supply and Sanitation programme .

water and sanitation

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A woman draws water from a well in Mongu district, Western Province, Zambia. (Photograph: Oupa Nkosi/Oxfam)

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The case of Nyuta Community School

Nyuta Community School in Mongu district , Zambia, was established in 2003 when the community sourced teachers who were willing to work without pay. The teachers provide the local children — many of whom are orphans and vulnerable — with basic education.

Before Oxfam launched a WASH project at the school, pupils would draw water from scoop holes located about 500m from the school. There were three scoop holes — two for pupils and one for the teachers and their fami-lies — but there was not enough water to cater for everyone and so the holes quickly dried up.

Other problems included the younger children muddying the water by stir-ring it too quickly, and some children defecating next to the scoop holes, making the water unsuitable for drinking . Also, the children took a long time to draw water from the scoop holes, resulting in a loss of valuable learning time.

A water point was installed at the school, providing pupils and the teach-ers and their families with good ac-cess to water. Teachers who had been threatening to leave the school because of the poor water situation were now encouraged to stay on.

Musole Chipango and Mwakamui Mulonda , who are in grade 6 and 7 respectively­,­are­direct­beneficiaries­of­the project. For them the installation of the water point means they no longer have­to­worry­about­finding­­toads­or­dirt in their drinking water . They said the open scoop holes were cause for concern because faeces would run off the ground into the holes and they would drink the water without it having received any form of treatment. They said they have shared the knowledge they have gained from the hygiene and sanitation lessons at their school with community members and friends attending other schools.

economic justice

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Picking tea in Gurue, Mozambique. (Photograph: Neo Ntsoma/Oxfam)

Our work in economic justice focused on climate change, agriculture

policies and livelihoods in crisis.

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Oxfam produced and launched a report on climate change in Malawi in June 2009 entitled Winds of Change. The launch brought together policymakers , government officials, communi-ties, donors and civil society organisations – and opened the door for civil society to input into the national position at the climate change negotiations . An Oxfam Malawi staff member was also co-opted into the Malawi delegation for the 15th Conference of the Parties to the UN Frame-work Convention on Climate Change (COP 15) held in Copenhagen in December .

Similarly, the programme in Zambia used the global launch of two Oxfam International reports to do media work that opened doors to engage the Zambian presidency and to work with other civil society actors to influence policy and national budget decisions . Oxfam worked with national civil society to provide a briefing for the Zambian minister of environment before COP15.

The climate change and poverty hearings were a significant feature of our campaigning in Southern Africa in 2009, providing an opportunity to raise awareness about climate change and allowing the voices of those affected to be heard. Hearings were conducted in seven districts in Malawi and in three provinces in South Africa (bringing together about 2,300 people in total in South Africa).

The Pan African hearing in Cape Town, South Africa, was the main highlight of the series. It brought together about 400 people, including climate witnesses from Mali, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa and Malawi , who gave compelling testimonies of how climate change has affected their lives and livelihoods .

In South Africa a network of partners came together for a number of campaign activities in the final build-up to Copenhagen. Events included stunts, vigils , marches and street theatre and helped raise awareness across a broad spectrum of society.

Oxfam provided policy and campaigning support to the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance at key influencing moments — such as in Copenhagen, and at the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) meeting in Nairobi in April 2009, where the common African negotiation position was agreed.

In the build-up to Copenhagen Oxfam sup-ported the chair of the Least Developed Countries Group, Lesotho. This has led to important oppor-tunities to influence the group.

climate change

“I am afraid that other women, especially young girls will turn to sex work to feed

their families. Because we are not getting good crops any more girls are under

pressure to find food. This pressure is only on girls, not boys, because girls are seen as

useless and we are not valued.”

QUEEN KAYIRA is from Malawi . She is a widow with five children .

Her husband died in 2000, leaving her with nothing . Queen turned to sex work to try to earn

a living, but stopped when she discovered she was HIV-positive.

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A flooded water point in Western Zambia. (Photograph: Nicole Johnston/Oxfam)

We used to survive from farming my plot of land on the banks of the Rukuru River. It is about 15km from Karonga and I would walk there every day to tend my bananas and vegetables and also to catch fish. But then the problem of floods started in 2001. I think it is because of deforestation . People were not harvesting enough food so they started selling firewood and charcoal . They cut the trees down on the riverbank, so now when the water comes it moves very fast and washes everything out.

Last year it wasn’t even raining here but it rained in Mwesha, about 35km upstream . It was at night and we heard a big noise from the river and people were crying “water! water is coming!” It kept coming for three days and our fields were totally flooded. There was so much water that people were catching fish with their bare hands in the fields ...

I used to have a big garden of banana trees growing along the river, but they were all washed away. Now I have only one or two trees left. The flood also washed away our rice seeds and cassava , so we had to find money for more seeds and plant again, but by then it was too late and the crops gave a very small yield.

If we don’t have rice or bananas we only eat once a day, and then it is only nshima (maize porridge). Before we used to catch fish from the Rukuru and mix it with bananas to make a dish called mbalaga. But since the floods the river is very shallow and the sands are too hot so the fish don’t come here anymore. As HIV-positive people we are supposed to eat six times a day and have a variety of foods, but that is impossible. I am on antiretroviral treatment and they say nutrition is very important, but what can I do? Now I support my children by selling tea and crocheted doilies in the market, but I am still suffering. I have three children in secondary school and it is really difficult to pay school fees for all of them.

This problem of climate change is affecting girls and women a lot. In the past girls had ways of having money to be a woman, and they would use this to buy toiletries and clothes. We would sell banana fritters at the market, but now there are no more bananas so the girls just go for prostitution.

Our men don’t support their families — it is a woman’s job to feed the children so we do whatever we have to ... Some women do sex work and others do piecework in other people’s fields — and this is after they have worked a full day in their own fields and then collected firewood, and fetched water and cooked, and taken care of the children.

Caroline Malema Is a widow with six children to support and is HIV-positive. She Lives in Karonga in the north of Malawi . Caroline testified at Oxfam’s Pan African hearings in Cape Town, where she told the story of how climate change has affected her life.

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‘It’s a woman’s job to feed the children so we do whatever we have to’Caroline Malema’s story

Seasonal flooding in Mongu district, Zambia. (Photograph: Oupa Nkosi/Oxfam)

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Women selling their produce at a market in Malawi. (Photograph: Nicole Johnston/Oxfam)

Farmers in Malawi are increasingly managing agriculture as a business. Seed multiplication is one of the many agro-based income-generating initiatives supported by Oxfam’s economic justice programme, and has proven to be an effective means of increasing house-hold incomes . In Phalombe the programme supported the establishment of the Waruma Farmers’ Association , which is in the process of registration. The 31-member association , comprising 10 men and 21 women , has been successful in multiplying open-pollinated varieties of seed maize, cassava, groundnuts, pigeon peas and soya beans, ensuring the availability of quality seeds and generating income through sales to local markets.

In October Oxfam and Honey Care Africa undertook a market study for the honey value chain, and identified start-up resources for work focusing on markets to promote products such as honey, pigeon peas and livestock .

With Oxfam support, the Malawian Civil Society Agriculture Network continued to engage with the government around its new agriculture policy, with a particular focus on the roll-out in which civil society organisations are expected to play a policy monitoring role. Similarly , CISANET in Malawi has continued to push for the government to adopt the social marketing functions of the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC ).

Our new partnership with the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) is growing and Oxfam is formalising this with a memorandum of understanding. Next year SACAU will play a role in the Oxfam Interna-tional Pan African Economic Justice initiative on large-scale land acquisitions and the global economic justice campaign. An additional partnership has been developed with PLAAS and CARE International to work on the issue of land-grabbing.

agriculture policy

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livelihoods in crisisIn Malawi Oxfam supported more than 31,000 households with a range of interventions aimed at increasing the availability of food and generating income . These interventions included irrigation farming , seed multiplication, post harvest crop management, livestock production , fish farming, and mushroom and honey production . Households involved in intensive irrigation farming, for example, were able to reduce their annual food gap by three months.

In Zimbabwe, our work with vulnerable communities helped reduce food-insecure households from about five million in 2008 to two million in 2009. Programmes focused on irrigation schemes, urban food assistance and low-input gardens , and provided support with agricultural inputs, cash transfers, and income-generating projects.

Oxfam supported about 52,000 house-holds with seed and fertilizer. In Masvingo we promoted traditional small grains like sorghum as a drought-resistant alternative. Despite initial resistance to these alternative crops, 90 percent of farmers in the district witnessed better yields, contributing signifi-cantly to food security in the area.

Oxfam was one of four organisations in Zimbabwe that piloted a voucher system that beneficiaries could use to buy seeds and fertilizer. The learning from this pilot has convinced donors to advocate for a cash-based distribution system that will stimulate the local economy.

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Above, from left: A woman in Gutu, Zimbabwe, takes her maize to be milled; a man fills in a voucher in Zimbabwe (Photograph: Annie Bungeroth/Oxfam); and a young girl sells mangoes in Kasungu district, Malawi. Below: Teenagers help to support their families by selling fruit and vegetables in Zambezia Province, Mozambique. Opposite: Dried fish (usipa) from Lake Malawi for sale in Karonga district. (Photographs: Nicole Johnston/Oxfam)

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Mayi Ethel Sandikonda (left) lives in Mpeni village , Traditional Authority Bvumbwe in Thyolo district, Malawi . She is a single mother of six children and the sole breadwinner for her household . Mayi received fertility enhancing trees from Oxfam partner Circle for Integrated Community Development (CICOD) and says they have doubled maize production from her 0.3 hectares of land.

“I received 1kg of pigeon pea seeds and half a kilogram of ‘ombwe’ seeds [tephrosia vogelli] soon after I was trained in agroforestry. Before I started using the agroforestry technology on my piece of land I used to harvest about four bags of maize. Now, after I started using the fertilizer-enhancing plants, especially the ‘ombwe’ shrubs, I have just harvested nine bags of maize from the same piece of land.”

Mayi planted the ‘ombwe’ seeds between her maize plants and as the shrubs grew they shed their leaves, improving the fertility and texture of the soil. After harvesting the maize, Mayi left the ombwe shrubs to grow more leaves. As she prepared her land for the next planting season, she pruned the shrubs and mixed the cuttings with the soil to produce a high-quality manure that improved the soil’s fertility. “I did not apply any other fertilizer in the field, but still I was able to harvest more. The coming year I will try to add a little [inorganic] fertilizer from the government subsidy programme. I believe the combination of the ombwe leaves with some fertilizer will do wonders on this small piece of land and help me get away from the problem of hunger.”

Mayi believes that agroforestry has helped reduce her food gap by two months. “This year, despite the dry spell, I have been able to get nine bags, what if there was no dry spell … my maize yield would have even been better.”

Doing wonders with agroforestryOxfam partner Circle for Integrated Community Development

rights in crisisOur work in rights in crisis focused on

working with communities and different levels of government to better predict, manage

and mitigate the effects of disasters and we responded to eight local emergencies.

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Kanyama hospital, Lusaka, Zambia. (Photograph: Oupa Nkosi/Oxfam)

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Within the past year Oxfam responded to humanitarian emergencies in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Angola and South Africa. In Zimbabwe humanitarian response work was a continua-tion of the ongoing response to prevent outbreaks of cholera . Interventions were primarily in public health and contributed to a significant reduction both in the number of cases and mortality . As compared to 2008 there were 120 recorded cases against 90,000 and three reported deaths as against 4,000. A successful innovation was the inclusion of a nutrition component within the humanitarian response work.

In Malawi a series of earthquakes that hit Karonga over December and early January were unexpected and a first for the region, as were the hailstorms that caused sub-stantial crop losses in Zimbabwe.

In Angola and South Africa there was displacement of mostly non-national populations because of forced migra-tion and xenophobic violence. These emergencies and responses have contributed to learning and innovation on many fronts. Oxfam will continue to increase the levels of humanitarian expertise both within the region and in the countries, work more closely in partnership with local organisations and strengthen our advocacy approaches. Oxfam is also committed to making sure that we continue to be accountable to those affected by humanitarian crises and ensure that they participate in decisions with regard to the assistance provided to them and are able to influ-ence national level humanitarian actors, including govern-ments to better respond to their needs.

Over the past year there has been considerable

progress within the Southern Africa region in disaster preparedness and contingency planning. Oxfam has continued to invest in developing a strong Emergency Response Team (ERT) and trained a further complement of team members, increasing the level of humanitarian expertise that could be mobilised in times of emergencies. The training also placed emphasis on diversifying skills and included modules such as gender, media and com-munications, advocacy, human resource management and financial management. During this current year the scope of the ERT will be expanded to include Oxfam affili-ates and staff from local organisations.

Practical contingency plans have been developed for all six countries within a regional emergency manage-ment plan. These contingency plans anticipate possible emergency scenarios within the countries and outline possible responses by Oxfam. They are in line with Oxfam’s commitment to ensure that the country offices are able to respond to humanitarian emergencies as best able and meet the necessary standards and principles. A humanitarian logistics supply review was conducted and a proposal for maintain a supply of non-food contingency stocks in the region has been developed. This will reduce the dependence on emergency relief supplies from out-side the region, and will speed up delivery of assistance to disaster-affected populations. Work also continues on the development and finalisation of “triggers” for making deci-sions on responding to slow onset of crises such as food insecurity and outbreaks of cholera and seasonal flooding.

emergency response

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Reporting on xenophobia

In July 2010 foreign nationals living in South Africa reported that they were receiving threats that xenophobic violence would erupt as soon as the final whistle blew on the Fifa World Cup. The threats came two years after the country experienced horrific xenophobic attacks in which 62 people were killed and more than 100,000 displaced.

As part of its contingency plan the Oxfam programme in the country worked closely with the media to address and arrest out-breaks of xenophobic violence.

Oxfam and programme partners held a workshop in Johannes-burg with journalists from various media houses to raise awareness about xenophobic violence. The workshop provided guidelines and training to the media on the important role they can play to ensure balanced reporting in line with the Press Code, which itself contributes to preventing outbreaks of violence. It also challenged popular perceptions of foreign nationals, and highlighted the responsibilities of the government , police and justice officials in protecting foreign nationals and prosecuting perpetrators .

Oxfam also worked in conjunction with news website Mail & Guardian Online to produce a series of interviews with foreign nationals highlighting their experiences of living in South Africa.

Other possible responses in Oxfam’s contingency plans for South Africa included preparations for direct advocacy work in an emer-gency situations where it urges the government to play its role in meeting the protection and assistance needs of displaced people.

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While the world was fixated by the horror unfolding in Haiti, there was little or no media attention paid to at least 30 earthquakes that rocked Malawi in December 2009 and early January 2010, the largest measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale.

Scientists called the series of quakes in Karonga — situated along the Great Rift Valley and near the border with Tanzania — an “earthquake swarm”. The town of Karonga told the story: collapsed houses, roofs fallen in and huge gashes in the road where the earth had split apart. Children were taught under trees instead of in classrooms and most homes had a makeshift shelter of straw and plastic outside: the prolonged intensity of the string of earthquakes meant that people were too afraid to stay indoors.

“The first one came at night on 6 December, but we didn’t know what an earthquake was, even our old women didn’t know, they have never experienced this before,” said Rachel Kasambala.

“The house was shaking like it was being carried on a big lorry,” said Caroline Malema. “I had such a fright I rushed out of the house and forgot my grandchild inside.”

The second quake struck on 8 December, destroying Monica Muhango’s house. Luckily she and her family had been sleeping outside since the first quake or they would undoubtedly have been killed. Just as people were beginning to hope it was over and starting to rebuild and move back to their homes, the big one — measuring 6.2 — struck on 20 December. “It was quarter past one in the morning and we were all asleep. We had moved back inside because it was raining very heavily and we couldn’t keep the children outside in the rain. When it came we were so confused, it was like we were in the sea and the waves were pushing us up and down and we couldn’t get out. It lasted for half an hour, but it was shaking so hard we couldn’t even find the door. The houses were cracking and the bricks were falling down. Some people even ran out of their houses naked.”

Once the tremors stopped, the families had to sit outside in torrential rain all night, too afraid to try to move in the dark,

too afraid to go back into their houses to collect clothes and blankets.

Farmers in Karonga have seen the seasons change in recent years and have been battling an alternating cycle of flood and drought as the rains either come late and crops wither in the fields, or arrive as floods that wash everything away. “The rains didn’t come in November as they were supposed to, but they came very heavily after the earthquakes. Our maize harvest will be very poor, and then what will we eat?” asked Muhango.

The Malawian government and NGOs set up a camp for displaced people catering for about 7 000 people. But many refused to move and desert their homes. “People don’t want to leave their land,” said Colins Kamuloni, the camp manager from the Ministry of Health. “They will tell you ‘our parents died here and their graves are here, so where should we go?’” Most need to stay and tend their croplands to ensure they have a harvest to show for months of backbreaking labour. “If they don’t work in the fields now, there will be hunger next year.”

Those who did move faced overcrowding, a shortage of water and sanitation facilities, and ran the risk of malaria and dysen-tery. Karonga has an HIV prevalence rate of 17% (as compared to 12% in the rest of Malawi) and HIV-positive people in the camp are at risk of opportunistic diseases.

Oxfam accessed money from the Catastrophe Fund to install water tanks, water points and toilets in the camp. We worked with partner organisations and the Malawian Ministry of Health on education around safe hygiene practices, and to distribute soap, water containers and mosquito nets.

Kossam Munthali of Focus — a community-based Oxfam part-ner organisation — said living in the camp was not a long-term solution: “We need accountability and transparency about this response to the earthquake. We don’t want people to become dependent on aid. We need to be clear on how decisions will be made if people are to be relocated. These decisions need to be made quickly and with a clear plan of how people will survive if they have to leave their lands.”

Quakes leave Malawians in limboA woman and child build a tent in Karonga after a swarm of earthquakes hit the area. Photo: Nicole Johnston/Oxfam GB

disaster risk reduction

An increasingly important aspect of Oxfam’s humanitarian work is disaster risk reduction. disaster risk reduction helps the communities and households that Oxfam works with to be better able to anticipate , prepare for and manage natural disasters and humanitarian crises. Over the past year disaster risk reduction work has been implemented in Zambia and Mozambique. this work has included improving coordination, planning and dialogue between communities and local govern-ment officials and offices. Work has also been done on providing information and training so that communities have increased knowledge and aware-ness of ways in which to reduce risk. the use of a training methodology called “participatory capacity and vulnerability Assessment” has been very effective in imparting this training and knowledge to communities that are vulnerable to natural disasters such as floods and food insecurity . this work will continue with an emphasis on understanding and adapting to climate change and replicating good practice on community -based

disaster preparedness approaches .the Oxfam regional centre has also made invest-

ments in the development of a joint programme between its essential Services and humanitarian work. this programme will build on the perspec-tives of poor communities and households of access to safe water and how they are able to participate in decisions with regard to how water is made available to them and its use. initially this programme is being managed by the network Association of water institutions in Southern Africa, which is undertaking a series of “water hearings” across the region to understand the perspectives of the poor and marginalised with respect to issues around access to and use of safe water.

the South Africa programme has strengthen its partnership with the humanitarian network of South Africa (hAnSA) towards strengthening accountability , governance and the management of disasters and protection of human rights in South Africa. A significant grant from the European Com-mission has been secured to further these efforts.

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Ancient custom affected by changing climateFor the Lozi people of western Zambia the end of summer traditionally means packing their house-hold belongings , livestock and farming implements onto­a­boat­and­leaving­­their­houses­and­fields­to­the­encroaching­­waters­of­the­Zambezi­floodplain.­The­Lozi­practise­wetland­farming­in­the­flood-plains where the soil is rich in nutrients, and their annual migration is an ancient tradition heralded by the ceremonial relocation of the king from his summer palace in Lealui village to his winter pal-ace in Limulunga in the uplands . The ceremony is called the Kuomboka, meaning “to come out of the water ”, and is the cultural highlight of the year.

The Lozi rely on indigenous knowledge handed down­over­generations­to­predict­when­the­floods­will come and when they should prepare to move. But the increasing unpredictability of the seasons means that many of the omens traditionally used cannot necessarily be relied on any more.

“This changing of the climate is really impacting on the Kuomboka ceremony,” says Fine Nasilele, a proud Lozi man who works for Oxfam partner organisation People’s Participation Services. “It is becoming­­difficult­­to­predict­the­time­when­we­should­move. In the olden days the ceremony would be held in March, but for the past few years it has been in April. We would look at signs like the colour of the sand beaches — when it turns brown we know the flood­is­coming.­We­would­look­at­the­position­of­the­moon and at the water levels to predict when to move. Now­it­is­becoming­difficult­for­people­to­plan­to­move, especially with their livestock because the flood­waters­come­late­but­very­quickly­.­Their­fields­get­flooded­before­they­can­harvest­and­people­­have­to­be­evacuated.­Boreholes­and­latrines­­get­flooded­and diseases can spread.”

When people are evacuated they often have to leave behind their harvests and seed for replanting , losing their belongings such as clothes and cooking utensils, which can be devastating for subsistence farmers already living in poverty. As the seasons grow ever more changeable the Lozi will have to face­difficult­­choices­­—­move­permanently­to­the­arid high ground, or try to adapt and continue to live their migratory lives on a rich but increasingly unpredictable­floodplain.

To support communities to cope better with increased­­levels­of­flooding­in­Western­Province­and droughts that are becoming more common in Southern Province, Oxfam is implementing a community -led Disaster Risk Reduction Project.

Ann Witteveen, the country director for the Oxfam Zambia programme, explains that “the project helps people develop strategies to reduce risks caused by disasters with the aim of helping community mem-bers to identify ways to diversify their livelihoods — so­that­a­drought­or­flood­has­less­impact­—­and­also­to be better prepared when such an event happens.

“Climate change is already having an impact in Zambia,” says Witteveen, “but this project will build the skills of local men and women and their leaders to take control of prevention, preparedness and response actions, rather than to just be passive recipients of aid year after year.”

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The Kuomboka ceremony and celebrations in Mongu district, Zambia . (Photographs : Oupa Nkosi/Oxfam)

gender justice

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Our work in gender justice has continued to focus on

gender-based violence and women’s leadership.

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A young woman tends her fields. (Photograph: Nicole Johnston/Oxfam)

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A woman in a busy market place in Mozambique. Photograph: Nicole Johnston/Oxfam

In 2009/10 Oxfam’s gender justice programme worked with partners Southern Africa Network Against Trafficking and Abuse of Children (SANTAC ) and Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA) on the Red Light 2010 Cam-paign, which is lobbying for anti-trafficking legislation and creating awareness around the issue.

In South Africa the campaign was acknowledged as a key anti-trafficking stakeholder within 2010 Soccer World Cup initiatives , and its engagement with the government helped fast-track a comprehensive new law against hu-man trafficking . The Prevention and Combating of Traf-ficking in Persons Bill was put to Parliament before the start of the World Cup in June, but has not been passed to date.

The campaign’s engagement with South Africa’s De-partment of Education and Social Work also led to the inclusion of human trafficking in the curriculum and practi-cal work of students.

In Zambia WLSA secured a commitment from the country’s leaders to take action against human trafficking . WLSA is a player in the formulation of Zambia’s Anti-Trafficking Plan.

In South Africa, Oxfam partner the One in Nine Campaign — a collective of organisations and individuals working for social justice for women — achieved some major successes. After tireless campaigning by One in Nine, “Buyisiwe ”, who was gang raped in October 2005, finally received justice when the seven accused were sentenced to terms of imprisonment of between 17 and 20 years. Her case had been postponed more than 20 times. With the increased numbers of rape cases , the One in Nine Campaign trained five court monitors, who

were present throughout Buyisiwe’s case to monitor proceedings.

The campaign also pursued and won a case against the president of the African National Congress Youth League, Julius Malema, for hate speech against rape survivors. The case was launched against Malema after he told a gathering of 150 university students in May 2009 that South African President Jacob Zuma’s rape accuser must have enjoyed having sex with him.

One in Nine is continuing to pursue cases that are denied justice in the courts.

In Mozambique, the Raising Her Voice project led a campaign that resulted in the passing of a Bill on do-mestic violence. The Mozambique programme has also supported the Ministry of Women and Social Action in designing user-friendly procedures to report cases of gender-based violence, and the draft will be submitted to government for approval .

There has also been increased mobilisation of men in the fight against gender-based violence. During the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign, 500 men who are members of PADARE Men’s Forum on Gender were mobilised in Harare, Zimbabwe, to partici-pate in a march, while a men’s forum Gender for Equality Now (MEGEN) was launched in Malawi.

At Oxfam’s regional centre in Pretoria, the In Her Shoe For A Day Campaign mobilised male staff to experience the life of women for one day and become more aware of what they go through.

In Balaka, Oxfam Malawi’s project area, gender-based violence awareness has seen an increase in the number of reported cases from 30% to 62%.

gender-based violence

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We have continued to support women’s organisations in various countries.

In Malawi the 50:50 campaign has seen an increase in women’s representation in Parliament from 14% to 22%. The campaign has continued to mobilise elected women parliamentarians to engage on issues affecting women.

In the run-up to the 54th session of the Commission for the Status of Women (CSW) in March, Beijing + 15,

women’s organisations in the region were mobilised and carried out research on the progress of the four themes of the Beijing Platform for Action : economy; safety and security; education ; and health. They produced policy briefs for lobbying at the CSW. The message was that leaders in this region need to go “beyond the signatures” and start to take action so that women can enjoy their rights. Follow-up action is being planned in the form of a campaign.

women’s leadership

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Clockwise, from top left: A boy sells fish from a traditional dug-out canoe in Mongu district; a little girl in Western Zambia;a woman participates in a meeting for members of Oxfam’s WASH project in Mongu; women chat in Matobo district, Zimbabwe; a young boy with his homemade soccer ball in Western Zambia; a woman sells her produce in Matobo district, Zimbabwe. Photographs: Nicole Johnston/Oxfam

income and expenditure

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Unrestricted funds are funds that are not given for a specific project. They include general donations from the public, income raised by Oxfam’s 750 shops, money raised by Oxfam groups in the United Kingdom , legacies and major donations.

Restricted funds are given for a specific purpose and used strictly in line with a set of agreed requirements . We raised restricted funds from a variety of sources including Oxfam International affiliates, bilateral and multi-lateral insti-tutions, governments , trusts and foun-dations as well as from the UK public through direct appeals and marketing initiatives.

The Catastrophe Fund is a centrally held source of money that is available to the Southern Africa region for un-planned emergencies .

Top Projects are specific Oxfam projects that donors can choose to support. The projects in Southern Africa that were involved in this fund-raising initiative in 2009/10 were HIV and AIDS in RSA, Irrigation and Livelihoods in Zimbabwe, and Education and WATSAN in Zambia.

Oxfam’s work is rights-based and is divided into five broad areas: economic justice; essential services; rights in crisis; the right to be heard; and gender justice.

In the fiscal year 2009/2010, Oxfam Southern Africa spent GBP20m (including Oxfam Unwrapped and Top Projects) as compared to GBP31m from the previous year. Of this year’s figure, GBP16m was spent on programmes, the balance of GBP4m was spent on non-programme activities and core management as well as fund-raising activity costs, with both restricted and unrestricted funds contributing GBP14 and GBP6m, respectively .

Total spend on Oxfam Unwrapped and Top Projects was GBP0.9m for the year.

SAfr total income GBp20 million

SAfr total programme expenditure by Aim GBp16 million

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expenditure comparison 2009 and 2010

SAfr total expenditure by country

acknowledgementsOxfam’s work is made possible thanks to the contributions and efforts of many individuals and organisations. We would like to acknowledge and thank to the communities that we work with, who contribute so much and give us reason and hope as we persevere in our goals, and to all the people, partners, donors and Oxfam International affiliates, without whose support we would not be able to continue our work. We also thank our staff, who continue to strive for the highest standards as we work with others to overcome poverty and suffering in Southern Africa.

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Women fishing in Western Zambia. (Photograph: Nicole Johnston/Oxfam)

Our sincere thanks to the following organisations that have funded our work in Southern Africa in 2009/10:

Angolan Ministry of HealthCanadian International Development Agency (CIDA)Co-operative GroupDevelopment Bank of Southern AfricaEmbassy of Finland in ZambiaEntwicklungshilfe KLUBEuropean Commission (EC)European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO)Government of MozambiqueGovernment of the NetherlandsGRM International LtdMercy CorpsNorwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD)Procter & Gamble CompanySave the Children (UK)The Garden TrustThe Scottish Executive The States of Guernsey Overseas AidThe States of Jersey Overseas AidThe William and Flora Hewlett FoundationUK Department for International Development (DFID)United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)United Nations Food & Agricultural Organisation (FAO)United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)United Nations World Health Organisation (WHO)US Agency for International Development (USAID-OFDA)

Our thanks also for the generous support of Oxfam Interna-tional affiliates and their donors around the world:

Oxfam AmericaOxfam AustraliaOxfam GermanyOxfam Hong KongOxfam IntermonOxfam IrelandOxfam JapanOxfam Novib

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for more information

www.oxfam.org.ukwww.oxfamblogs.org/southernafrica/

Oxfam GBSouthern Africa regional centre195 Allcock StreetcolbynpretoriaSouth Africa0083

tel: +27 (0)12 423 9900fax: +27 (0)12 342 3484

cOver: A school child at her desk in Gurue, Mozambique.photograph: nicole johnston/Oxfam GB

Oxfam is a registered charity in england and wales (no. 202918) and Scotland (ScO 039042) and a company limited by guarantee and registered in england no. 612172 at Oxfam house, john Smith drive, cowley, Oxford, Ox42jY. Oxfam GB is a member of Oxfam international.

Oxfam works with others to overcome poverty and suffering in Southern Africa