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Oxfam Novib and Partnerships: A historical perspective

June 5, 2018

Over the last five decades, Oxfam Novib has built partnerships with thousands of civil society organizations in more than 80 countries around the world. During this time, the support of local partner organizations has been central to Oxfam Novib's development philosophy, which is based on the strong belief that local organizations are the prime actors in the struggle against poverty and injustice in their own societies. This paper reflects on the history of the relationships between Oxfam Novib and its partners. It examines how Oxfam Novib's approach has changed over the years and to what extent its underlying partnership principles were put into practice.

Breaking a Culture of Silence: Social norms that perpetuate violence against women and girls in Nigeria

April 6, 2018

Violence against women and girls is often perpetuated by practices defended by some community members on the basis of tradition, culture, religion or superstition. These include female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and early marriage. Such harmful traditional practices are underpinned by social norms, the rules of behaviour that people in a group adhere to because they believe that they are expected to do so and that others do so. In Nigeria, one in four women aged 15-49 has undergone FGM/C, and 48 percent of women aged 20-49 were married before the age of 18.Enough, a worldwide Oxfam campaign, aims to replace harmful social norms with positive ones that promote gender equality and non-violence. To better understand which social norms perpetuate traditional practices in Nigeria and how they influence behaviour, Oxfam in Nigeria conducted formative research by interviewing 20 men and 20 women and analysing the results in a campaign design workshop with partner organizations and experts working on violence against women and girls. The findings will inform the development of the Enough campaign in Nigeria.From the research and subsequent analysis in the workshop, four social norms were identified as drivers of the harmful traditional practices FGM/C and early marriage: A respectable woman marries early; A respectable woman is submissive to male authority; A suitable woman is not promiscuous; A woman is worth more as a wife than as a daughter. Women and girls who transgress these norms face four main kinds of sanction: peer pressure, condemnation, exclusion and force. Encouragingly, although the research found that respondents believe others still think it is appropriate to follow traditional practices, many of the respondents' own individual attitudes have already shifted - a first signifier of social norms change.

Dutch Supermarket Supply Chains: Ending the human suffering behind our food

February 19, 2018

Inequality is rampant across the global economy, and the agro-food sector is no exception. At the top, big supermarkets and other corporate food giants dominate global food markets, allowing them to squeeze value from vast supply chains that span the globe, while at the bottom the bargaining power of small-scale farmers and workers has been steadily eroded in many of the countries from which Dutch supermarkets and others from around the world source. The result is widespread human suffering among the women and men producing our food. This report and Dutch summary put key findings of the global campaign report Ripe for Change: Ending human suffering in supermarket supply chains in a Dutch context.

Young Couples in Good Times and in Bad: Social norms that perpetuate violence against women and girls among young Tunisians in peri-urban areas

September 25, 2017

Around half of women in Tunisia have experienced some form of violence in their life. Over 90% of the population thinks women should be discreet to avoid violence in public spaces. From the perspective of Oxfam and dozens of women's rights organisations, social norms that legitimise gender inequality and violence are rooted in the deeply entrenched belief - found, to some extent, in every country - that men and boys are more valuable than women and girls. ENOUGH, a worldwide Oxfam campaign, aims to replace harmful social norms with more positive ones that promote gender equality and non-violence. To better understand how social norms are constructed among young people in Tunisia and how they influence behaviour, Oxfam Tunisia conducted formative research by interviewing 40 young men and women and analysing the results with experts, NGOs and bloggers working on violence against women and girls (VAWG).From the research and subsequent analysis in a workshop, three social norms were identified as drivers of violence: women should not strive for equal decision-making status in their relationship; women should prioritise home and family over public or professional life; and women should behave in public in a way that respects male domination. This research will inform the development of the ENOUGH campaign in Tunisia, sharpening its focus on changing the norms that underlie VAWG.

Finance for a Fruitful Future: Dutch aid for agriculture 2005-2015

August 11, 2017

Dutch official development assistance (ODA) for agriculture has been on the rise in the last five years. However, it remains unclear whether Dutch ODA expenditures on agriculture are reaching female smallholder farmers. Empowering smallholders, especially women, is a proven solution for reducing hunger and poverty. This is particularly true of the rural poor, who are the worst affected by the impacts of climate change. This paper calls on the Dutch government to combine a strong ODA budget for agriculture with a solid strategy for resolving hunger by 2030, to scale up climate finance for adaptations in the agricultural sector, and to supply improved data on the impact of agricultural investments for each target group and gender.

Pakistan Impact Report: The World Citizens Panel

June 9, 2017

The World Citizens Panel (WCP) is an impact measurement methodology developed by Oxfam Novib. It is designed to measure and understand the changes in people’s lives resulting from Oxfam’s projects. The WCP combines quantitative research (impact surveys) with qualitative research (Stories of Change) to give participants in Oxfam Novib’s programmes a voice, to learn how our programmes can be improved, and to contribute to the public debate on the effectiveness of development cooperation.This impact study of the programme in Pakistan was carried out in 2013/2014/2015. About 80 interviewers carried out a total of 4,160 interviews; 14 partners carried out the surveys in their own areas of intervention. The study included a broad set of indicators, covering major dimensions of poverty and injustice. Data collected by partners with the help of a smartphone app was transferred into a central database, managed and analysed by the Oxfam Novib World Citizens Panel team. Based on the outcomes of the impact surveys, it was decided to conduct further qualitative research with Stories of Change on gender-based violence and land rights for women.This report presents the major findings from the analysis of the survey results and Stories of Change.

Nigeria Impact Report: The World Citizens Panel

April 26, 2017

The World Citizens Panel (WCP) is an impact measurement methodology developed by Oxfam Novib. It is designed to measure and understand the changes in people's lives resulting from Oxfam's projects. The WCP combines quantitative research (impact surveys) with qualitative research (Stories of Change) to give participants in Oxfam Novib's programmes a voice, to learn how our programmes can be improved, and to contribute to the public debate on the effectiveness of development cooperation.This impact study of the programme in Nigeria was carried out in 2014-2015. Interviewers carried out a total of 4,953 interviews; 12 partners carried out the surveys in their own areas of intervention. The study included a broad set of indicators, covering major dimensions of poverty and injustice. Data collected by partners with the help of a smartphone app was transferred into a central database, managed and analysed by the Oxfam Novib World Citizens Panel team. Based on the outcomes of the impact surveys, it was decided to conduct further qualitative research with Stories of Change on gender-based violence and land rights for women.This report presents the major findings from the analysis of the survey results and Stories of Change.

Overcoming Barriers to Family Planning in Pakistan: Lessons from stories of change and a literature review

June 21, 2016

This report presents findings from stories of change and existing scientific literature on family planning in Pakistan. The main objective of this report is to: a) give an overview of the barriers that married Pakistani women and their husbands face in adopting family planning and b) indicate how these barriers can be overcome. The first chapter discusses the risks that Pakistani women and children face when they are not adopting healthy reproductive behaviours and highlights the importance of family planning. The second chapter focuses on the barriers that hamper the adoption of family planning methods among married Pakistani couples. The third chapter highlights important steps that need to be undertaken to tackle barriers and enhance contraceptive uptake and family planning. Suggestions on how to change people's knowledge and attitudes and how to help married Pakistani women and their husbands change their behaviour are presented.The 18 stories of change were collected in Punjab province, Pakistan, in 2015. The scientific literature that was used comprises both studies undertaken in Pakistan and beyond.

Uganda Impact Report: The World Citizens Panel

January 8, 2016

The World Citizens Panel (WCP) is an impact measurement methodology developed by Oxfam Novib. It is designed to measure and understand the changes in people's lives resulting from Oxfam's projects. The WCP combines quantitative research (impact surveys) with qualitative research (Stories of Change) to give participants in Oxfam Novib's programmes a voice, to learn how our programmes can be improved, and to contribute to the public debate on the effectiveness of development cooperation.This impact study of the programme in Uganda was carried out in 2014. About 170 interviewers carried out a total of 4,953 interviews; 17 partners carried out the surveys in their own areas of intervention. The study included a broad set of indicators, covering major dimensions of poverty and injustice. Data collected by partners with the help of a smartphone app was transferred into a central database, managed and analysed by the Oxfam Novib World Citizens Panel team. Based on the outcomes of the impact surveys, it was decided to conduct further qualitative research with Stories of Change on gender-based violence and land rights for women.This report presents the major findings from the analysis of the survey results and Stories of Change.

Cambodia Impact Report: The World Citizens Panel

May 13, 2015

The "World Citizens Panel" (WCP) was established by Oxfam Novib to measure the impact of its programmes among people living in poverty and injustice. The approach combines quantitative research (impact surveys) with qualitative research (stories of change) and gives participants a voice in evaluation, and the opportunity to learn how programmes can be improved and to contribute to public debate on the effectiveness of development cooperation. This impact study of the programme in Cambodia was carried out in 2014. The study included a broad set of indicators, covering major dimensions of poverty and injustice. Data collected by partners with the help of a smart phone app was transferred into a central data base, managed and analysed by the Oxfam Novib World Citizens Panel team. This report describes the process and presents the major findings of the analysis which include:the positive impact on livelihoods (particularly on increased income levels and value of assets) but not on food security;significant improvements in disaster preparedness;access to information is very varied;increased participation in social organisations and collective action against injustice, and influence on decision making processes;violence against women is a problem, but is decreasing as both awareness and reporting of the issue is increasing;wider  possibilities for women to be politically active and take leadership roles;increased space for civil society organisations;larger number of land concessions granted to external investorsThe programme carried out a total of 3,650 interviews: the major activities of respondents were sustainable livelihoods (32%), gender (32%), education (28%) and health (28%).The Annex document contains the full text of the questionnaire used in the survey.

Somalia Impact Report: The World Citizens Panel

May 12, 2015

The "World Citizens Panel" (WCP) was established by Oxfam Novib to measure the impact of its programmes among people living in poverty and injustice. The approach combines quantitative research (impact surveys) with qualitative research (stories of change) and gives participants a voice in evaluation, and the opportunity to learn how programmes can be improved and to contribute to public debate on the effectiveness of development cooperation.  This impact study of the programme in Somalia was carried out by Oxfam Novib, HIRDA and partners in Somalia in 2013/2014. The study included a broad set of indicators, covering major dimensions of poverty and injustice. Data collected by partners with the help of a smart phone app was transferred into a central data base, managed and analysed by the Oxfam Novib World Citizens Panel team.  This report describes the process and presents the major findings of the analysis which include:Impact on livelihoods: Significant differences between target group and control group were found with respect to increased income, increased value of assets and months of sufficient food.Project participation has a positive impact on school enrolment, but still much to do with respect to the quality of education.Child mortality among the target group was significantly lower than among the control group.Surprisingly, for a country like Somalia that continues to be instable and insecure, a large majority of the respondents have mentioned that they had no experience of physical damage due to disasters and neither do they feel a threat. In addition, few people have taken preventive measures regarding possible future disasters. But also few people feel capable to do so. There were no significant differences between the target group and control group on this topic.Access to information and the ability to talk about women’s rights is very limited in Somalia. Violence against women is a problem according to the majority of respondents.Despite many projects on gender and empowerment, talking about sexual and reproductive rights is still a taboo in many communities, both for our target groups and the control groups.The programme carried out a total of 6000 interviews: the major activities of respondents were sustainable livelihoods (27%), education (17%), humanitarian aid (12%), and women’s rights (12%). 

Oxfam Novib Strategy Paper on Corporate Accountability

December 1, 2014

This document sets out the policy framework that will define Oxfam Novib's future programme of work in corporate accountability and that will guide its social justice agenda in relation to the private sector.Oxfam Novib recognises that the activities of multinational companies can promote economic development and generate wealth and prosperity in a sustainable manner, thereby enhancing the realisation of a broad range of economic and social rights. Experience of the past ten years work with the private sector has made clear the importance of the interaction between business and society in working to overcome poverty and create development and social justice, when transparency and accountability come together.An appendix provides brief overviews of the main international frameworks including those from OECD, from the United Nations, and from ISO.