Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International, and Brita Fernandez Schmidt, Executive Director of Women for Women International UK, discuss their evolving perspectives on charity, their passion for fighting for justice, attracting support and mobilizing action, and approaches to change in conflict-affected countries.
Oxfam International is relocating its headquarters to Nairobi to enhance its accountability and focus on fostering social justice.
Both Oxfam and Women for Women International emphasize empowering marginalized communities and individuals to effect change from within.
Deep dives
Importance of Moving Headquarters
Oxfam International is relocating its headquarters from Oxford to Nairobi, Kenya to be closer to the communities it serves and to enhance its accountability and legitimacy. The move reflects a shift in focus from delivering aid to fostering social justice, empowering people, and enabling them to hold their leaders accountable.
Charity as a Tool for Social Justice
Both Winnie Bienema from Oxfam International and Britta Fernandez Schmidt from Women for Women International emphasize that their organizations do not view themselves as traditional charitable organizations. They emphasize working alongside marginalized individuals and communities, investing in their potential, providing access to resources, knowledge, and rights, and empowering them to effect change from within.
Tackling Poverty & Compassion Fatigue
While fundraising and financial resources are important, Oxfam and Women for Women International go beyond monetary aid. They focus on addressing the root causes of poverty, such as powerlessness and lack of rights. They emphasize building movements, fostering agency, and empowering individuals to drive change. These organizations aim to inspire and engage people by highlighting positive stories of transformation and tangible ways individuals can make a difference.
Running an international charity in today's changing world is the task taken on by our two guests, who talk to Kim Chakanetsa about how their organisations are adjusting to the changing demands of those in need.
Winnie Byanyima is Executive Director of Oxfam International, which works to alleviate global poverty. Born in Uganda, Winnie has been a trailblazer and an activist from the beginning - as a student protester she was forced to flee the country at the age of 17. Later, she became a parliamentarian under Yoweri Museveni, and went on to hold high-level roles at the African Union and the UN. She joined Oxfam in 2013 and she's currently overseeing the ambitious relocation of its international headquarters from the UK to Kenya.
Brita Fernandez Schmidt is Executive Director of Women for Women International UK, a charity which supports women in eight countries affected by war and conflict. They offer a year-long course to marginalised women, with the aim of giving them access to life-changing support and skills. Brita herself was born in Germany but grew up in Venezuela, where she witnessed poverty at first hand, and remembers being particularly struck by how poverty disproportionately affected women. She says she always had a burning sense of justice - and that when she sees something that's not right, she can't leave it be.
Image: (l)Winnie Byanyima and (r) Brita Fernandez Schmidt
Credit: (l) Oxfam and (r) Monia Antonioli
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