The announcement has been a bombshell in the world of non-governmental organizations : Oxfam withdraws from eighteen countries of operations and lays off a third of the staff of its international office, or 1,450 people. The famous organization of british development stops, in particular its interventions in the poorer nations of the world, like Haiti, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Sudan.
Founded in 1942 in Oxford, Oxfam is the best-known of the NGOS in the uk alongside Save the Children, World wildlife Fund and Amnesty International.
The shortfall of stores closed
Present in 90 countries, this confederation of twenty-two national associations, and 3,500 partner organizations, has established itself by its know-how on the ground (water, food, toilets, tents, etc…) in emergency situations of war, disasters and famine such as in long-term programmes such as the fight against poverty, or tax evasion by multinational companies, or the protection of women and girls in the third world. Oxfam is funded by public donors, donations, and income from trading of its 1 200 second-hand shops in eight countries.
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“The coronavirus has made our aid to the most vulnerable more urgent, but at the same time has a negative impact on our ability to” action : Oxfam says it has taken these drastic measures in the wake of the pandemic, which has affected its cash flow.
The stores, which constitute one-fifth of the revenue, have been closed. If the full-time staff was able to take advantage of the technical unemployment, the volunteers (50 000) were confined. In addition, the government subsidies as private funds have declined dramatically due to the effects of the virus in the donor countries. The shortfall is estimated at 5 million pounds (5.6 million euros) per month. Finally, the british government has refused to come to the aid of the associative sector, taken by the throat by the discontinuation of the sports and cultural events, which allowed him to fill its coffers.
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If the measures announced parent at most in a hurry, in reality, Oxfam has suffered the backlash of the many scandals that have permanently soiled the reputation of the NGO.
The green ensign never surrender charges of sexual abuse perpetrated by its staff in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. “A complacency bordering on complicity,” said the commission of assistance for the development of the House of commons in 2019 about the direction, which has turned a blind eye to the actions of executives complained of which had had recourse to prostitutes, some minor. The director-general of Oxfam, Mark Goldring, has been forced to resign for having covered-up the scandal. In reaction to this case is highly publicized, many celebrities, including the south-african archbishop and Nobel peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu, have resigned from their position as ambassador of Oxfam. Private donations have dropped dramatically.
in addition, the strategy of Oxfam to gain a media publishing papers to themes eye-catching has greatly discredited the organization. “Half of the world population lives with less than $ 5 a day “, ” the twenty-six richest have as much money as half of humanity “, ” the banks are speculating on hunger “, etc., reports to the securities incendiary destined to make the news media is hiding all too often a lack of intellectual rigor and scientific, and poor master data and the financial investigation under the guise of good intentions.
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Finally, Oxfam pays the price for his open hostility to Israel, its implicit support for the boycott, and the virulent rhetoric of anti-zionist or even judéophobe of some of its activists. Private donations in the United States and Canada have suffered from this vulgate, which confuses willingly critical of the policies of the israeli government in the occupied territories and anti-semitism. Actress Scarlett Johansson has been deprived of his title of the” ambassador “, since the promotion by the american actress from an israeli company soda has been found to be inconsistent with his role as emissary in the world. At the heart of Oxfam’s use of the celebrities of show business to promote its cause, Hollywood was little appreciated this excommunication.
To top it all off, on the 24th of march, Oxfam has had to apologize to the israeli ambassador to London to be put on his online retail site with multiple copies of the ” protocols of the elders of Zion “, one of the fake anti-semitic the most famous, dating from the time of the pogroms, czarist. The books have been withdrawn from sale.
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