OXFAM LIVE
Oxfam Live is a series of online conversations with different Oxfam Canada staff and partners about ending the inequality of poverty and advancing gender justice.
Oxfam Live is a series of online conversations with different Oxfam Canada staff and partners. In these sessions, we share stories and experiences from the field, highlighting the important work we do with our partners to end the injustice of poverty and to advance gender justice. Bring a cup of tea and join us! These interactive sessions are your chance to ask questions about the work you support.
UPCOMING OXFAM LIVE SESSIONS:
5 Hotspots Where COVID-19 Is Fueling Hunger
Date To Be Confirmed
This Oxfam Live session date and time has yet to be confirmed, but we will notify you a minimum of two weeks in advance once it has been scheduled.
Unlike COVID-19, hunger is not new. Millions of people were already living in hunger due to conflict, the effects of the climate crisis and the broken food system. Join this Oxfam Live to hear about the work Oxfam is doing on the ground in 5 of the worst hunger hotspots where COVID-19 is fueling food insecurity.
PAST OXFAM LIVE RECORDINGS:
Cancel the Debt. Save Lives.
Tuesday, June 30th, 2020
6:30PM-7:00PM EDT
We discussed the global debt crisis and the need to relieve low and middle income countries of their debt to free up resources to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch this recording to find out more about what Oxfam is doing to help Cancel the Debt, the successes we’ve achieved and actions you can take to tackle rising inequality, around the globe and here at home.
Featuring:
Diana Sarosi, Director of Policy and Campaigns, Oxfam Canada
Victoria Harnett, Head of Public Campaigns on Inequality, Oxfam International
Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah, Campaigner, Oxfam Canada
Watch this session on the global debt crisis and how rich countries can help during COVID-19
Struggles to Protect Indigenous Lives and Culture in Latin America During the COVID-19 Crisis
Tuesday, September 29th, 2020
11AM-12:00PM EDT
Join Oxfam staff and Indigenous partners as we discuss how Indigenous peoples are dealing with the COVID-19 crisis in Latin America, including the ongoing risks posed by large-scale extractive industries. Hear first-hand testimonies from Indigenous leaders whose communities are coping with the impacts of the pandemic, far from hospitals and news cameras. Oxfam’s new report, Averting Ethnocide: Indigenous peoples and territorial rights in crisis in the face of COVID-19 in Latin America, reveals the risks facing Indigenous communities. This report provides concrete recommendations to governments in the region to respect and support the quarantine boundaries and other measures adopted by Indigenous peoples to protect themselves, their cultures and their communities. This Oxfam Live will have Spanish-English interpretation available.
Featuring:
Melania Canales, President, National Organization of Andean and Amazonian Indigenous Women of Peru
A Quechua Indigenous woman from Ayacucho-Peru, she is the president of the National Organization of Andean and Amazonian Indigenous Women of Peru (ONAMIAP) and the current Coordinator of the Continental Link of Indigenous Women for South America (ECMIA – South).
Elisa Canqui, Program Manager, Oxfam Latin America and Caribbean Region
An Aymara Indigenous woman from Bolivia, Elisa Canqui joined Oxfam in 2019, after working for IBIS Denmark (now Oxfam IBIS) for almost eight years. She served as a Member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues from 2008 to 2010. Previously, she had worked as a consultant in several international organizations, including the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), UN-Habitat, UN, Fund for the Development of Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean (FILAC) and the Danish Cooperation Agency.
Eva Tecún León, Legal Representative, Tz'ununija' Indigenous Women's Movement
Eva Tecún León is a Maya K’iche’ woman from Chichicastenango, Guatemala who is the Tz'ununija' Indigenous Women's Movement’s Legal Representative and a member of its Minor Council. A political scientist by training, Eva graduated from the University of San Carlos’ School of Political Science and has a post-graduate degree in Public Policy Monitoring and Evaluation. Eva is a founding member of the Maya Students Movement for University Reform and is a staunch defender of Indigenous women’s rights.
Ian Thomson, Policy Specialist on Extractive Industries, Oxfam Canada
Ian leads Oxfam Canada’s policy work on gender justice in the mining, oil and gas industries. In collaboration with partners and colleagues in Canada and more than 30 countries, he advocates for public policy reform and changing industry norms to tackle the entrenched gender bias around natural resource extraction – who benefits, who bears the risk and who holds power.
Oxfam staff and Indigenous partners discuss how Indigenous peoples are dealing with the COVID-19 crisis in Latin America. Hear first-hand testimonies from Indigenous leaders whose communities are coping with the impacts of the pandemic.
Invest in Care Now!
Tuesday, October 27th, 2020
4PM-4:45PM EDT
We are in a global care crisis. COVID-19 is revealing a world that devalues paid and unpaid care work and the devastating impacts that follow. The system is broken, but we have an opportunity to fix it. By investing in a feminist economic recovery that has care work at its heart, we can build a system that ensures everyone who needs it can access care. Join us as our Interim Executive Director, Kate Higgins speaks with the Minister of International Development, Karina Gould, and global experts about their vision of a caring economy that advances gender equality.
Featuring:
The Honourable Karina Gould, Minister of International Development and Member of Parliament for Burlington
First appointed to Cabinet in 2017, Minister Gould was the youngest female federal cabinet minister appointed and the first to have a baby while in office. As Minister of International Development, she is focused on delivering Canada’s international development assistance to the most vulnerable populations around the world. She is passionate about breaking down barriers for women, youth and underrepresented groups and is a strong advocate for women’s issues, affordable housing and action on climate change.
Josh Lozman, Interim Director - Gender Equality, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Josh Lozman directs program advocacy and communications for gender equality, and leads the Foundation’s strategy for Melinda Gates’ advocacy and communications. Lozman joined the Gates Foundation in 2012 after serving in the Obama Administration as Chief of Staff to the National Economic Council. He spent a decade working on global campaigns, policy initiatives and for political candidates that support improved global health and development.
Chidi King, Director of the Equality Department, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
A lawyer by training, Chidi King is a leader and committed social justice and civil rights advocate. She has worked on equality, employment rights and civil liberties issues with the UK Trade Union Congress. King has experience as the Equality and Rights Officer with the Global Union Federation Public Services International. She has also worked as Senior Lawyer with Public Concern at Work (a UK public interest disclosure charity), and as the Equality Officer for the Lewisham Racial Equality Council.
Gary Barker, CEO and Founder, Promundo
Gary Barker, PhD, is a leading global voice for engaging men and boys in advancing gender equality and positive masculinities. Beginning in low-income areas of Rio de Janeiro, Promundo’s approaches have been incorporated into ministries of health and education around the world. Barker has advised the UN, the World Bank, numerous national governments, and key international foundations and corporations on strategies to engage men and boys in promoting gender equality.
Shirley Pryce, President and Founder, Jamaica Household Workers Union
Shirley Pryce is well known in Jamaica for promoting the rights of domestic household workers. A dedicated human rights activist, Pryce is co-founder of the Caribbean Domestic Workers Network and serves as an Executive Member of the International Domestic Workers Federation, based in Hong Kong. She played a pivotal role in the adoption and ratification of the ILO Convention 189, and among her achievements, was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Government of Jamaica for her work on women’s rights in 2015.
Moderator: Kate Higgins, Interim Executive Director, Oxfam Canada
Kate joined Oxfam Canada in 2017 as Director of Policy and Campaigns and then as Deputy Executive Director. Prior to Oxfam, Higgins worked for CIVICUS, where she led the development of the CIVICUS five-year strategy and spearheaded the organization’s work on data, sustainable development and citizen action. She spent several years working in senior policy and research roles at the North-South Institute and the Overseas Development Institute, where she led work on chronic poverty, inequality and women’s economic justice.
Our Interim Executive Director, Kate Higgins, speaks with the Minister of International Development, Karina Gould, and global experts about their vision of a caring economy that advances gender equality.
Access to a Toilet Can Be Life-Changing! Learn About and Get Involved in Oxfam’s Water, Hygiene & Sanitation Programs
Thursday, November 5th, 2020
1PM-1:30PM EDT
This Oxfam Live session was about our Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programs and how you can make a difference by joining the Pay2Pee Challenge during this year’s World Toilet Day (November 19, 2020). The funds raised through the Pay2Pee campaign will support Oxfam's work in more than 90 countries to end the injustice of poverty and inequality. Join the Pay2Pee challenge to fulfill your high school volunteer hours or do a family challenge! The UN estimates that 2.4 billion people around the world lack access to basic sanitation facilities such as toilets and latrines. This lack of proper sanitation is exacerbated by COVID-19 and is a major public health, gender justice and human rights issue.
Featuring:
Attiya Hirji, Fund Development Officer, Oxfam Canada
Attiya Hirji is a Fund Development Officer at Oxfam Canada and manages digital and community fundraising. She has worked and volunteered both in Canada and abroad for non-profit organizations in the development sector. Attiya loves to inspire and help people in their fundraising efforts to support Oxfam’s life-changing work around the world. She is a firm believer in the ‘Power of People’ and stands by the idea that no action is too small to make a big difference!
Xaria Wong, Humanitarian Program Officer, Oxfam Canada
Xaria is a committed feminist and human rights advocate. Prior to joining Oxfam’s humanitarian team, where she manages a portfolio of projects in emergency and refugee contexts, she worked in Myanmar responding to the Rohingya crisis. Over the last decade, she has lived and gained professional experience in Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mali, Myanmar and Thailand. She has a Master’s degree in International Law and Human Rights and an undergraduate degree in International Development Studies.
This Oxfam Live session was about our Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programs and how you can make a difference by joining the Pay2Pee Challenge during this year’s World Toilet Day on November 19, 2020.
Art, Activism and the Rohingya Refugee Crisis
Thursday, December 3rd, 2020
8:00PM - 8:45PM EST
Join directors, actors, activists and policy experts in a live panel discussion that unpacks the intersections of art and activism. What role does filmmaking have in bringing to light gross human rights abuses? How do we move from learning about issues to helping create change? Join us to hear about the making of I Am Rohingya and discuss the ongoing need for humanitarian support for refugee communities around the world. This 45-minute livestream of dialogue and reflection is a compliment to the two compelling films Exiled and I Am Rohingya that are available as part of the Rohingya Refugee Crisis film package within the One World Refugee Film Festival. Presented by Oxfam Canada. The livestream webinar was recorded December 3rd at 8:00 PM EST.
Featuring:
Yuriko Cowper-Smith is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at the University of Guelph. Her main research interests lie in migration, statelessness, and social movements, and her dissertation investigates the Rohingya social movement in Canada. For three years, she has worked with the Rohingya diaspora in Canada by volunteering, organizing and attending events, and raising public awareness about their refugee crisis and genocide through her research and writing. She currently works with The Sentinel Project, an NGO that tracks early signs of genocide, and the Canadian Centre on Statelessness. In 2018, Yuriko visited the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, with Ahmed Ullah.
Ruma Ruma is a 19-year-old Rohingya activist with an interest in math and sciences. She is one of the stars of the play and documentary “I Am Rohingya”, a production that tells the world about the Rohingya genocide. Her life before was living in the poverty of the refugee camps in Bangladesh as a Rohingya. She came to Canada in 2007 when she was six years old with her family. She helps/volunteers a lot in school and out of school when given the opportunity. Her passion is in the medical field. She hopes to attend the University of Waterloo for science. Ruma loves speaking for those who are not given a chance to speak up for themselves.
Ahmed Ullah is a Canadian activist and human rights defender for the Rohingya people who was born in the Nayapara Refugee Camp in Bangladesh. Ahmed has been actively involved in supporting his local Rohingya community; translating for newcomers and helping them settle into their new life in Canada. Ahmed helped co-found the Canadian Rohingya Development Initiative, an organization dedicated to providing humanitarian aid to the newly arrived Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Ahmed has spoken around the world in places such as the United Nations, Global Education and Skills forum, and Global conferences on refugees and Human rights and many more while pursuing post-secondary education. Ahmed helped to write and performed in the award-winning theatrical production "I Am Rohingya ''.
Kevin Young is a producer, director and co-founder of Innerspeak Media. He started his career as a freelance location sound recordist who has traveled the world with the Discovery Channel while also working freelance at CTV/TSN on shows such as The Beaverton, Canada AM, and Trade Centre-in both the live studio environment and as a post sound mixer. He was a co-producer for the film “I Am Rohingya” and is currently co-writing and producing an investigative podcast mini-series for TVO.
Moderator: Siham Rayale is a Women’s Rights Policy Specialist at Oxfam Canada and has over a decade of experience working in development policy and programming. She has focused her research and advocacy around issues relating to women, peace and security with an emphasis on justice-sector reform. Prior to joining Oxfam, Siham was a lecturer at the University of Toronto at Scarborough in Women and Gender Studies.
Oxfam Canada's Siham Rayale hosted this discussion on the making of I Am Rohingya and the ongoing need for humanitarian support for refugee communities around the world as part of the One World Refugee Film Festival.
Solutions to Ending Vaccine Inequality: Time to Call for Free COVID-19 Vaccines for All!
Thursday, May 6, 2021, 1:00PM-1:45PM EDT
Oxfam Canada's Siham Rayale hosted this discussion on the consequences of vaccine inequality and how the world’s richest countries have exercised a “me first” approach to the COVID-19 vaccines, buying up more than half of the available supply – with grave consequences for people around the world living in poverty. As it stands, some countries may not be able to fully immunize their populations until 2024, unnecessarily prolonging the pandemic and creating the potential for even more variants to render current vaccines ineffective. The consequences would be dire for everyone.
Women in low-income countries, as well as racialized women here in Canada, are at greater risk of getting COVID-19 and dying from it. Access to COVID-19 will save lives today. We must demand that intellectual property rights for these life-saving vaccines be waived at the World Trade Organization to ramp up production more quickly.
We need a People’s Vaccine now.
Featuring:
Fatimah Kelleher, Senior Policy Specialist, Women's Economic Rights, ActionAid UK
Fatimah Kelleher is a Senior Policy Specialist, focusing on Women's Economic Rights at Action Aid UK. Fatimah is a Nigerian-born and Irish-British feminist and women’s rights technical adviser/strategist, with 20 years of experience engaging in feminist advocacy, research and analysis across economic justice and empowerment, education, health and women’s political participation.
Archana Rampure, CUPE National Director of Research, Job Evaluation and Health & Safety
Archana Rampure works for CUPE, Canada’s largest union, as national Director of Research and Health & Safety. She has been a CUPE member, steward and local president. She has worked for CUPE as a researcher and has been CUPE’s lead on political action. In previous lives, Archana has worked for the NDP, taught at the Universities of Toronto and Waterloo, as well as at Dalhousie University. Archana holds a PhD from the University of Toronto.
Siham Rayale, Women’s Rights Policy Specialist, Oxfam Canada
Siham leads Oxfam Canada’s policy and advocacy on humanitarian and refugee issues. She has more than a decade of experience working in development policy and programming. She has focused her research and advocacy on issues relating to women, peace and security, gender justice and intersectional feminist activism and has been leading on Oxfam Canada’s vaccine advocacy.
Oxfam Canada's Siham Rayale hosted this discussion on the consequences of vaccine inequality and how the world’s richest countries have exercised a “me first” approach to the COVID-19 vaccines, buying up more than half of the available supply – with grave consequences for people around the world living in poverty.
Stories from Asia: Creating Spaces to End Violence Against Women and Girls
Wednesday, July 28th, 2021
7:00PM-8:00PM EDT
In this session, we heard from Oxfam staff and partners in India, Indonesia and the Philippines who have worked tirelessly over the last five years to reduce violence against women and girls, and child, early, and forced marriage in their communities via Oxfam Canada's Creating Spaces program. Creating Spaces has been Oxfam’s flagship project since 2016 and is now in its final year.
Guest speakers shared their on-the-ground stories and what they’ve learned about shifting community perspectives and influencing legislative and policy change to promote and protect women’s and girls’ rights. We heard about challenges, structural barriers, COVID-19 impacts and the resistance and backlash that can occur when doing women’s rights work around the world. Creating Spaces has been made possible thanks to our generous donors and Global Affairs Canada.
Featuring:
Kimia Ghomeshi, Oxfam Canada (Moderator)
Kimia has dedicated more than 15 years to community development, advocacy and research towards social justice and equality for all. She is currently a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer for the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls unit at Oxfam Canada. Kimia is passionate about ending gender-based violence and promoting the education, economic empowerment and leadership of marginalized women and 2SLGBTQ+ populations.
Ana Caspe, Oxfam in the Philippines
Ana is a committed and passionate feminist with more than 20 years of experience in project and partnership management and management of information systems. Ana holds a Master's in Professional Studies in Rural Extension and Development and a BSc in Political Science. Since 2012, she has managed Oxfam in the Philippines’ Climate Change Adaptation and Women's Transformative Leadership program and currently leads the Creating Spaces to Take Action on Violence Against Women and Girls project.
Mike Verawati Tangka, Indonesian Women's Coalition
Mike is a women’s rights activist in Indonesia, currently serving as the Secretary General of the Indonesian Women's Coalition. The organization advocates for policy developments to protect women's and children’s rights and to end gender-based violence, representing women and girls from various backgrounds, including farmers, women with disabilities, informal workers, the urban poor, 2SLGBTQ+, sex workers and others.
Rukmini Panda, Oxfam India
Rukmini works with Oxfam India as the Project Lead for Creating Spaces to Take Action on Violence Against Women. She has more than two decades of experience leading research and development program planning and implementation on the themes of women’s rights, livelihood and migration. Rukmini holds a degree in M.Phil in Economics and is continuing her PhD in Women’s Studies on the topic of social protection for women migrant workers.
Oxfam Canada's Kimia Ghomeshi hosted this discussion in which Oxfam staff and partners in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and the Philippines speak about their work to reduce violence against women and girls, and child, early, and forced marriage in their communities as part of our Creating Spaces program.
