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Development & Humanitarian Practice

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Oxfam worker standing in front a queue of people

At a glance

We are committed to contributing to collective understanding and improved practice in community-based work and humanitarian action

We seek to listen and learn as we go, regularly adapting what we do to ensure it is grounded in evidence and the voices of people who may be less heard, have historically been excluded, or have varied perspectives.

We capture, synthesize, and communicate evidence, discussions, voices, literature and more for practitioners within our own organisation, for partners and for others who are seeking to develop understanding and improve what they do. Our goal is that this knowledge is continually updated and adapted to each context.

‘Development’

A visual story of shifting power

Take a journey from the dominant view of ‘development’ through decolonization, moving away from unequal power structures towards an explicitly anti-racist and feminist world where diverse futures thrive.

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Guidelines and toolkits

Inclusive Language Guide

13/03/2023

1 documents

92 pages long

Languages: English

Keywords

Overview

Language has the power to reinforce or deconstruct systems of power that maintain poverty, inequality and suffering. As we are making commitments to decolonization in practice, it is important that we do not forget the role of language and communications in the context of inequality. The Inclusive Language Guide is a resource to support people […]

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Guidelines and toolkits

Feminist Principles

09/10/2020

1 documents

6 pages long

Languages: English

Keywords

Overview

As an intersectional feminist ally, Oxfam believes in ending sexism and that women should be free of political, social, and economic oppression and exploitation. In support of this aim, our work will be guided by 11 principles: 1. I share power 2. I challenge my behaviour 3. I support the feminist movement 4. Nothing about […]

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Discussion paper

Applying Feminist Principles to Program Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning

26/07/2017

1 documents

24 pages long

Languages: English

Keywords

Overview

Oxfam is committed to mainstreaming women’s rights and to transforming unequal gender and power relations. For its programmes, this means that it needs to track its contributions to these changes. This paper aims to share reflections on how to apply feminist principles to monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) practice. It includes case studies of […]

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Research report

Decolonize! What does it mean?

15/12/2022

3 documents

9 pages long

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Keywords

Overview

This document introduces the key concepts of decolonial theory that inform many current calls to decolonize. It provides examples from Latin America, Africa, and North America of how activists have envisioned or realized decolonial futures. These movements led by Indigenous Peoples, people of color, women, and queer people articulate and define the possibilities of decolonial […]

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Guidelines and toolkits

Responsible Data Management training pack

29/03/2017

25 documents

11 pages long

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Keywords

Overview

A stimulating, adaptable training pack for humanitarian organizations on managing programme data. Managing data properly may be the greatest challenge of the information age. We now have more ways to collect, store, share, transmit, analyse and publish data than ever before. As new legal frameworks emerge and increasing attention is paid to the ethics of […]

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Guidelines and toolkits

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning for Resilience: A companion guide

19/06/2018

3 documents

32 pages long

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Keywords

Overview

This companion guide complements Oxfam’s Framework for Resilient Development, The Future is a Choice. It provides practical guidance on how to design and implement resilience-sensitive monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) systems in interventions that aim to strengthen resilience. The guide focuses on how to assess progress on enhancing resilience capacities and resilient development. It provides practitioners […]

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Guidelines and toolkits

A Quick Guide to Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning in Fragile Contexts

19/07/2013

1 documents

3 pages long

Languages: English

Keywords

Overview

Monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) are part of everyday programme management and are critical to the success of all Oxfam’s programmes, including those operating in fragile contexts. Without an effective MEAL system we would be unable to: track progress make adjustments discover unplanned effects of programmes judge the impact that we have made on […]

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Guidelines and toolkits

Civic Space Monitoring Tool: Understanding what is happening in civic space at a local and national level

04/10/2019

3 documents

10 pages long

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Keywords

Overview

Mobilizing the power of people to overcome poverty and injustice is at the heart of Oxfam’s mission and vision. To realize this vision, people need space to speak out and organize against injustice and the root causes of poverty, without fear of repercussions. Yet civic space, as the oxygen for people’s voices, and vital prerequisite […]

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Discussion paper

Youth Leadership, Engagement and Participation: Theory of change

28/08/2020

3 documents

11 pages long

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Keywords

Overview

Young people have tremendous potential to be both present and future drivers of inclusive sustainable development. In recognition of this potential and the power of collective action, Oxfam has developed a theory of change to explore what needs to happen so that young people, institutions and communities can create equitable, transformative and sustainable change together. […]

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Guidelines and toolkits

Developing a Community Protection Action Plan: Tools and templates

17/09/2021

4 documents

6 pages long

Languages: Arabic, English, French, Spanish

Keywords

Overview

This template tool on community protection action plans forms part of the Resource Pack on Community-Based Protection. The document discusses the topics action plans, material support, protection analysis and risk analysis.

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Briefing paper

Care Policy Scorecard: A tool for assessing country progress towards an enabling policy environment on care

20/09/2021

6 documents

90 pages long

Languages: English, Spanish

Keywords

Overview

Care work needs to be recognized, shared and invested in now more than ever given that progress on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 – Achieve Gender Equality – is behind target and COVID-19 has created additional challenges with increases in care work, poverty and precariousness that could reverse gains made in gender equality and poverty […]

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Guidelines and toolkits

Rapid Care Analysis Training Modules

26/03/2018

27 documents

64 pages long

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Keywords

Overview

The Rapid Care Analysis (RCA) was designed to be a user-friendly assessment tool that development practitioners could learn through distance training sessions. The purpose of the RCA is to assess who in a community carries out unpaid care, so that where care work is heavy and unequal it can be recognized, reduced and redistributed, and […]

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Guidelines and toolkits

Measuring and Understanding Unpaid Care and Domestic Work: Household Care Survey Toolkit

30/10/2020

2 documents

140 pages long

Languages: English

Keywords

Overview

This toolkit provides guidance on using Oxfam’s Household Care Survey (HCS) methodology, which was developed by Oxfam as part of the WE-Care initiative to transform the provision of unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW). UCDW underpins all our lives yet is overwhelmingly provided by women and girls. Recognising UCDW is essential for any initiative that […]

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Photo captions and credit

Delivery of hygiene kits in Samandag, Hatay province in Turkiye. Mustafa KaraAli/Oxfam

Development & Humanitarian Practice

At a glance

A visual story of shifting power

Related resources

Photo captions and credit