O.N.E June 2011

JUNE 2O11

Woman with a bird of Fair Trade silk / Photo: Courtesy of www.maisavanhlao.org

SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY AND ROBIN HOODS

TREASURE HUNT

Oxfam Hong Kong’s Sustainable Livelihoods Adviser Johan Rock says the more Robin Hoods in Hong Kong, the better.

An old man and a child search for love. Sandy Wong, Education Officer with Oxfam Hong Kong, introduces the newest workshop at our Interactive Education Centre.

HEAVEN IN LAOS It’s Fair Trade, certified organic, made with solar power, and scented naturally. It’s silk and tea from Mai Savanh Laos.

JAPAN: THREE MONTHS AFTER The Oxfam priority in the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear crisis is to assist women, children, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities, writes O.N.E editor, Madeleine Marie Slavick.

OXFAM PIX Around the world, people are trying to make their lives stable in the face of the huge changes due to the climate change crisis.

18 NEW PARTNERS With a highlight on Live and Learn for Environment and Community.

O.N.E will move to our main page at www.oxfam.org.hk. See you there.

ONE PERSON

O.N.E: Would you say that sustainable

Sustainability and Robin Hoods in Hong Kong Johan Rock is Sustainable Livelihoods Adviser with Oxfam Hong Kong, working on livelihood programmes in Africa and Asia. O.N.E asked him to help us explore the many faces of sustainable development.

development is about having a strong economy and a good environment?

Johan: That’s definitely part of it, yes.

Economic growth is important, at least in developing countries. And the growth has to be green. It has to respect the environment. Which is why we are promoting agro-ecological practices.

O.N.E: Tell us about these practices and why they’re so important.

Johan: It’s a kind of farming that imitates nature and helps protect our natural resources such as soil, water and air. In Vietnam for example, many farmers follow the ‘vuong-ao-chuong’ practice, which can be translated as ‘garden-fishpond-pigsty’.

Farmers use leftovers from vegetable gardens to feed pigs. The manure is then taken to a pond, where it makes plankton grow that the fish will feed on. And pond water is used to irrigate and fertilise the garden. The cycle is closed. Nothing is lost. Some farmers go even further and let their fish swim freely in their rice fields to eat insects, so that less pesticide is needed.

As you know, the world is facing a severe food crisis. We need to produce much more food, and we have to do this in ways that protect the world’s natural resources.

Agro-ecological practices, in combination with some (safe) industrial fertiliser and maybe pesticide, can do that. Green practices can also help farmers adapt better to the climate change crisis, for instance by conserving water or growing drought-resistent crops.

O.N.E: What else is needed for sustainable development?

Johan: Social and cultural aspects are at least as important. Economic growth alone, even if it is green, does not give you sustainable development. The wealth created by that growth has to be shared fairly. China’s economy may be growing at an incredibly fast pace, but so is the gap between the rich and poor. The same is true for Hong Kong. Just the other day, I met this old man. I had seen him before, searching the garbage bins for some

Johan’s son at a climate change action in Hong Kong

O.N.E JUNE 2O11

recyclable plastic or a cigarette butt. But

You also have to look at how we treat the

campaigning for labour rights and social

this time he approached me, asking, “Son,

rest of the world. For instance, part of the

security. Continue educating Hong Kong’s

can you spare me a smoke?” Which I did.

pollution in the Pearl River Delta is caused

younger generation. And speak out on

He then started telling me about his life.

by Hong Kong employers who moved

other urgent issues too. Take nuclear

He had worked in factories, had swept the

their factories to the mainland, where they

energy for instance. In the wake of what

streets, taken care of gardens, and so on.

keep wages low and working conditions

happened in Japan, people are worried

For very little pay. Now retired, he has to

substandard, simply to make more profit.

over plans to increase Hong Kong’s

supplement his meagre welfare benefits

Hong Kong’s financial sector too is

reliance on nuclear energy from the

by whatever money he can make from

creating problems in developing countries.

current 23 to 50 per cent in ten years time.

collecting waste paper and plastics. Sad,

Plus, our carbon emissions (per capita)

I read that the Hong Kong authorities want

isn’t it? On one side, we have those who

are too high.

to consult the people, later this year. That’s good. We have to seize this opportunity

drive around in Ferraris. On the other side, so many folks struggle to survive, even

So, in short, Hong Kong still has a long

and promote green sources of energy

after a lifetime of hard and honest work.

way to go before it can call itself a truly

such as wind and solar.

That’s dead wrong. And not sustainable.

‘developed’ and ‘sustainable’ city.

O.N.E: Is Oxfam Hong Kong working on

O.N.E: Is there hope?

O.N.E: One more question. You will leave Oxfam Hong Hong soon, right? What will you do next?

these social issues?

Johan: Oh yes, absolutely! I look around Johan: Oh yes. And I regard these

me and I see a lot of potential for change.

Johan: Yes, we leave Hong Kong in

projects as some of our best work! In

I see it in the eyes of those elderly folks

July. No concrete plans yet, but with more

Hong Kong, we have been campaigning

who search the garbage bins for paper or

than 20 years working in sustainable

for the minimum wage and social security.

plastic, anything they can get some money

development, I guess I’ll remain in the

With good results. The large majority of

for. Discontent over the extreme gap

same sector. But we’ll see. Life’s a box of

the population now supports minimum

between the rich and poor is growing. More

chocolates, right? Never know what you’re

wage legislation and social security.

and more people are speaking out against

gonna get

But a lot remains to be done. Foreign

it. For example, there was a newspaper

Oxfam. Contribute in one way or the other.

domestic workers are still excluded from

article recently about Father Law Kwok-fai,

Even long-distance.

the minimum wage. Both the minimum

who invoked the anger of some of Hong

wage and the social security benefits have

Kong’s richest people by condemning their

been set too low. And we see how some

behaviour and speaking out for poor folks.

employers look for loopholes and cut

So, clearly Hong Kong has its own Robin

down on paid rest days and meal breaks.

Hoods

. I’d love to stay in touch with

O.N.E: We count on it!

Johan: Please do.

. And that’s good. Where there

are Robin Hoods, there is hope.

O.N.E: How would you rate Hong Kong in terms of sustainable development?

The youth of Hong Kong too give me hope.

Just look at the popularity of our Interactive

Johan: Not too well, I’m afraid

.

Education Centre. So many teachers and students come to our interactive

To be fair, Hong Kong is one of the few

workshops here. For me, taking the

cities in the world that has kept so many

elevator up with a bunch of kids on their

green areas. All you have to do is get

way to the Centre has always been quite

on a bus and in no time you’re in the

a thrill. A lot of young Robin Hoods in the

countryside. That’s great. I love it. But

making

how ‘developed’ and ‘sustainable’ a city

these kids. Every day they are confronted

is does not depend on how many nature

with commercials and TV shows that incite

parks it has. And it definitely doesn’t

them to “buy this, buy that” and “get rich”.

depend on how tall its buildings are or how

We need to make them immune to all that

many shopping malls it has

brainwashing and convince them that the

.

! We need to invest even more in

true heroes of this world are those who To me, it depends first of all on how it

stand up for poor people and the planet.

treats the poorest among its residents – elderly people, the sick, the unemployed,

O.N.E: What else can we do for a more

blue-collar workers, and so forth. In this

sustainable Hong Kong?

regard, Hong Kong does not do well. We

TOP:

have one of the largest gaps between rich

Johan: Continue promoting agro-

and poor people in the world.

ecological practices. Continue

Johan Rock with colleagues in Nepal

BOTTOM:

Johan’s daughter (centre) playing with children in

Beijing

O.N.E JUNE 2O11

HEAVEN IN LAOS - SILK AND TEA, NATURALLY From the start, this silk and tea farm in

business called Mai Savanh Lao, or Silk

They scent their mulberry and green tea

southern Laos made the decision not to

Heaven Laos.

with their home-grown basil, lemongrass

use any chemicals. “Our farm is located

and ginger.

on the wonderful and pristine Boloven

Solar power brings them the huge quantity

Plateau and we want to keep it as it is for

of hot water needed for silk production,

Apart from their 25-hectare certified

the future,� say the Schmidts, Philippe

minus the carbon emissions and the cost.

organic farm, they run a silk weaving and

and Elisabeth, a husband-and-wife

Fertiliser is made naturally, with cow dung,

dyeing training centre in northern Laos,

team who in 2005 started this Fair Trade

ash, cabbage and left-over vegetables.

and tea operations in Vientiane. They

cocoons

O.N.E JUNE 2O11

and

employ 35 people full-time, all of whom had once been poor, and have trained hundreds of others in farming, weaving, dyeing and marketing.

In April 2011, Oxfam Hong Kong invited Mai Savanh Lao to present their Fair Trade products to international buyers at HOFEX, a biannual regional food and hospitality tradeshow held in Hong Kong. “It’s a good opportunity to see the market trends and to plan for the future.” For more: www.maisavanhlao.org

silkworms

drying lemon basil

washing lemon basil

mulberry and basil

tea for sale!

O.N.E JUNE 2O11

OXFAM IN JAPAN

By Madeleine Marie Slavick

It is almost three months since the three disasters that hit Japan – earthquake, tsunami, nuclear crisis. Evacuation centres remain full. Some people are living in their cars. Others are living in a state of ‘jishuku’, a kind of seclusion. They tend not to socialize; if they are working, they tend to return home right afterwards – they fear being stranded anywhere. Of the 13,000 dead who have been identified, more than half were over the age of 65.

Oxfam is assisting at-risk women (especially mothers), children (especially infants and babies), ethnic minorities (especially people who do not speak Japanese) and people with disabilities (especially women).

We have planned to work for at least one year and mostly in these five prefectures: Aomori, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Iwate and Miyagi.

Why women?

In Japan, there are only a few

Why people with disabilities?

organisations that specifically address

Access to urgent supplies may prove

the needs of women and gender has not

difficult for people with limited mobility.

been mainstreamed in disaster relief work

Oxfam has arranged for goods and

either. We will focus on single mothers,

services to be delivered for people with

pregnant and lactating women, women

disabilities. Health care is a priority aspect

who have survived sexual or domestic

of this response.

violence, women with disabilities, ethnic minority women and low-income women. In the initial phase, we provided counselling for women, privacy for

What about the nuclear crisis?

breastfeeding, sanitary napkins and other

What happened at the Fukushima nuclear

personal care products. A 24-hour hotline

plant underlines the multiple challenges

is now active.

that the world faces in redesigning its energy systems. Oxfam believes that the

Why children?

production and the delivery of energy

Psycho-social support is as necessary

and as reliable as possible. It also needs

as the material, especially for children

to be accessible to all.

need to be as safe, as clean, as green,

who can be easily traumatised. Oxfam has provided counseling and also clothing for infants, diapers, wipes, and more. Child support has been offered for single parents. In Japan, April marks the beginning of a new school year, and many school-buildings had been functioning as

Madeleine Marie Slavick is editor of O.N.E. For updates, keep an eye on Oxfam Japan’s website http://oxfam.jp/en and on Oxfam’s blog, where Akiko Mera, Executive Director of Oxfam Japan, blogs here from time to time: http://blogs.oxfam.org/en/blog/.

Oxfam’s partners include Japan International Cooperation on Family Planning: (http://joicfp.or.jp/eng/), Japan Women’s Shelter Network and Single Mother’s Forum.

evacuation centres.

Why minorities?

Approximately 40,000 non-Japanese speakers were affected by the earthquake and tsunami. Primarily migrant workers, women married to Japanese men, and students, they tend to be marginalised in Japanese society and support has been limited from the embassies of their own countries. Oxfam has arranged for translation services, and for multi-lingual information in print, on DVD, through websites and radio broadcasting – we also supplied solar-powered radios.

O.N.E JUNE 2O11

Mother and daughter searching for a book to read / Photo: Oxfam Japan TOP:

Safe water and other supplies for survivors / Photo: Miki Tokairin, JOICFP LEFT:

FM 80.1 reaches out to ethnic minorities in different languages / Photo: Oxfam Japan BOTTOM:

O.N.E JUNE 2O11

Buddies On A Treasure Hunt

By Sandy Wong

Every day, the old man went to the hill near his home. He took along a shovel, with which he dug up the soil at the foot of the hill, bit by bit. One day, a sad-faced child came to the hill. Seeing the old man patiently digging, the child asked out of curiosity, “What are you doing?”

UNCLE HUNG / TEASURE HUNT Uncle Hung leads children on a hunt for love and other treasures at the Oxfam Interactive Education Centre, located right in Oxfam Hong Kong’s office in North Point / Photos: (left) Brenda Lee and (top) Cara Lin, Oxfam Hong Kong

“I am searching for treasure,” said the old man.

“What kind of treasure are you looking for?” the boy asked.

“I am looking for my son.

How about you, why have you come here?” the old man asked.

“I lost my father.”

This is a story about searching and love,

But before helping others, sometimes we

Uncle Hung tells the tale of the old man

nature and sustainability.

may need to know how to help ourselves

and the child who explore love as they

first. When we are vulnerable, do we

embark on a treasure hunt together. The

These days, many things remind us

really know what love is? Understanding

workshop reminds us of the importance

that life can be fragile. A person, a tree,

is the process of searching.

of touching and connecting with people, community and nature, lifelong.

a village, a city, our quality of life and social relations, all fade out and gradually

Oxfam Hong Kong’s Interactive Education

deteriorate, even disappear. We may be

Centre is offering a new workshop,

Would you like to accompany Uncle Hung

left feeling anxious and uneasy. Maybe we

“Buddies On A Treasure Hunt”. The

on a journey to search for your own inner

need love to fill in the cracks in our lives.

workshop is led in Cantonese by Uncle

treasure? Please visit http://www.cyber

Hung the storyteller (Yuen Che-hung),

school.oxfam.org.hk/iec.php?cat=1&id=155

But what is love? Is love what we see in

who is also an actor and an author of

the media – good people performing good

several books. “We need to build our

deeds? How do we explain love to our

lives on the basis of love,” he says. “The

children? Do we really know what love is?

only way to develop your own values is to

At Oxfam Hong Kong, we always say we

explore and understand your own feelings

are “helping people to help themselves”.

and emotions.”

Sandy Wong, Education Officer of Oxfam Hong Kong, works with different educators and artist-teachers in developing workshops for the Oxfam Interactive Education Centre.

O.N.E JUNE 2O11

Finding Sustainable Ways to Cope with Climate Change

BLOOD COCKLE: Temperatures in Ben Tre, Vietnam, are increasing, and this dark sheeting helps keep the water of the tidal river cool – the way the blood cockle like it. / Photo: Bui Thi Minh Hue, Oxfam

RICE:

SHEEP:

Farmers experiment with different varieties that can withstand the changes in the climate in the Philippines, such as long periods of sustained rain. / Photo: Rice Watch and Action Network (www.r2phils.org)

This breed of sheep called ‘Tan’ is suited for the very dry climate of Gansu Province, in northwest China, where desertification is on the rise / Photo: Xiao Sha, Oxfam Hong Kong

O.N.E JUNE 2O11

18

N

Every day, Oxfam Hong Kong works alongside hundreds of groups around the world, from small NGOs to international bodies, from government departments of developing countries to community groups based in Hong Kong.

ew

PartnerOrganisations

CHINA VOICES Speak Out Against Poverty in Mainland China

Here are 18 ‘partner organisations’ that we are supporting for the first time.

CHINA

Beijing • Beijing Migrant Workers Community Social Service Investigation and

Preparation Programme Team • Beijing N-friends Information Consulting • Technology & Education: Connecting Cultures (Beijing Chapter)

Guangxi • Prata-cultural Development Centre, Ethnic Minority Affairs Bureau

• Fishery and Veterinary Bureau, Douan Yao Autonomous County • Fishery and Veterinary Bureau, Tiandeng County, Chongzuo City

Guizhou • Education Department, Jiangkou County

• Education Bureau, Songtao County • Education Bureau, Congjiang County • Service Centre, Shangji Town, Zunyi County

Shandong • Jicheng Social Work Service Organisation Yunnan • College of Economics and Management, Yunnan Agricultural University

• Tengchong People’s Hospital PHILIPPINES • Asian Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Asia,

Oxfam Hong Kong has launched a book of stories and photographs that features the views and accounts of people whom Oxfam has met in 23 years of anti-poverty work in Mainland China. The publication depicts the lives of farmers, women, migrant workers, ethnic minorities and community workers in China’s impoverished rural areas.

Asia DHRRA, Manila

VIETNAM • Live and Learn for Environment and Community, Ha Tinh

• Daknong Department of Planning and Investment • Daknong Women’s Union • Daknong Department of Finance and Planning

In this edition of O.N.E, we highlight

and many youth-led initiatives. These

Live & Learn for Environment and

agents then inspire climate awareness

Community, in Vietnam.

and action among other youth nationwide – they have already worked in 15

Vietnam is one of the most vulnerable

provinces.

countries to climate change, and disaster risk reduction and climate change

Oxfam Hong Kong’s support will enable

adaptation with poor people is an Oxfam

the Network to expand to 20 provinces

priority in the country. As part of this work,

and 3 cities. The project expects that in

we have awarded a US$20,000 grant

one year at least 150 more young people

to Live & Learn for Environment and

will have become agents; at least 3,000

Community, a youth organisation based in

youth will have participated in at least 10

Ha Tinh.

youth-led initiatives on disaster risks and climate change; and the Network will have

Live & Learn created the Green

developed new collaborations with many

Generation Network (The He Xanh),

organisations (government and non-

which empowers youth and environmental

government), business groups, and media

voluntary groups to become ‘green

communities.

change agents’ through training, coaching

Working with people against poverty www.oxfam.org.hk |

2 20 2 2

Available at Swindon Books, Kubrick Book Stores, Relay, Dymocks, CUHK Press, Times Publishing, Hong Kong Readers, MCCM Creations, Xiyao Book Store and Oxfam’s online shop at www.oxfam.org.hk

O.N.E (Oxfam News E-magazine) is published by Oxfam Hong Kong, 17th Floor, China United Centre, 28 Marble Road, North Point, Hong Kong. The publisher does not necessarily endorse views expressed by contributors. For permission to reprint articles, please contact us; normally, we grant permission provided the source is clearly acknowledged. O.N.E is available free to all, in both an HTML and PDF version, and in Chinese and English.

O.N.E will move to our main page at www.oxfam.org.hk.

See you there.