Oxfam in Azerbaijan Annual Report 2011
GREETINGS From Country Director As part of our ongoing focus on transparency and accountability, we have developed this Annual Report to tell the story of our work during 2011 to our supporters, beneficiaries, partners and the public. It shows how Oxfam has helped to bring about positive changes to the lives of people in poverty in Azerbaijan. Regardless of language, religion, race, and social status, all human beings have one dream in life – happiness, of our own and those around us. Undoubtedly, happiness is a complicated concept but it can be achieved through a decent education and the right to be heard. The mission of Oxfam in Azerbaijan is facilitating a pathway to this happiness. We strive to ensure that every Azerbaijani is healthy, enjoys the right to an adequate education, earns enough to meet basic needs, and is equipped with the skills to improve their livelihoods; in short, to ensure that every single person has a right to happiness.
At Oxfam, we put poor women, men and children at the heart of all we do. In Azerbaijan, we strive to raise the voices of poor people; to protect their rights; and to be fully transparent by informing the public about what we do. During our 19 years of operation in Azerbaijan, we’ve had both successes and failures. We‘ve celebrated our achievements with our partners and beneficiaries as well as with the people in poverty. We’ve also shared our failures and sought solutions together. We’ve always been supported by the government, local authorities, non-governmental organizations, and other partners. I would like to take this opportunity to thank every person and each agency that supported us throughout this journey. However, there is still a long way to go in order to lift people out of poverty in Azerbaijan.
I INVITE YOU ALL TO JOIN OUR MOVEMENT TO CREATE A FUTURE FREE FROM THE INJUSTICE OF POVERTY!
Shovcat Alizadeh Country Director Oxfam in Azerbaijan
CONTENTS 06 WE ARE OXFAM 08 LIVELIHOOD PROGRAMME SMART FARMERS SUNRISE AZERBAIJAN PRO-POOR AGRICULTURAL GROWTH IN SOUTH-CENTRAL AZERBAIJAN 13 IMPROVING GOVERNANCE STRENGTHENING THE CAPACITY OF 20 VILLAGE MUNICIPALITIES’ TO PROVIDE SAFE WATER SUPPLY STRENGTHENING MUNICIPAL CAPACITY AND CITIZENS’ ENGAGEMENT IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE AND DEVELOPMENT IN CENTRAL AZERBAIJAN EMPOWERING CIVIL SOCIETY AND STRENGTHENING MUNICIPALITIES 18 IMPROVING ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE 21 GROW CAMPAIGN 23 DRR PROGRAMME 26 EXPENDITURE 28 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 30 OUR TEAM
COVER: Susan Pashayeva, an onion picker, stands in the yellow onion field in Khanareb, Barda Photo: Kieran Doherty A young onion picker sews up the onion sacks at the yellow onion field in Khanareb, Barda Photo: Kieran Doherty
MAKE POVERTY HISTORY
we are oxfam
Onion pickers arrive by tractor at the yellow onion field in Khanareb, Barda Photo: Kieran Doherty
WE ARE OXFAM 7
Xaver Mustafayeva, an onion picker, harvests in the yellow onion field in Khanareb, Barda Photo: Kieran Doherty
Being ranked 3rd among the best non-governmental organizations worldwide in 2011, Oxfam aims to contribute to a future free of poverty and allocates over 1 billion US dollars a year for this purpose in over 90 countries worldwide.
With over 150.000 beneficiaries annually, we closely cooperate with over 50 local and national non government organizations, public institutions, Members of Parliament, the Cabinet, other state agencies and media.
The name “Oxfam” comes from the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief, founded in 1942 by a group of Oxford university professors and staff to help Greece, which was in blockade by the Nazis. Oxfam started its activity in Azerbaijan during the years of Nagorno-Garabagh war and has allocated over 20 million US dollar ever since for supporting the internally displaced people, refugees, and people suffering from poverty.
Oxfam International is a confederation of 15 affiliates including but not limited to Great Britain, Germany, Australia, Spain, Mexico, and the Netherlands. Under Single Management Structure, since January 31, 2012, Oxfam in Azerbaijan has become the country representation of Oxfam International with the managing affiliate being Oxfam Great Britain.
Currently, Oxfam in Azerbaijan implements the projects such as ‘Support for Poor Farmers in Central Regions of Azerbaijan’, ‘SMART Farmers’, ‘Oxfam-Unilever Partnership Project’, ‘Disaster Risk Reduction’, ‘Community-based Health Model’, and ‘Strengthening the Capacity of Municipalities to Provide Public Services’.
Livelihood Programme
Onion farmer Rafiga Ahmedova, 48, harvets onions from her demonstration plot in Barda Photo: Kieran Doherty
LIVELIHOOD PROGRAMME 9
Onion pickers Chichek Guliyeva, 55, (left) and Sharafet Guliyeva, 40, cut onions during the yellow onion harvest in Khanareb, Barda Photo: Kieran Doherty
SMART (Stimulating Markets for Small-scale) Farmers project SMART is a two and half year project funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC). The main goal of SMART is to reduce poverty by stimulating market systems that function for the benefit of women and men smallholders, waged workers, traders and processors in the districts of Barda, Tartar and Aghdam. SMART introduces the Markets for the Poor (M4P) approach, which seeks to facilitate change among chain actors so that underlying difficulties faced by smallholders within the market are addressed and they are better able to access and benefit from involvement in the market system. The projects are taking place in ten villages spread across the three districts and will last until July 17, 2013. Gender and governance issues are mainstreamed in the analysis and interventions; governance here means that interventions also seek to facilitate improvements in the rules and institutions that govern the business environment. How Oxfam is helping • We increase the potential of women and men smallholders to access a secure market for dried white onion products. The logic is based on developing a new product based on white onion, currently not being produced in Azerbaijan, in order for small onion farmers to access an alternative and more predictable source of cash income. This change will allow women and men
smallholder farmers to increase the profitability of their farm enterprise • We facilitate increased access to the winter season yellow onion market by women and men smallholders. The logic is to motivate market actors about business opportunities / growth in providing the required services. This area of intervention contributes to market system change, e.g., effective & efficient storage services are available to women and men small holders to access the winter season market • We facilitate a sustained market growth for domestically produced strawberries that benefits Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), women, and other smallholder producers. The model is based on the main constraints to sustainable livelihoods of internally displaced people (IDP), as well as the constraints to secure and stable income of wage workers. IDPs and wage workers commonly have little land and there are more women amongst these target groups. Production of strawberry can be commercially feasible even in small plots. One of the main constraints is access to good quality planting varieties & extension services Beneficiaries Specific interventions of the project will have a direct impact on 4,000 households (approximately 19,000 individuals), the majority of whom are smallholder farmers, but who also include waged workers (generally IDPs), input shop owners, sub-dealers, small traders and
LIVELIHOOD PROGRAMME 10
local entrepreneurs, and other local service providers.
Tamara’s story
Achievements of 2011
“My family always earned their living from strawberry growing; after we were expelled from Yerevan, we came to this village, and settled here. We could not bring many of our belongings but my father brought seeds. My family continued planting strawberries to help us earn our bread. With the income from strawberry production, we built our house during the first few years of re-location. After a while my mother started to work for the local kolkhoz’.
The SMART Farmers project was launched on November 1, 2010; the period up to July 17, 2011 consisted of work necessary to its inception: research, studies and initial networking. The main phase of the project started on July 18, 2011. The initial 9 months period produced 4 essential studies • Smallholder study: this is a description and analysis of smallholder farming enterprise in the vegetable sector in the target districts • Crop Identification study • Farmer-trader-dealer relationships • Policy and institutional environment The achievements also include • Establishment of a strawberry micro nursery in Irevanli, Tartar, led by the producers’ organisation (POs) and in cooperation with Jelilabad nursery • The formation of two POs (informal) in Mahrizli, Aghdam and Sehlabad, Tartar. An existing PO in Khanereb, Barda is cooperating in activities of the demonstration plots • Contacts have been established with the market chain players: 30 smallholder farmers and their 5 Producers Organizations (who are involved in yellow onion and strawberry production); input dealers, two of whom are also in trading; local traders; storage owners; farmerentrepreneurs; the nursery owner; and a fruit processing company
In 1996, during privatization, my husband and I received a piece of land and continued strawberry cultivation. We worked hard in the field from sunrise to sunset just to earn little money and provide for the basic needs of our family. We never thought that we could improve our lives until you (Oxfam) came to the village and convinced us that “we can make changes”. Now we can earn more money. Before we were poorly satisfied with what we had at hand but now we’ve learnt that there are many productive strawberry seeds. With the help of Oxfam, we learned that there are 3 types of seasonal strawberries, which produce bigger sized fruits and are easy to harvest. I’m a member of the producers’ group, and together we’ve established a nursery. We have big hopes that we will have a good crop which will help us to earn more and live better”.
• The SMART project has been networking and linking with other development agencies through the donor coordination meetings hosted by the USAID
Tamara Mammadova, 63, Irevanli village, Tartar Photo: Saida Gurbanova
A young onion picker cuts down weeds with a sickle in the yellow onion field in Khanareb, Barda Photo: Keran Doherty
Sunrise Azerbaijan
• Aiming for a higher income for women and men smallholders
In 2010 Oxfam and Unilever formed a partnership known as Sunrise to explore, develop and implement • Integrating sustainability into agricultural systems innovative smallholder-based sourcing models for food • The project having a positive impact on women an ingredient, bringing together the development aims of • Leveraging the impact through shared learning by Oxfam with the sustainable sourcing efforts of Unilever. informing others about which types of investments Sunrise Azerbaijan was launched in April 2011 and deliver successful smallholder supply chains is expected to run until 2016. The business model is • Providing long-term benefits to 350 smallholder to develop local capacity to produce onions for the households and individuals, including agricultural dehydrated market in partnership with an international workers buyer (Unilever), local processor (currently AgroTara and CIIC) and smallholder farmers. Achievements of 2011 Beneficiaries • Two hectares of white onion demonstration plots and As with those farmers involved in the SMART project, one of yellow onion Sunrise wants to improve the livelihoods of smallholder • The first draft of Good Agricultural Practices on onion farmers by providing them with the opportunity to production was developed to be applied during the improve their agronomic practices to a degree that spring 2012 trials will allow them to trade successfully in a wider, secure market that requires dehydrated onion powder for the • The strategy on women’s economic and social Unilever Knorr brand. Up to 350 farmer households will be entrepreneurship was developed involved by 2016 How Oxfam is helping • Sourcing 10% of target crops from smallholders, with competitive prices, quality and service levels by 2016
LIVELIHOOD PROGRAMME 12
Mursal’s story • Providing pro–poor policy recommendations, particularly “At the moment, everyone is harvesting and the prices on agricultural input supply and agricultural loans to the are low. I will start harvesting at the end of the month so government when I take the onions to market, the price will be better. Beneficiaries Onions are vulnerable to diseases and the chemicals we The project was able to reach over 35,000 women and use to protect our crops are sometimes very weak, but men smallholder farmers who directly benefitted from good chemicals are hard to find. Occasionally, diseases the construction of artesian wells to improve irrigation affect our onions; this kind of situation occurs when services, storages, promotion of best practice through it rains. The water creates disease and we have to buy demonstration plots, and farmer field schools; business chemicals for 150 Manat to protect the onions against and marketing training, organisational and leadership diseases. If the rain continues, it will cost us more trainings, exposure visits, research, and advocacy. The money. approximate number of indirect beneficiaries is 150,000. The biggest problem we face is storing the onions. Last year, I planted onions in two hectares but the productivity was low. I spent 1000 Manats and sold the onions to the middlemen for 30 qepik per kilo but after one week the prices changed again and I calculated that I lost a lot of money. If I had stored them, then I could have benefited. I hope that we will benefit from this new project. I feel happy that we have this kind of opportunity’’.
Pro-poor Agricultural Growth in South-Central Azerbaijan The project started in 2009 with the co-funding of Oxfam Novib and Oxfam Great Britain, and will end in March 2012.
Achievements of 2011 • We held a stakeholders roundtable meeting to share Turkish experience on agricultural insurance mechanism. As a result, Parliamentary Committee representatives have a better understanding about our recommendations for credit insurance guarantees • We launched a fundraising initiative for follow-up actions with the private sector and banks • We set up 10 farmer field schools to promote agricultural best practice. The result is that more than 114 women and men farmers from 25 villages have become aware about modern, appropriate methods of sowing and growing. Open field schools and best practice training was conducted by AKTIVTA
• Introduction of modern but simple and efficient irrigation method, similar to drip irrigation during open field days The programme has provided direct assistance and facilitated more than 35,000 people to earn a secure • Community awareness-raising meetings on irrigation and sustainable living. The project’s target to raise the water management were held. This is also part of raising income level of the rural poor will be evaluated to analyse awareness about the environmental hazards of the the impact of the project. flooding method – which is one of the causes of the deterioration of soil fertility due to increased salinity – Project interventions have included widening access and the consequent problem of uncontrolled weeds. to financial and irrigation services for women and men smallholder farmers, and improving their position in domestic and regional markets. The objective is for beneficiaries to have greater access to irrigation, drainage services and financial capital, to build their technical and business skills, and to organise themselves into marketing associations. In partnership with national and local NGOs, the programme supported advocacy activities to help to create favourable trading environment for small producers and entrepreneurs. The project has been implemented in partnership with the leading national NGOs, Azerbaijan Micro Finance Association (AMFA), ARAN, and AKTIVTA. How Oxfam is helping • Supporting women and men farmers in the targeted districts benefiting from improved irrigation water management systems • Supporting an increase in farmers’ income generated through agriculture through better access to local and international markets
Onion farmer Mursal Qurbanov, 39, in his onion field in Barda. Photo: Keran Doherty
Improving governance
The sun sets as onion pickers leave the yellow onion field in Hanareb, Barda. Photo: Keran Doherty A young boy collects water in Dargalar village Photo: David Levene
IMPROVING GOVERNANCE 14
Zulfiyya was hospitalized because she had a problem with her kidney, the doctors identified it was caused by the irrigation water she had been consuming. Now Zulfiyya has a drinkable water at home Photo: David Levene
Strengthening the capacity of 20 village municipalities’ to provide safe water supply The Garabagh lowland of Central Azerbaijan is the most water-poor region in the country. A survey carried out by Oxfam’s partners in 60 villages of Central Azerbaijan showed that safe drinking water is a huge problem in this area, especially for women. Problems include: an insufficient number of artesian wells; an irregular power supply; poor maintenance of pipelines; and a lack of water management. Oxfam has initiated the project to provide drinking water to 20 municipalities from Agjabedi, Barda and Tartar regions, with a co-funding by the European Commission. The project duration is 2010-2013 and is aimed at contributing to the process of democratization and good governance, which can provide basic services to people. With Oxfam’s support, people will have better access to potable water. How Oxfam is helping • We support better water supply systems in villages through assessment of the water infrastructure and the options for improvement • Developing an effective mechanism of water supply management through a cost-benefit analysis and a mechanism to transfer responsibilities to municipalities • Building up an efficient funding mechanism by developing strategies and practices for secure and
effective water supply by municipalities • Providing capacity building on managerial skills of the municipalities and raising awareness for community activists, with a special focus on women • Advocating for clear standards and expectations to be incorporated into state policy’ Beneficiaries We are helping 20,000 people directly and 40,000 people indirectly to access safe water supplies, and ensuring that local municipalities have better water management systems in place. Achievements of 2011 • We have constructed 5 water supply systems in Gaynag (Tartar), Chelebiler (Barda), Mollaguller (Agjabedi), Eliyanli (Barda) and Garavelli (Barda) to improve water supply. Over 200 families benefited from the improved water supply • We have trained 5 Municipalities on how to manage the water supply in their own districts • We have produced several policy papers and research projects on the water issues in the region • 1 book on Water Supply and Effective Management was published • The water issues facing poor rural communities were highlighted on national TV, and in more than 20 media outlets
IMPROVING GOVERNANCE 15
Telman’s story ‘I’m a man of honour and have always lived in this way. People, particularly women, living in this village used to walk 500 meters each day carrying water in heavy iron buckets. Each person had to travel 1 km to fetch water. Before the project, women carried the water while the men stood on the sideline and offered no help. It was indeed unfair, but I had no power to change it. When we heard about Oxfam’s water management project, I thought it could be a chance to solve our mothers and sisters’ water burden. After taking part in various training sessions, I felt that I had to help these people. I told each household about the importance of the project, and they believed in what I was saying. Since then I’ve seen trust built between the municipality and people. When we started the project, there were only 60 families who joined the water network. However, the villages on the other side of the road were left without water. I went door-to-door and convinced them to join the water pipeline. Now 112 families have joined the water network and some of them have built bathrooms close to the water tap to keep them clean. It has totally changed the Eliyanli village. The most important thing is that I feel more responsible, as any mismanagement of the water supply will harm my reputation. Moreover, people are committed to paying water fees on time, which is different from the communist times.’
Strengthening municipal capacity and citizens’ engagement in local governance and development in Central Azerbaijan Oxfam is helping to empower people to take part in local decisions and have a better understanding of local governance by understanding of the budgeting process and to create a simplified budgeting document. Funded by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and implemented in 16 municipalities of Agjabedi, Barda and Tartar, in Central Azerbaijan, the project strengthens the capacities of municipalities to manage their resources in an effective and transparent way. How Oxfam is helping • We are increasing the awareness and understanding of municipal officials and citizens about the functions, roles and responsibilities of municipalities in Azerbaijan • Building the capacity of 16 municipalities to plan and implement budgets in an accountable and citizenfocused way • Creating a mechanism for the participation of citizens in municipal decision-making Beneficiaries We are helping 6000 rural women and men; IDPs, youth, the elderly and disabled directly and 32, 000 individuals indirectly to achieve citizens engagement in local governance. Achievements of 2011 • We held 4 capacity-building training sessions were held for all 16 municipalities • We delivered a new software programme across 15 municipalities to ensure that budgets are transparent • We held 16 public budget hearings successfully • 3215 Tax-Payers from Samukh, Elyanli, Ketelparaq and Yeni Dashkend were provided with Local Tax Payers’ Codes • 2 TV programmes (1 on the State policy on standards, 1 on water management) were produced • Municipalities have improved capacity to manage budget resources in an effective and transparent way • Trust and cooperation between local citizens and the municipalities has increased through the participatory budgeting process • Citizens have increased their knowledge of the municipalities, and acquired a greater capacity and willingness to engage with them and contribute to local budgets
Sevda Asadova 36, collects water from a tap fitted by Oxfam outside her home Photo: Kieran Doherty
IMPROVING GOVERNANCE 17
Empowering civil society and strengthening municipalities
• We develop a policy document about increasing the financial capacity and authorities of municipalities
At present, it is hard to claim that municipalities play any important role in solving socio-economic problems of population. The financial capacity of municipalities is barely enough to meet their limited responsibilities; almost no significant changes have been achieved through the local-self government system in Azerbaijan, despite the regular initiatives pursued by the civil society institutions. The existing legislative framework is incapable of organizing local-self governance and adjusting it to the requirements of the European Charter on Local Self-Governance effectively.
• We ensure the engagement of the media and civil society in advocacy activities for local democracy
As a result, significant challenges remain to decentralization in Azerbaijan. Oxfam is a leading organization in Azerbaijan in terms of promoting good governance as a means to end poverty in rural areas of Azerbaijan; it established an NGO Alliance for Municipality Development (BINA), the only professional grouping of NGOs that focuses on decentralization in Azerbaijan and advocates for solutions to the obstacles that hinder it. Oxfam continues to offer support to BINA and funds good governance projects proposed by the alliance. The project objectives are to improve local self-governance institutions (municipalities) – by enabling them to deliver effective service for People Living In Poverty – and to increase the national and international communities’ attention to the development challenges of Azerbaijani municipalities.
• 1 Meeting at the European Congress of Local and Regional Authorities at the Council of Europe (CoE) in Strasbourg, France
Beneficiaries We benefit 100 municipalities directly and 5000 entities, including National Associations of Municipalities, National Parliament, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, indirectly. Achievements of 2011 • 1 Investigative Report of six municipal legislative acts
• Contact-building with the Association of Local Democracy Agencies (ALDA) at the Council of Europe (CoE) • 2 National Forums on the annual performance of municipalities • 15 articles on more than 12 online media outlets and newspapers; 2 TV programmes • Meetings with state institutions responsible for potable water supply: the Centre of Sanitation and Epidemiology (CSE), Azersu JSC, the World Bank and multiple MPs
How Oxfam is helping • We identify the existing problems of local selfgovernance in Azerbaijan with regard to the principles and requirements of the European Charter
Children from Dargalar village collect water from the new artesian Photo: David Levene
Improving Access to health care
Health Project beneficiary Gulcamal Karimova 50,(centre) receives treatment from nurse Shafagat Mikaliyova 31 (right) and Vusala Emilova 31, as she visits the health clinic built by Oxfam in Barda. Photo:Kieran Doherty
IMPROVING ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE 19
Since 1999, Oxfam has been working to improve people’s access to affordable primary health care services in Azerbaijan. Funded by the European Community and Medicor Foundation, the programme has expanded from five remote villages of the Barda region to 49 communities including Barda, Tartar, Goranboy, Yevlakh and Oghuz districts. How Oxfam is helping • We are improving access to better quality primary health care, clean water and sanitation facilities • We’ve created a Community Based Primary Health Care (CBPHC) model to ensure poor people have access to services they need • We are raising awareness and building the capacity of civil society organisations to have a say in the health reform processes • We are bringing about changes in health-care seeking practices and behaviours, which will benefit the most vulnerable people Beneficiaries We are helping more than 63,000 vulnerable people to access health care services, including those who have been displaced by conflict as well as the elderly and disabled Achievements of 2011 • 8 health centres were rehabilitated in rural communities of Khoylu, Nizamikend, Balchili, Banovshalar, Qullar, Qarayusifli, Imamgulubeyli and Kolayir • Drug stocks of medicine, consisting of 90 items and a total amount of 43,376.92 AZN, were purchased and distributed to the Community Based Primary Health Care models three times in 2011, with the support and observation from Community Health Committees • There were 54 outreach visits by trained cardiologists, gynaecologists and paediatrician across 49 communities with roughly 2694 beneficiaries • The skills of 42 health providers from targeted communities were improved as a result of several upgraded training sessions, which were based on the Ministry of Health’s newly adopted clinical protocol
• 922 school children received training on “Personnel hygiene and healthy life style”, and 952 children participated in Healthy Nutrition workshop as the result of health awareness sessions. • We carried out health-awareness raising sessions to over 13,000 people • A health event to promote environmental issues, and encourage people to protect their communities. was organised on March 15-18, 2011, centred on the topic of environmental protection, with the slogan ‘A Clean Environment is a Healthy Environment’. More than 1400 trees were planted in communities • We held two regional learning and advocacy meetings in Barda and Tartar districts with representatives from local authorities Yusif’s story ‘In our village we only have one paediatrician. For many years, I’ve been suffering pains in my chest and stomach, but our local paediatrician could not offer a diagnosis as it was not her area of expertise. I was so happy when the village doctor informed me about the outreach visit of doctors to our community. After the examination by the cardiologist and general practitioner, they found out that I was suffering from heart disease – angina pectoris and chronic gastritis – and I started the right treatment. Now I feel much better in myself. Thanks to these activities I was able to get qualified consultation which I couldn’t have had before due to the high transportation costs and medical expenses’.
Nurses Shafagat Mikayilova, 31 (R) and Vusala Emilova, 31, stand outside the health clinic built by Oxfam Unwrapped in Barda Photo: Kieran Doherty
GROW Campaign
Big Food Table event, Barda Photo: Valida Babayeva
AZERBAIJAN GROW CAMPAIGN 22
Making of Grow music video with Tunzale Aghayeva Photo: Valida Babayeva
On June 1, 2011 Oxfam globally launched the GROW campaign, which addresses the problems related to food security and climate change. The main objective of the campaign is to urge the public and governments to adopt a more sustainable form of production, whilst supporting smallholder farmers, governing local production better, and considering environmental issues. Within the campaign, a renowned British production team has joined famous Azerbaijani celebrity, Tunzale Aghayeva to produce a music video to help raise awareness about food insecurity and the need to support smallholder farmers. How Oxfam is helping • We improving the awareness of the population about food insecurity and water management in Azerbaijan • We campaign and lobby the government to invest in smallholder farmers as the main food producers. Beneficiaries The campaign aims to benefit up to 50,000 people, primarily involved in smallholder production and facing problems with water management. Indirect beneficiaries also include the government agencies involved in agricultural production and input management. Achievements of 2011 • Project launch on June 1, 2011, with the participation of key stakeholders
• Production of the GROW video to help foster public support for the campaign • Big Food Table event in Barda in October 2011 with a total of 25 young activists coming together to discuss the problem of food insecurity and find solutions • Two public transport buses with GROW messages on them were launched for operation in the buzzing cities of the capital Baku • An animated video dedicated to efficient agricultural water management is produced
DRR PROGRAMME
Oxfam has supported the preparation of DRR plan for families who suffered from Kura river level elevation in Salyan region Photo: FOVGAL
DRR PROGRAMME 24
Evacuation Plan was prepared in Demirchi village, Shamakhi Photo: FOVGAL
Within DRR (Disaster Risk Reduction) programme, we are helping communities to prepare for and respond adequately to natural disasters by increasing resilience and reducing vulnerability in Salyan, Neftchala, Shamakhi, and Ismayilli regions. The project started in May 2010 and continued until July 2011, and was implemented by Oxfam Great Britain (OGB), with the financial support of DIPECHO. How Oxfam is helping • We are improving safety attitudes and the resilience of local communities through knowledge, innovation and education
• Village-based DRR plans were developed for all 15 targeted villages to better prepare and respond adequately to natural disaster • 6 small-scale infrastructure works were carried out to reduce the physical vulnerability of the community (such as water drainage canals, small bridge etc.) • Informal DRR curricula were developed for all targeted schools and 600 school students attended DRR lessons taught by 60 teachers • 60 teachers received First Aid training by the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society
• We develop a community-based Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) mechanism and ensuring that this is recognised as a priority by community and district level authorities
• Awareness sessions on DRR and the Hyogo Framework for Action conducted for all targeted districts and village officials
• By strengthening DRR strategies through increased dialogue, coordination, and information exchange between national and local stakeholders
• Common tools and methodologies for village-based assessments were developed and shared with relevant stakeholders.
Beneficiaries The total number of direct beneficiaries is 6,100, whereas indirect beneficiaries are 3,200 in four disasterprone districts. Achievements of 2011 • Village Emergency Groups were formed and equipped with uniforms and First Aid Kits in each of 15 villages and trained on DRR to identify the hazards and vulnerability in the communities
• A session on the core ideas of DRR, the risk drivers and the role of media in DRR was held for 15 Media representatives • A pantomime concentrating on the core ideas of DRR, as well as the best steps to take during disasters, was developed and shown up for the schoolchildren of the all targetted villages
DRR PROGRAMME 25
Aliya’s story “The water distribution channel was constructed about 8-10 years ago by the local government to prevent the immediate likelihood of flooding. Since the channel had not been cleansed of ground sediment and rushes for a long time, last year the water flow was slowed and the probability of inundation of my house was increased. On the other hand, there were no bridges over the channels to enable our village people to evacuate in cases of flooding. During spring, the Village Municipality and Village Emergency group, financially supported by Oxfam, cleaned the channel and constructed bridges over the channel. These initiatives decreased the flood risk significantly and now we feel secure against flood”.
Family Emergency Plan was developed in Neftchala Photo: SAW
EXPENDITURE
A young onion farmer counts onion sacks, Khanereb, Barda Photo: Keran Doherty
EXPENDITURE 27
FUNDING
OXFAM GB - 37,5%
OXFAM Unwrapped, £40,000
GIZ and ICCO, £8,097
EC-Cofinancing - 15% Medicor Foundation - 2% EC-NSA - 7% DipECHO
- 2%
SDC, £433,000
OXFAM GB £469,000
SDC - 32,5% OXFAM Unwrapped - 3% GIZ and ICCO - 1%
DipECHO, £34,394
ECCofinancing, £185,278 EC-NSA, £78,888
Medicor Foundation £32,722
CURRENT PROGRAMMES
DRR £49,433
AGRICULTURE HEALTH
GOVERNANCE £172,000
GOVERNANCE DRR
AGRICULTURE HEALTH
£218,000
£565,000
Acknowledgement
Acknowledgement
Onion picker Guller Qasanova 39, at her home in Khanareb, Barda. Photo: Keran Doherty
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 29
Funding Sources
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
OUR PARTNERS
ARAN Public Union
Agro İnformation Centre
Solidarity Among Women NGO
OUR TEAM
Team building event, Shamakhi Photo: Valida Babayeva
World Business Centre, 6th floor, 309 S. Rahimov str, AZ1014 Baku, Azerbaijan Tel: +(99412) 5973029/28 FAX: +(99450)5973019 WWW.OXFAM.ORG.UK/AZERBAIJAN
/Oxfam in azerbaijan /OXFAMAZERBAIJAN /BAKU.OXFAMGB