by Josephine Imelda & Cynthia Dewi Maharani
Food prices are going up. Prices of rice, corn, and wheat have all reached record highs in the last few months. The impact has been felt around the world. Food riots have broken out in Morocco, Yemen, Mexico, Guinea, Mauritania, Senegal and Uzbekistan. Russia has frozen the price of milk, bread, eggs and cooking oil for six months. Thailand is also planning a freeze on food staples. After protests around Indonesia, Jakarta has increased public food subsidies. India has banned the export of rice except the high-quality basmati variety.
Price rises have been driven by a number of factors including bad weather - in part caused by climate change, increased demand from India and China and other advanced developing countries, population growth, increased demand for biofuels, failure improve crop yields and high oil and input prices leading to increasing input costs for producers and traders. Speculation on commodity markets is also pushing up prices.
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Categories: Campaign · Development
Tagged: biofuel, Climate Change, Food, food crisis, food insecurity, Food Prices, Food Prices are going up, Kenaikan harga, krisis pangan, oil, perubahan iklim, poor people, Pulau Tunda, Rice, subsidi, subsidies, Tunda Island
“Bu, airnya mati!” teriakan tersebut yang pertama kali menyambut saya setiba dirumah sore itu.
Paling susah memang kalau air tidak berfungsi. Pekerjaan rumah bisa sangat terganggu, mulai dari mencuci baju, piring bahkan sampai urusan mandi. Yang repot kalau air tidak mengalir sampai satu harian, sudah pasti saya harus membeli air berember-ember. Yang tentu saja harganya tidak murah. Hah, itu baru satu hari, saya sudah mengeluh!
Tidak dapat saya bayangkan bahwa dibelahan dunia lain, masih banyak manusia yang harus menderita akibat kekurangan air dan harus berjuang untuk mendapatkan air bersih. Ironisnya, itu terjadi setiap hari.
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Categories: Campaign · Development · Humanitarian
Tagged: Air Bersih, clean water, Development, Health, humanitarain, Nias, Rural Area, Sanitasi, sanitation, water, water-borne disease
by Yulia Immajati, Gender Advisor of Oxfam GB in Indonesia
It was one fine evening and I was enjoying my fried chicken in one of the street vendors’ tent along Jaksa street, Central Jakarta, when this soft touch on my shoulder made me turned my head to her. She was standing there, starring at me, with those pathetic look, asking for money. I stopped eating. I look back at her, well…to put it more precisely, I stared on her. I started feeling this rejection of giving money. I don’t give money to street children since I know very well that they are employed by those lazy adults who prefer to exploit these children rather than using their own labor to earn money. She stood still, with her right palm opened, just right in front of me. I sighed…poor one.. she was a pretty little one but looked dirty with her old dress, which I guessed was 1 size bigger than hers.
‘Have you had dinner?’ I asked. She shook her head, with her pathetic look still.
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Categories: Campaign · Development · Humanitarian
Tagged: anak jalanan, Campaign, Development, Humanitarian, Jakarta, Kemiskinan, oxfam, Poverty, Sexual harrasement, street childre
By Cynthia Dewi Maharani, Program Officer Building Opportunity
Tanggal 8 Maret lalu, saya selaku warga perempuan di dunia ikut merayakan “International Woman Day”. Sebuah hari besar yang dilatar belakangi oleh rangkaian perjuangan yang tidak mudah yang dilakukan oleh para kaum perempuan di berbagai dunia. Berbagai aksi telah dilakukan mulai dari jaman Yunani Kuno sampai ketika perempuan - perempuan paris menyerukan “liberty, equality, fratenity” bahkan sampai pada jaman perempuan Jawa Barat bernama Dewi Sartika mendirikan sakola Istri (sekolah perempuan) dan rangkain perjuangan - perjuangan perempuan lainnya yang dilakukan sampai masa kini.
Saya memperingati hari besar tersebut dengan merefleksikan diri saya sebagai perempuan di saat ini yang masih kerap mengalami ketidakadilan.
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Categories: Campaign · Development · Humanitarian
Tagged: Campaign, Cultural, Culture, Development, Education, Gender, Indonesia, International Women Day, Java, oxfam, Peran Perempuan, Perempuan, Politic, Social
Imelda
