First ginger steps…

by Avinash Kumar, Oxfam’s For All campaign team, India

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It’s my second week in my new role in Oxfam’s campaigns team in India, and I am already going through what you might call a ‘baptism by fire’. When I started I was told very softly, that ideally the team would like me to get involved in the Global Launch of the ‘For All’ campaign here in Delhi. Which is now tomorrow. As I have worked with Oxfam for years already, I knew what those ‘soft suggestions’ meant!

Once I got started my manager was extremely kind and insisted that I was not expected to deliver ‘hard things’ for this event. Consequently, I have been landed with the really ‘soft work’ of co-ordinating 300 enthusiastic children (with the help of a friendly magician to keep them entertained whilst the press conference goes on!), receiving and chaperoning one Indian celebrity actor Rahul Bose. And other trifling things like these….

But respect to my team for all the enthusiasm with which they are working. They are helping each other, nagging each other, checking the to do list five times a day – and still managing not to scream at each other. It gives me hope that we are going to achieve not only what we have set out for tomorrow, but our greater call to reach six million people pledging their support for the campaign, to symbolise the need for six million more teachers, doctors and nurses worldwide.

But what lies behind these events, and our long term campaigning is far more serious. To achieve a better quality of life for the huge number of people who are un-represented and live without an iota of dignity given to them. We need to end extreme poverty, but also ensure that people are able to live with dignity and equal opportunity to live happy and full lives. And I am looking forward to being part of this process with the For All campaign. Starting tomorrow!!