In emergencies, distributing cash in a targeted manner can often meet people's immediate needs more quickly and appropriately than the direct distribution of commodities such as food aid. Cash gives people choices and thereby preserves their dignity. Commodity distribution may pose logistical problems, takes time, and in the case of food aid, may disrupt local markets if food is actually available within the affected country or region. But among humanitarian agencies there are fears that cash transfers will pose security risks, create inflation, and fail to be used to meet basic needs.In this guide, the first of its kind, Oxfam staff members present the rationale behind cash-transfer programs, considering the arguments for and against cash as an alternative to commodity distribution. They also give guidance on when cash is the most appropriate intervention and how to assess this. Different types of cash intervention are compared--cash grants, vouchers, and cash-for-work--and the guide uses checklists to explain the practical steps involved in implementing them. They draw on the experience of Oxfam and other agencies of operating such programs, including responses to the devastation caused by the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004.The guidelines are primarily intended for NGO personnel: humanitarian program managers, food-security specialists, public-health engineers, finance staff, and logisticians. Policymakers in donor organizations and international agencies will also find them relevant.The sixteen cards contain key elements from the book to explain how to assess whether cash is the most appropriate response to any particular emergency. The cards and the paperback are alsoavailable as a set.

Building public services can transform the lives of millions of people - and, with political leadership, it is achievable in this generation. This punchy introduction to the issues provides case studies, real-life stories, background data, and critical analysis. It is a primer for campaigners, for students, and for all involved in trying to make the world a better, fairer place. It introduces us to people who are making a difference in their communities: to Afsana, a teacher in India; to Emilien, a doctor in Mali; to Nana, a health-care adviser in Georgia. And it puts their work into a global policy framework focusing on the role of governments and funders, and on NGOs and civil-society organisations. Health and Education For All: What you need to know is an up-to-date summary of the contents of a major research report published by Oxfam GB for Oxfam International in September 2006. In the Public Interest: Health, Education, and Water and Sanitation for All was published to support the launch of the Oxfam International campaign on basic services provision (health, education, and water and sanitation). The 122-page report, published with WaterAid, shows that building public services in developing countries is central to poverty eradication. It also considers the role of governments (local and national) in the provision of robust basic services, and the contributions that must be made by civil society, the private sector, and international and multilateral donors to securing and improving public services. With case studies from around the world, In the Public Interest is the next step in discovering more of what you need to know.

"Ox-Tales" is a set of four compelling and collectible books, each themed on one of the elements. 'Fire' features stories by Mark Haddon, Geoff Dyer, Victoria Hislop, Sebastian Faulks, John le Carre, Xiaoulu Guo, William Sutcliffe, Ali Smith, Lionel Shriver and Jeanette Winterson, and a poem by Vikram Seth. The idea behind "Ox-Tales" is to raise money for Oxfam and along the way to highlight the charity's work in project areas: agriculture in Earth, water projects in Water, conflict aid in Fire, and climate change in Air. The four books will play a central role in the first ever Oxfam Bookfest, a new annual event launching in July 2009. Created in partnership with Hay Festival, the program includes more than 300 events across the UK.

The African Union (AU) has committed to a vision of Africa that is 'integrated, prosperous and peaceful - driven by its own citizens, a dynamic force in the global arena' (Vision and Mission of the African Union, May 2004). This guide is an effort to take up the challenge of achieving this vision. It is a tool to assist activists to engage with AU policies and programmes. It describes the AU decision-making process and outlines the roles and responsibilities of the AU institutions. It also contains a sampling of the experiences of those non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that have interacted with the AU.