ABSTRACT
There were several reasons why Oxfam GB (henceforth ‘Oxfam’) began to develop an anti-poverty programme in the UK in the mid-1990s.1 In part, it believed it had something to offer, in particular a holistic approach, bringing together strengths from many different disciplines; and it tries to work at all levels, from exploring shared global trends to encouraging participatory ways of working and gender awareness in programme activities ‘on the ground’. It can bring knowledge of the international context, from concepts such as social development to instruments such as human rights treaties. And Oxfam’s view of poverty as powerlessness and lack of ‘voice’ leads to an emphasis on the participation of people with direct experience of poverty in defining problems, proposing ways forward, and evaluating progress, as a crucial element in creating and implementing anti-poverty strategies and challenging underlying inequalities of power.
