Oxfam’s Bra Amnesty aims to collect at least one million bras in April with some being sold in Oxfam’s shops in the UK but many more will be sold by women in West Africa – where quality bras are hard to come by and the money raised will make a real difference in poor communities.

Miquita Oliver, who visited Frip Ethique with Oxfam last June, says: “I think many of us would confess to hanging onto bras we don’t want or need – from gifts that don’t fit to old favourites we just can’t bear to part with.  The beauty of Oxfam’s project is that they don’t need to go to waste, British bras are hugely fashionable and in high demand among women in Senegal.  I met women atFrip Ethique whose whole lives had been changed thanks to the income they were earning from bra sales. By simply hunting out old wears and supporting this campaign women across the country can make a huge difference not only to these women’s lives but also to that of their children and families.”

Step 1
Hunt out your forgotten bras – the gifts that don’t fit, the ones that looked better in the shop…
Better still, organise a collection and hunt out even more bras!

Step 2
Donate your bras to Salisbury Oxfam shops. We’re happy to collect them in either of the shops. If they’re M&S bras you’ll even get a £5 M&S voucher as part of the M&S clothing exchange…

Step 3
Pat yourself on the back – your bras will make a brilliant, life-changing difference.

Where your bras will go
Your bras will either be sold in our UK shops, or sent to Wastesaver, our recycling facility in Huddersfield… From Wastesaver, bras are sent to Senegal (along with things like summer clothes and baby clothes)… In Senegal, they are sorted and sold at Frip Ethique, our social enterprise. The money your bras raise goes towards our poverty-busting work in Senegal and around the globe.

Land Grabs

Since the food price spikes of 2008, wealthy companies have invested heavily in cheap agricultural land in poor countries, often for commercial use. But in many cases, the land sold is actually being used by poor families to grow food. These families are often forcibly evicted with little or no warning or compensation, and in many cases the land is either left idle by investors who know it will only grow in value, or used in ways that reduce food production. So it’s time for effective global rules to get land grabs under control – rules which ensure local communities see the benefits of investments and which help make sure that governments provide secure access to land for smallholder farmers, and especially women.

What can you do?

There have been major developments since we launched our land grabs report into evictions, some violent, in Uganda, where at least 22,500 people lost their homes and land and many have been left destitute.

Recently, members of the evicted community had reported feeling intimidated and harassed after questioning by workers from the New Forests Company (NFC). Since this action was launched, and thanks to pressure on NFC, we have now received assurance from the company that it will halt this questioning of community leaders and conduct an external investigation. We will continue to monitor the situation on the ground in order to confirm that this has happened.

However, we need to maintain pressure on the NFC to ensure that the external investigation results in justice for these vulnerable communities in Uganda. Send an email to the Chairman of NFC, Robert Devereux, demanding he take immediate action.

Click here to email the New Forests Company.

GUEST SPEAKER Janine Woodward will be talking about her experiences of Oxfam’s work in Zambia.

Thursday 24th February 7:00-8:30
Oxhibitions, Above Salisbury Oxfam Bookshop, 10 Catherine Street, Salisbury, SP1 2DA

All welcome, RSVP to Agatha Morris on:
07769342545 or amor...@oxfam.org.uk

Download a copy of the poster for you to print and display.

Be part of Oxfam’s NEW Salisbury Fundraising Group

We’re looking for enthusiastic people to help raise money for Oxfam’s vital work through fundraising events in Salisbury.

The money you raise will help to alleviate poverty and suffering worldwide by funding health, education and water sanitation projects.

Meet like-minded people and have fun with a team of inspiring individuals.

This is a unique opportunity to have a voice in Oxfam and develop your skills.

Your group’s fundraising can be anything and everything – from cake sales to gala dinners. Furthermore there is a role to suit everyone and the choice is up to you!

What can I do?

• Do – If you are interested in joining this new group contact Agatha Morris: amor...@oxfam.org.uk, 07769342545
• Do – If you can think of somewhere you could put some flyers, you can download and print these out…
• Explore – Find out more about Oxfam’s vital work here

Be Amazing : Be Humankind

Events Include:

Nick Heyward in Candlelit Concert at Salisbury Cathedral

NICK HEYWARD’s career in music began at 19 with the band HAIRCUT 100. The band had tremendous success in the UK and in the States with songs such as “Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)”, “Fantastic Day”, “Nobody’s Fool” and “Love Plus One”. After leaving HAIRCUT 100 Nick had great success as a solo artist and is performing at the Cathedral to help a cause very dear to his heart – Oxfam.

Find out more on the Facebook event

Tickets cost from £10 and are available from Salisbury Playhouse or online here!

For all the following events, entry is gained by purchasing a wristband here for the bargain price of £5. These should then be collected on the day from Salisbury Oxfam Gallery between 10:30am-4:30pm and 7pm-8pm. There will be some availability on the day, for £7, from Salisbury Oxfam Gallery between 10:30am and 4:30pm or at some venues after 6pm.

DIRTY ROUGE w/ Slhtt Shwgrls, TheOprtn + Ot Lke A Ln+ RECKON at the Old Ale House
Big charity rock night in the heart of Salisbury promises to offer the best up and coming bands Wiltshire has to offer!

Find out more on the Facebook event

Comedy at the Winchester Gate
Night of UK Underground comedy comes to Salisbury

Find out more on the Facebook event

Acoustic Night @ The Boathouse
Open Mic / contact us – All acoustic All Night – well 8pm – 11.30pm. Curated by Salisbury’s Darrell Ford, who happens to be playing two gigs in one night! This show will feature the best Wiltshire has to offer in the solo stakes!

Find out more on the Facebook event

At the moment there are some particular positions we are on the look out for, so take at look at the positions below that take your eye, and if you’re interested in finding out more contact us through the details on each!

• Accessories Sorter and Pricer
• Homewares Sorter and Pricer
• Gift Aided Goods Sorter and Pricer
• Men’s Clothing Sorter and Pricer
• Till Operators
• Toy Sorter and Pricer
• Women’s and Children’s Clothing Sorter and Pricer

We look forward to hearing from you!

At the moment, we’re looking for for acts, especially acoustic, who would be interested in playing at any time during October and in particular on the 23rd. We can help match you up with venues, though if you have anything planned anyway and would like to get involved with Oxjam as well we’d be delighted to hear about that too! Email oxja...@googlemail.com with any offers, questions or any other ideas.

As well as this, we’re looking for any volunteers to help us out on the day: collecting donations, giving out fliers and just enjoying the gigs! If you think you can help out with that drop us an email at oxj...@salisburyoxfam.org.uk and we’ll be in touch.

You can find out more about the plans and make contact by joining the OXJAM WILTSHIRE TAKEOVER Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=105570092820071 or following the dedicated Twitter feed @oxjamwiltshire – though we’ll also be retweeting key information on our feed @salisburyoxfam

Finally, if what all you really want to do is enjoy some fantastic live music this October: keep your eyes on this website, there’ll be plenty more news coming over the next few months!

During Fairtrade Fortnight, at Salisbury Oxfam (general shop only), you can swap a bag of quality donations for a delicious box of Cafédirect tea. It’ll help you kickstart the aim of swapping your usual brand of goods for the Fairtrade equivalent during Fairtrade Fortnight (22nd February – 7th March 2010) and tasting the increase quality without adding much to your shopping bill – and guaranteeing a fair price for third world producers.

While you’re in store you can also stock up on other Fairtrade goods as we have a fantastic selection with something for everyone!

What can I do?

• Shopping – drop into Salisbury Oxfam and buy some great Fairtrade goods
• Fundraising – drop in a bag of quality donations and we’ll give you a free pack of tea to get you started!
• Campaigning – register for The Big Swap at the Fairtrade Foundation website

Please note: offer available while stocks last and are limited to one per person.

Israeli air-raids have caused severe damage to the civilian infrastructure of Gaza, with many areas being left without water or electricity. The already severely limited health services in Gaza are now completely overwhelmed. All hospitals are reporting being out of critical supplies, and the basic supplies they do have are running out fast.

Oxfam’s response

In the last few days we have had to put our ongoing programme in Gaza on hold; our staff, and the staff of our partner organisations, are sheltering while the air raids continue.

Our programmes include ‘cash-for-work’ providing paid employment to agricultural communities, food vouchers which provide locally-grown fresh produce at fair prices, and work improving public health by helping maintain clean water supplies. Programmes such as this help markets to stay functioning and keep people healthy.

What can I do?

Fundraising – We urgently need to resume activities and respond to the increased needs arising from this latest crisis as soon as possible. Please give now.

Campaigning – Read more about the news from Gaza on Oxfam GB’s blog which currently has many updates from there and sign our ceasefire petition.

What can I do?

• Campaigning – Call for a strong international agreement to tackle climate change