Stamp Out Poverty

What do students from the Parkview Public School in Melville Saskatchewan have in common with a store in Iqualit, Nunavut, an insurance company in Ottawa and a manufacturer in Belleville, Ontario? They and hundreds of others are collecting used stamps and envelopes for Oxfam Canada's Stamp Program. Even Provincial premiers and a former Prime Minister have donated stamps to help stamp out poverty.

Click here to see a video interview about volunteering with Oxfam and the Stamp Out Hunger program.

How the money is raised

Those used stamps and envelopes can add up. Oxfam Canada volunteers raise about $10,000 annually by sorting and selling stamps to collectors.  Nearly $250,000 has been given to Oxfam from the Stamp Program since it started in 1980.

What you should save

• Everything!
  • foreign stamps
  • Canadian stamps
  • commemorative stamps
     
• Keep the entire envelope if there are:
  • clearly identifiable town/village postmarks
  • registered/special delivery postmarks

Where should I send the stamps?

Once you've collected the stamps and envelopes they can be delivered to any Oxfam Canada office or sent directly to either:

Stamp Programme
Oxfam Canada
39 McArthur Ave
Ottawa, Ontario
K1L 8L7

OXFAM-Canada Projects Supported by Stamp Funds

January 2011
 

The following projects were chosen by the volunteers in the stamp programme from among those already approved by Oxfam Canada's Program Committee and Board of Directors. In most cases, the stamp funds are only a small part of the total Oxfam Canada contribution, and many are funded by other organizations and governments as well. In this way the Oxfam Canada funds have a lot of leverage, being matched in some cases by two or more times as much money from other sources.

The most recent projects are described below and there is a complete list on the following page, detailing the total of over $250,000 raised since the stamp programme began almost 30 years ago. These particular projects were selected based on two criteria. First, they are meant to be broadly representative of the types of work Oxfam does in its main areas of interest. Second, we support worthy projects that have not had sufficient money earmarked specifically for them by other donors or allocated from general donation revenue.

Zimbabwe:   
Supporting Advocacy for Media Reforms (2010)
$15,000                            
               
Zimbabwe was once known as the ‘bread basket of Southern Africa’ because of its strong economy, productive agricultural industry, as well as impressive health care and education sectors. However, since 2000 the country has been characterized by political, economic and humanitarian crises and most Zimbabweans—especially women and girls—have been living in extreme poverty with limited freedom. Oxfam has been working in Zimbabwe to address poverty and injustice for almost thirty years.

In 2008 the three key political parties in Zimbabwe formed an Inclusive Government and have been working together to make important political, economic and social reforms. The formation of this new government has provided an important window of opportunity for ordinary Zimbabweans to have a say in the future of the country and one of the key activities in the past two years has been a national consultation process to inform the drafting of a new Constitution. Oxfam has been supporting many local communities, women’s groups and other non-governmental organizations to participate in this constitution making process through the Zimbabwe Advocacy Strategy (ZAS). The stamp fund contribution represents approximately 6% of Oxfam’s total support to the ZAS program in 2011, which is funded by 4 different Oxfam affiliates that are active in Zimbabwe.  Work towards media reform is solely funded by the stamp program and would not have been possible without it.

There is now speculation that there will be a referendum on the new Constitution and a national election in 2011. However, many Zimbabweans and others are concerned about the possibility of a referendum and election without first reforming the justice system and media laws. Since 2000, the media in Zimbabwe has become a site of struggle: many journalists have been harassed, arrested, tortured and in some cases murdered for reporting on events that shed a negative light on the former government. There have been very strict government controls over the media, with the effect that many Zimbabweans have not been adequately informed of events in the country.

The new Inclusive Government offers an opportunity to revise media laws so that Zimbabweans have access to accurate information through newspapers, television, internet and other types of independent media; this is especially important in the lead up to a referendum and elections. In 2011, Oxfam will work with the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ) to ensure that the new constitution guarantees freedom of expression, media freedom and access to information. MAZ will also work with regional and international organizations to tackle the country’s media crisis and to influence media policy reforms that must be undertaken if true democracy is to be restored.
 

Ethiopia
Supporting Secondary Education for Girls in Benishangul Gumuz Region (2009)
$20,000   

Oxfam Canada is working with the Ethiopia chapter of the Federation of African Women (FAWE) to implement a long term CIDA program “Engendering Change”  in Ethiopia. The Stamp Programme is helping with a project in the remote regional state of Benishangul Gumuz.  In Ethiopia, girls have much less access to education than boys. Only 32% of secondary school students are girls – even fewer in remote areas - in part because they are married young, and for other economic reasons. For example, most secondary schools are located only in the larger centres, so rural students either have to travel long distances or find local accommodation. This is particularly difficult for girls.

To promote education for girls, FAWE has been providing some with scholarship support, including bursaries for living allowances, school supplies, school uniforms, tutorials, and mentoring in life skills. FAWE also encourages the formation of “Tuseme” clubs at schools to help both boys and girls learn problem solving skills, assertiveness, and confidence building. In addition FAWE conducts training to make school and community representatives aware of gender-based violence.

Stamp funds will provide scholarships for an additional 30 girls in two new schools for the next 12 months. As a result, Oxfam expects that more girls will graduate from high school and go on to post-secondary education.
 

List of All Projects Supported by Stamp Funds to Date

To find out more about the sale of Oxfam stamps, please visit http://www.ohmygosh.on.ca/stamps/oxfam07/oxpr.htm