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From Poverty to Power Green, Oxfam 2008 - weman

From Poverty to Power Green, Oxfam 2008 - weman

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FROM POVERTY TO POWERThe bedrock of civil society is formed of local groups concernedprimarily with the welfare of their fellow citizens, like the GeneralAssistance and Volunteer Organization (GAVO). This organisationwas founded in 1992 by a dozen young men from different sub-clansin Berbera, their home<strong>to</strong>wn in the arid region of the Horn of Africaknown as Somaliland. Their childhoods had been shattered by civilwar, and they hoped that through volunteer action they might begin<strong>to</strong> address some of the <strong>to</strong>wn’s pressing social problems.Acting on the advice of their Koranic teacher <strong>to</strong> help the mostdestitute of their fellow citizens, they started with patients at the localpsychiatric hospital suffering from war trauma: trimming their hairand nails, taking them out <strong>to</strong> a cool plateau on Fridays, washing theirclothes. Shunned by many who associated mental illness with sorcery,the hospital received no government or private funding. GAVO’svolunteers used popular theatre <strong>to</strong> educate the community, andreached beyond the boundaries of family and clan <strong>to</strong> raise money,breaking social taboos in the process.Within four years, GAVO had managed <strong>to</strong> set up an out-patientclinic, help demystify mental illness, and garner steady donationsfrom local merchants and municipal authorities. Then, aware of theirown limited scope, they began <strong>to</strong> lobby for changes in governmentpolicy regarding children’s rights.Paradoxically, organisations like GAVO are often viewed by fundersas being of little significance <strong>to</strong> development. They are local, usually‘traditional’ rather than ‘progressive’, and distant from grand challengeson the national level. Yet such groups provide opportunities forcommunities and ordinary citizens <strong>to</strong> discuss and act on some of thedifficulties they face. Though small-scale, they can be instrumental inthe development of a democratic culture and of skills needed foraddressing national challenges. GAVO travelled on just such a trajec<strong>to</strong>ry– from charity <strong>to</strong> service provision <strong>to</strong> public outreach <strong>to</strong> outrightadvocacy.Civil society is often at its most active in the burgeoning shanty<strong>to</strong>wns and suburbs of cities. With better access <strong>to</strong> schooling, andwith exchanges of opinions and information on every street corner,urbanites are more likely <strong>to</strong> get involved in CSOs. Cities are vividly62

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