OXFAM – ENW Program

Quick. Think of an NGO (non-governmental organization). Chances are that OXFAM sprang to mind, and for good reason. It is one of the best-known NGOs in the world (founded in 1942 in England as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief).

So, when a large number of women in World Skills’ Empowering Visible Minority Newcomer Women (ENW) program, said they wanted to know about working for NGOs, OXFAM Canada was the natural choice to learn from.

On October 25, OXFAM Canada’s Human Resources Officer, Halima Said, gave a wonderful recruitment information session to about 20 ENW women. After an excellent presentation on OXFAM and her current and anticipated vacancies, She explained and answered questions about how to compete successfully for them – and jobs in other NGOs.

“Personal passion is a core value. I look for it in everyone we hire,” she explained. “Volunteering is very important in this sector. It shows you care about the work,” she advised. “Also, it’s a good way to build your network and get Canadian experience,” she added.

Most impactful for the women, however, was Halima’s revelation that, “to work at OXFAM you must embrace feminist principles! OXFAM puts women’s rights at the heart of everything we do!”

This is because its mission is to build lasting solutions to poverty and injustice and it ardently believes that the “best way to drive change is to focus on improving the lives and promoting the rights of women and girls,” she explained.

While only on screen, the energy and sense of inspiration in the group at the end of the session was palpable. For details about OXFAM Canada’s work visit https://www.oxfam.ca/who-we-are/about-oxfam/why-womens-rights/ .