Karina has been managing the website for Oxfam Community Aid Abroad for two and a half years.

Karina Brisby. Photo: Martin Wurt/OxfamAUS.

Is there a typical day in the world of web?
I need to act quickly to keep the website up to date with the latest news about the agency. I am always talking to staff about what is going on and what needs to be communicated.

What do you like most about your job?
I really enjoy finding out so much about the world around me. I also like that I am able to use my technology skills to make a positive difference in the world.

How many people actually visit our wesbite?
We have 40,000 individual visitors each month!

How did you get into this work?
After working in community television, I became interested in computers. I started out in commercial advertising and marketing before switching to the not-for-profit sector.

What's exciting about the website at the moment?
I am excited about the way we are using the web for our campaigning activities – during last year's World Trade Organisaiton meeting, lots of people got involved in our online actions. It was really inspiring to see people getting excited. The website is being re-designed at the moment, so I will be very excited when it is finally completed.

Picture yourself cycling in Southern China. Photo courtesy of Intrepid Travel.

Fancy yourself conquering South-East Asia's largest mountain, Mt Kinabalu? Or riding the rugged trails of Yunnan, Southern China? Whichever space you take, you're guaranteed a fantastic journey in support of the work of Oxfam Community Aid Abroad.

Oxfam Challenge not only allows you to get off the beaten tourist track, you're also helping to support some of our long-term development projects across 30 countries around the world.

After paying a $500 registration fee, your first challenge is to raise $5,000 – don't worry, we will support you to do this, and it isn't as hard as you might think. Around half the money covers trip costs, while the rest goes to support our projects, in areas such as health, education and clean water.

Brendan Wenke is a property developer from Brisbane who cycled from Vietnam to Cambodia as part of Oxfam Challenge in December last year. Brendan enjoyed it so much that he's signed up to explore Borneo in June and cycle in Yunnan in October. After his last Oxfam Challenge, Brendan commented, "It was such a great experience to ride through such amazing countryside and meet such wonderful people along the way."

Brendan is making a further contribution to Oxfam Community Aid Abroad through his property development business (www.urbidium.com). For each of the 23 units he is selling this year, he plans to donate $3,000 to Oxfam Community Aid Abroad's work in Cambodia. Our sincere thanks go to Brendan.

Find out more about Oxfam Challenge at www.oxfam.org.au/challenge or call 1800 088 110.

Oxfam Challenges coming up:
Cycle from Vietnam to Cambodia 4-16 December

Len Smith. Photo: OxfamAUS.

Interview by Donor Liaison Coordinator Sarah Gaunt

It was way back in the early 1960s – while working in wool research at the CSIRO – that Len Smith first became involved with Oxfam Community Aid Abroad. Len took over the fortnightly CSIRO collections for us, and has been going non-stop ever since. Len's list of contributions is almost endless: he's run book sales in the lunch room; walked in the first 25 mile Sydney to Parramatta walk against want (he admits he was totally exhausted); started the Epping local group with wife Monika in their lounge room ("we just grabbed people off the street"); organised discussion groups, letter writing campaigns and local collections; and spent heaps of energy on selling dolls, bush dances, exhibitions, wine bottling, auctions and lots lots more! Along the way, Len and Monika also found time to travel overseas on an Oxfam Community Aid Abroad tour to New Caledonia, and to pursue other community service activities.

Len has now decided that it is important to let younger people take up the reins and has retired from the Epping group; but that does not mean he will be idle. Monika and he will still be writing letters to politicians on the plight of asylum seekers and other important social justice issues. Len is grateful for the friends, past and present, whom he has had along the way and still believes in the principles of Oxfam Community Aid Abroad and our actions to fight for a fairer world. A heart felt thank you, Len and Monika, for your time, energy and enthusiasm over so many years.

Last November Executive Director Andrew Hewett and I attended the Oxfam International Board meeting in Dublin, Ireland (Oxfam International brings together members of all 12 Oxfams). During the meeting, I felt a sense of excitement about our involvement with this affiliation. The Oxfam International strategic plan Towards Global Equity has aims which are large and ambitions. At the heart of this plan are beliefs that poverty and powerlessness are avoidable and can be eliminated by human action and political will; that basic human needs and rights can be met; and that inequities can be significantly reduced.

Being a member of Oxfam International increases the impact of Oxfam Community Aid Abroad's work in many ways. It provides access to the collective resources of the 12 Oxfam affiliates, particularly high quality research we could not carry out ourselves which increases our learning about development. Our affiliation allows us to respond more effectively to emergencies and provides access to the global reach of Oxfam International's advocacy program. It potentially increases the efficiency of our development programming and, importantly associates us with an increasingly respected brand in the global market place.

This year promises to be a busy and exciting one for the Oxfam Community Aid abroad Board. Of special note is the National Conference to be held in Sydney in October. This conference gives Ordinary Members an opportunity to learn more about development and our work, and to participate in discussions about Oxfam Community Aid Abroad. Another activity that Ordinary Members can participate in is the elections of Board members, which will take place in the middle of this year. Only Ordinary Members can stand for the Board and vote in the elections. I would urge you to apply to become an Ordinary Member so you are able to participate in this important process, by completing the application form below.

More information about the conference and the election will be available on the website at www.oxfam.org.au/about/board.

North Albany Senior High School students.

Students at North Albany Senior High School in the far South West of Western Australia will be aiming for gold this year when they step out for the annual Oxfam Community Aid Abroad walk against want. The school has been participating in the Walk since 1990, and this year expects to reach a golden grand total of $50,000 raised for Oxfam Community Aid Abroad.

Western Australia's Donor Liaison Coordinator, Lesley Hart, met with several Year 11 and 12 Student Councillors at the school in August last year to thank and congratulate them on their outstanding fundraising efforts over the past 13 years. Under the enthusiastic and committed direction of the Careers and Enterprise Coordinator Lindsay Campbell, the students have taken responsibility for organising their own sponsorship and the event itself.

"We've come a long way since the early days of raising less than $500 from our first two Walks," says Lindsay. "The fundraising really took off in 1994, when we raised close to $4,000, while in 1999, we achieved our highest fundraising target with $6,713! We like to aim high and realise that such significant amounts go a long way in fighting poverty. For instance, raising $4,000 is more than enough to build a well for a community so that they have access to clean and safe water."

For a school with a student population of around 800 students, North Albany Senior High School rates very high in the fundraising stakes, second only to Melbourne Grammar School. Lindsay says their target for this year is $5,000 and they put out a challenge to other schools around the country to equal or better this target in 2004.

The school motto is 'Care and Diligence' and as a school community they have truly illustrated their diligence and capacity to care in raising $46,899 so far to help reduce poverty. Thank you and good luck for reaching your target this year!

To register for the 2004 event on Sunday 21 March, please call toll free 1800 034 034 or visit www.oxfam.org.au/walk.

Tom Grosser.

Fifteen-year-old Tom Grosser from Mount Barker in South Australia organised a school project with a difference after a three-month trip to Cambodia and Vietnam with his family. During his stay in Cambodia, Tom was very moved by the people he met and the stories he heard. When he returned, he organised his middle-year project at Glenunga International High School as a series of events to raise a donation for Oxfam Community Aid Abroad's work in Cambodia.

"I saw how important buffaloes were to Cambodian society so I looked at the Oxfam website and saw that they cost $400 each. I decided to aim to raise enough money for one buffalo ... by the end of my project, I was pleased to be able to donate enough money for two buffaloes," says Tom.

Tom organised two events to raise his donation. Firstly, as part of his birthday, he held an Asian dinner party for a dozen people – guests gave Tom a donation rather than giving him a present. His second event he named the 'Buffalo Party'. Tom cooked Asian food for 50 guests, who each donated $15. With the help of The Migration Museum in Adelaide, he also set up a display about Cambodian life. The display, which took Tom some 50 hours to assemble, included information, artefacts, music, books, personal stories and photos.

"At the beginning of the project I was most concerned about attaining a good mark. Now I do not care what mark I get because I have received a much greater reward. It was fun, challenging, creative and satisfying. I feel satisfied to know that many people in Cambodia will benefit from my hard work. My visit to Cambodia and this project have been life-changing experiences for me," Tom says.

Oxfam Community Aid Abroad would like to thank Tom for his tremendous project.