As a relatively new Oxfam volunteer with the Brisbane campaigns team, I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to go out into the field and actually make a difference working on the GROW campaign and raising awareness of the impact of land grabs on small scale food producers in some of the world’s poorest countries.
Myself and two other volunteers went out to take pictures of Brisbane icons to try to bring home what it really means when we talk about land grabs and to call on the World Bank to play its part in stopping them. Standing in front of the Big Wheel at South Bank (always buzzing with tourists as well as locals) we had several passers-by take an interest in what we were doing. One very helpful woman even suggested how we could improve the photo by changing the position of our posters slightly!
I was encouraged to see how many people seemed curious at what we were doing, as it gave us an opportunity to tell them about the campaign. It felt great to be out and about, doing what we could for the campaign. It also gave us an opportunity to see Brisbane icons and think about them in a new way.
What if they were sold out from under us, as is the case with many people in developing countries? It has been a very thought-provoking few days for me, and I hope that people in the wider community will find it thought-provoking as well. Let’s all turn our thoughts into actions to stop land grabbing – and sign the petition to the World Bank – calling for a freeze on investments that result in such devastating consequences for poor people.
by Brisbane campaigns volunteer Emma Gunders
