By Winnie Byanyima, a former law maker in the parliament of Uganda and that who has worked at Oxfam as an executive director for some years now, has been honored with 5 more years as still working under the same post.
Ms Byanyima joined Oxfam in 2013 from the United Nations having previously served in the Ugandan Parliament for 11 years and in the African Union Commission.
Speaking about the fact that Oxfam has showed confidence in her work and hence retaining her in her position, Ms Byanyima informed the press that working with Oxfam is one of her best experiences as her work fits in her values and life experience. She added that she was honored and humbled.
‘I have never enjoyed a role as much as I have at Oxfam,’ said Ms Byanyima.
‘Its staff, partners and volunteers make it a tough and pragmatic organization… impatient with poverty and injustice and willing to tackle root causes, all of which fits my values and life experience.’
‘I am so proud of our heritage and all we have built upon it in five years,’ She added, ‘Oxfam had woken up the world to the dangers of rising extreme inequality, and was confident that the coalitions it was helping to lead and convene would grow even more powerful and able to turn the inequality tide against ordinary people.’
The executive director highlighted successes in Oxfam’s work on extractives, land rights and climate adaptation, and most of all on championing women’s rights and responding to humanitarian emergencies.
Juan Alberto Fuentes, the Oxfam chair, described Winnie Byanyima as a visionary leader that inspires the Oxfam teams too.
‘We are thrilled. Winnie is a visionary leader in the fight against inequality and poverty, and an inspiration to our teams and partners around the world. We look forward to continue to work with her to help create lasting solutions to the injustice of poverty.’
Being the wife of Kizza Beigye, Uganda’s strongest opposition leader and a former presidential candidate, Ms Byanyima was also asked about her view in regards to what people say, seeing her as a potential candidate in Uganda’s 2021 general election.
‘It would be an honor to be asked to lead my country but right now, I have an even bigger honor serving Oxfam. I am happy, I have just signed an extension to my contract for the next five years,’ Ms Byanyima responded.
During the next five years, Ms Byanyima said she was eager to expand and deepen Oxfam’s work in advancing women’s rights and tilt the balance of Oxfam’s humanitarian work towards prevention, such as building up people’s resilience to the ever increasing and more intense crises.
She also mentioned about the organization’s plan to move the Oxfam International Secretariat from Oxford, where it is founded, to Nairobi, Kenya.
Correspondent: Shamilah Namuddu