The Meaning Of Love.

This set of 12 papers collates together experiences lessons and good practice drawn from Oxfam GB and its partners global program work on the theme of the Right to be Heard Each paper focuses on a different project and demonstrates varying ways of working which can strengthen the participation of people in poverty as active citizens in the shaping of policy decisions Many poor people around the world are denied the opportunity to have their say Politics generally works well for those in power but those in poverty are often excluded from forums on issues that directly affect their welfare and so are unable to hold decision makers to account Due to this lack of opportunity to influence debates many government policies and resource allocations systematically marginalize the people who most need support and assistance and so block progress towards reducing poverty and suffering These papers cover different approaches lessons learned and useful case examples on issues ranging from local community budget monitoring to popular mobilization and media work Throughout the papers the authors highlight how addressing a lack of voice and ability to speak out against injustice as well as the more tangible aspects of the situation can make a big difference to people s ability to achieve greater well being and get out of poverty and so work towards a point where poor and marginalized women and men are more powerful and able to access their rights