Learning and Teaching Development

Every year millions of people die trapped in hunger, disease, extreme poverty, political violence,and natural disasters. Joseph Short, the former director of Oxfam America, introduces the concept of development education as a response to what he calls the "morally unacceptable fact of poverty, inequality, and human misery amidst the plentiful resources of the world."Oxfam America works in partnership with organizations in the Third Word to improve living conditions while promoting community consciousness-raising. Its guiding philosophy, financially independent character, and strong commitment to development have made Oxfam America a vivid example of an alternative approach to traditional development patterns.