Company Profile

Oxfam is a rights-based global development organization with more than 70 years of experience in more than 90 countries worldwide. Oxfam’s mission is to end the injustice of poverty and inequality through systemic change and the advancement of political, economic and social rights. Oxfam has been working in Ghana since 1986, managing programs related to food security and livelihoods, universal access to education and healthcare and transparency and accountability in extractive industries (mining, oil and gas).

Oxfam’s experience in Ghana and strong partnerships with government institutions, Ghanaian civil society organizations and NGOs supports the delivery of active and innovative programs and advocacy work seeking to improve the livelihoods of Ghanaians and strengthen citizen accountability. Oxfam in Ghana currently works in 11 out of Ghana’s 16 administrative regions.

Job Description

Job Purpose

Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty.

Background of the Project

Women Economic Advancement for Collective Transformation (WEACT) is a four -year project with support from Global Affairs Canada. The Project aims at contributing to enhancing economic empowerment, well-being and inclusive economic growth for 40, 000 women and men in the shea and cocoa sectors in the Savanna, Upper West, Upper East, Northern, Western, and Western North Regions of Ghana.

The WEACT project is working with partners such as SEND Ghana, Friends of the Nation (FoN), Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF), TungTeiya Women’s Association, Shea Network, NORSAAC and Viamo to take a systemic approach to tackle the barriers women face when they are seeking to increase the agency and leadership to be economically empowered.

Objectives of the Project

• Improve the ability of women to overcome legal and social barriers individually and collectively to their participation in agriculture and economic activities
• Improve capacity for household members (women, men, boys and girls) to recognize, reduce and redistribute unpaid work freeing time for women to actively participate in economic activities.
• Implement a gender-responsive skills development programme focused on transformative leadership, business acumen and negotiation skills; and provide technical and financial assistance for women to develop alternative livelihoods.

 The Purpose of Photography

The purpose of engaging a professional photographer is to support capture photographs on project activities for documentation and communication purposes.

Oxfam in Ghana seeks to obtain country programme coverage and improve on its visual visibility content.  This engagement seeks to capture visual images which support and emphasise the story of communities and barriers that impede women's economic advancement and how the project is working to build their capacity to participate in agricultural and economic activities.  In view of this, Oxfam will contract a professional photographer who will visit the project communities and provide professional photographic coverage in digital origin of different-related activities.

Key requirement for photo coverage

• Images should always focus on the situation of household and how the WEACT interventions are improving their livelihoods. For example, images should clearly show how families or women are directly affected by this intervention.
• Technical quality -- exposure, framing, printing. Photographs also communicate on an emotional level and it is on that level that they convince.  The ability to evoke emotion is a technical (professional) ability, combined with a personal vision and commitment to the people and issues being covered.
• Photographer must be appropriately sensitive (including gender sensitivity). On assignment for Oxfam, you represent Oxfam to the people you are photographing.  Photography by its nature is invasive, so aggressive or insensitive photographers reflect negatively on Oxfam. Sensitivity is also reflected in the photography: good documentary photographer respect and want to get to know their subjects.
• Photojournalists who are more attuned to stories 'behind the news' are considered to be more appropriate. Only those photographers who have experience in documentary photography are invited.
• All products will be seen as Oxfam property and will be credited as such.
• Photographer supplies all photographic equipment, professional digital camera and a range of accessories, and agrees to provide rough edit selections of best images, with complete caption information.
• Professional photographers are expected to supply complete caption information in word document running caption list that references the file name of each image, with appropriate background information. All subjects should be identified by what they do, if not self-evident. Please provide names (and, for children, ages) if a story is related to them. Names of places are essential, including whether the location is a village, town, district etc
• Oxfam will undertake all the necessary travel arrangements.
• All digital images together with complete caption information should be submitted to the WEACT team in a maximum one-week time.

Responsibilities and deliverables:

Required Skills or Experience

Work experience and technical requirement:

• Strong background (at least three years) in professional photography
• Extensive experience in image selection for publication and publicity purposes
• Good knowledge of technical requirements for indoor meeting situation
• Own equipment
• Ability to supply pictures in digital forms within a short time frame

Key Competencies

• Ability to work on multiple tasks and under tight time constraints

• Swift and solid response and reaction time

• Sound photo editorial and compositional judgement

• Excellent computer skills Attention to details