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Voices, video, and photos from Oxfam's fight against poverty

World premiere of Voice Project video: Peter Gabriel covers Tom Waits

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Oxfam America has built some fantastic partnerships and alliances with other organizations that also use music as a tool of social change. One of those organizations is The Voice Project.

The Voice Project is a song-driven movement inspired by the women of Uganda who are using their voices as vehicles for change in the war-ravaged region of Northern Uganda, Southern Sudan, and Eastern Congo, an area that has been marred by violence for the last 24 years. The Voice Project is an attempt to support these incredible women and the peace movement in the region, and an effort to see how far a voice can carry.

Today, Oxfam is proud to join The Voice Project partners Invisible Children, Resolve Uganda, Witness, and HOPE Campaign, in premiering the new video of Peter Gabriel covering Tom Waits’ classic song, “In The Neighborhood.”

“We wanted to release this video together with some of the organizations who’ve been working so hard and for so long to improve the situation there. These are organizations who’ve become friends, and one of the great things you can see happening is how willing everyone is to work together at this problem. So we thought all of us releasing this in unison would be a reflection of that,” says Voice Project Co-Founder Hunter Heaney.

If you are a fan of Gabriel, Waits, excellent cover versions, or just great music, I’m guessing you’ll enjoy this video. But beyond just enjoying it, I’m hoping the video will inspire you to learn more about the situation on the ground. Take a look at the work Oxfam is doing in Uganda, for example, which focuses on supporting those affected by conflict, lobbying for peace, the rights of nomadic herders, and livelihoods.

And if you’re moved by the situation, help support work like this by supporting Oxfam.