All posts by @webmaster-oici

Staff Announcements

OIC International is announcing staff additions and is excited to introduce two new members to our organization, Dewardric L. “D. L.” McNeal and Christina Yantis.

Dewardric L. “D.L.” McNeal joins the Executive Office of OIC International as the Director of Global Strategy and Policy.  He will be responsible for evaluating market size, competitors and industry structures, and making recommendations to senior management to assist in the development of OICI’s goals and priorities. In addition he will be responsible for managing the development of OICI’s strategic plan, in collaboration with McKinsey and Company, and ensuring its implementation.

Before joining the senior staff at OIC International, Mr. McNeal served three years as the Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia and China Country Director at the United States Department of Defense.  He was appointed to this position by President Obama in May 2009 after serving on the 2008 Obama for America Campaign’s Asia Advisory Team.  Prior to joining the Obama Administration, he spent four years as the Assistant Director for International Programs at the Brookings Institution’s John L. Thornton China Center.

He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in international studies from Morehouse College and also studied Chinese politics, culture, and language at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Nanjing University in China.

Christina Yantis joins the Finance team as the Grants and Contracts Compliance Specialist.  Christina is responsible for overall support for general grants and contracts administration, including grant/contract data management for field offices and financial reporting for the Ghana office and programs, among many other duties within the Finance Department.

Prior to joining OICI, Christina spent four years with the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA).  At CEDPA, she worked as a Senior Accountant in the Finance Department, and later as a Grants and Contracts Specialist.  She provided financial and compliance technical support to all staff engaged with a project’s lifecycle.  She also developed cost proposals for USAID and other funders in collaboration with program and business development staff, prepared internal and external project financial reports, monitored and revised project budgets and ensured compliance with donor requirements.  She was responsible for a range of cash management functions, along with providing financial and operational support to field offices.  Christina holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Gettysburg College.

I appreciate you joining me in providing a warm welcome for D.L. and Christina.

With excitement,

Crispian Kirk

Condolences for Prime Minister Meles Zenawi

Washington, DC,– OIC International would like to offer our condolences to the people of Ethiopia and the family of His Excellency Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

OIC Ethiopia has been providing community-based informal skills training and employment, throughout Ethiopia, since 1973. OIC Ethiopia is nationally recognized by the Ministry of Justice and operates under the umbrella of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of Ethiopia. Working in the community for so long, the OIC family has been deeply saddened by this loss. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi will long be remembered for his courage and devotion to his country.

Condolences for President Mills

Washington, DC, July 25, 2012–OIC International joins leaders and organizations from around the world in expressing our sincerest condolences on the sad occasion of the passing of His Excellency President Atta Mills.

OIC International through its affiliate OIC Ghana has been providing training in vocational skills and counseling, job-placement, to the Ghanaian people, particularly the youth since 1971. “We mourn President Mills’ passing and pray for comfort for his family and the people of Ghana” said OIC International’s President and CEO Crispian Kirk, “President Mills’ contributions to skills development and training and employment for the youth will be remembered, as one of the pinnacles not only for strong economic growth but for building the future of prosperity for Ghana.”

To the bereaved family of President Mills, we extend our heartfelt sympathies.

OIC International Mourns Passing of Representative Payne

Washington, DC, March 6, 2012 – OIC International extends condolences to the family of U.S. Representative Donald Payne.

Representative Payne served for over two decades in the United States Congress. He showed exemplary representation of the 10th Congressional District of New Jersey and the entire country to the global community. OIC International and all International NGOs based in the United States owe Representative Payne a great deal of gratitude for his leadership in international affairs on the Hill. His interest and work promoting human rights, access to healthcare and education for individuals all over the world was truly visionary. In particularly, Representative Payne’s commitment to economic development, peace and prosperity in the nations of Africa set the stage for the investment of over $100 million dollars for health-related initiatives such as malaria prevention and the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

“We mourn Representative Payne’s passing and pray for comfort for his family and loved ones. Representative Payne set an example for all of us by using his God-given intelligence, experience, and passion to serve others” said OIC International’s President and CEO Crispian Kirk, “in our work to empower individuals and enhance communities through economic development, we will remember Representative Payne and his legacy of standing up for those suffering from poverty and oppression.”

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Representative Payne’s family.

Sewing a New Future for Ghana

Dear OIC International Supporter,

A young woman in Ghana sees a magazine cover. She sees Iman in a business suit, and it inspires her to be a strong woman like her. But she knows her family can’t afford to send her to train as a seamstress. This is where the power of OIC International begins.

This young woman wants to study textiles and sewing and maybe even own her own small sewing business. She’s dreaming big. She even dreams of sewing for the next inspiring African supermodel. But she can’t without your help.

Put power in her hands right now. In Ghana, our trainees in our textiles classes learn to make beautiful, quality clothes. Literally $100 helps us provide a sewing machine and sewing classes for a young woman to help her provide for herself and for her family. Imagine giving this gift of power.

Help us help her dream big.

Sincerely,

Cripsian Kirk

OIC International Acknowledges World AIDS Day

MEDIA CONTACT:
Rashida Petersen
Email: rpetersen@oici.org
Tel: (202) 499-2380 ext. 205

OIC International Acknowledges World AIDS Day

Washington, DC—OIC International would like to acknowledge World AIDS Day on the 30th year of the official discovery of HIV/AIDS. OIC International marks this important milestone and celebrates the contributions of corporate leaders, individuals and communities supporting the movement to eliminate HIV/AIDS throughout the world.

“As an organization that believes in self-reliance it is critically important that we remain vigilant in educating communities about the HIV/AIDS epidemic” said Crispian Kirk, President and CEO of OIC International.
OIC International’s Health, Nutrition & HIV/AIDS programs provide health education and palliative care to ensure that individuals and communities have the knowledge and resources to lead healthy lives. OIC International operates in the areas of health skills, maternal and child health and nutrition, family planning, adolescent reproductive health and HIV/AIDS. In particular, we emphasize service to at-risk populations, such as orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIVs).

Today, in honor of World AIDS Day, OIC International supports this year’s theme, “Getting to Zero,” which runs until 2015 and calls upon leaders, communities, parents, people living with HIV and young people to look forward and work towards a world with Zero new HIV infections, Zero discrimination and Zero AIDS-related deaths.

Opportunities Industrialization Centers International (OIC International) is a non-profit organization with a mission to build self-reliance and entrepreneurship through technical and vocational skills development

###

OIC International plays an important role in the launch of the Vulnerable Assistance Programme in the Ellembelle District, Ghana

MEDIA CONTACT:
Rashida Petersen
Email: rpetersen@oici.org
Tel: (202) 499-2380 ext. 205

OIC International plays an important role in the Salman Community by providing assistance to Adamus Resources’ Vulnerable Assistance Programme.

Accra, Ghana – Opportunities Industrialisation Centre (OIC) International is pleased announced its participation in the Vulnerable Assistance Programme in Salman Community in the Ellembelle District in the Western region, Ghana. The Programme, an initiative related to the work of Adamus Resources’ Nzema Gold Project, is now underway. During implementation the programme will seek to address the most vulnerable in the community by providing technical assistance in agricultural and microenterprise development.

“We are hopeful that the role that OIC International will play in providing technical skills will allow those most vulnerable in the community to lift themselves into a position of positive sustainable livelihoods,” said Leon Sakho, Regional Director for Africa and Ghana Country Representative of OIC International, “By working within our communities for the past 40 years, OIC International is able to step up when the marginalized in the community are in need.”

The Nzema Gold Project is located in south-western Ghana, approximately 280km west of Ghana’s capital city of Accra. The Project consists of a contiguous block of Adamus tenements and options covering approximately 665 square kilometres, accessible via 80km of sealed roads from the major port city of Takoradi and in close proximity to the major mining centre at Tarkwa.

Established in 1971, OIC Ghana provides training in vocational skills and offers counseling, job-placement, and follow-up services to disadvantaged, unskilled, and unemployed Ghanaian youth. OIC Ghana is a nationally recognized organization operating in the Greater Accra Region, the Western Region, the Ashanti Region, Eastern Region, Northern Region and Brong Ahalfo Region.

Media inquiries can be directed to Rashida Petersen at rpetersen@oici.org.

Opportunities Industrialization Centers International (OIC International) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since 1970, OIC International has trained socially and economically underprivileged women, men and youth in the skills they need to transform their lives and their communities

###

How much is a jar of peanut butter worth to you?

For Pindayi Chiduwa and the nine other women of the Tagona Peanut Butter Factory in the Bikita district of rural Zimbabwe, a jar of peanut butter is priceless. A jar of peanut butter is a business, a livelihood. It is a way out of poverty.

Started in 1996 and supported by Zimbabwe OIC’s Business Development Services program, the Tagona Peanut Butter Factory is a thriving business that, as Pindayi states, is “pushing to solve issues of poverty as a female-run, community-based program.” In a country with a crippling 95% unemployment rate—where most of the general population makes less than 60 US cents a day—the Tagona Peanut Butter Factory is revitalizing its community. In addition to selling peanut butter wholesale, the factory has contracts with local hospitals and schools. It provides the women with a viable business, local services with nutritious foods, and members of the community with employment at the factory.

For Pindayi and her colleagues, the profits from their business help keep their children in schools and their homes in order. For farmers, the presence of a local factory allows them to sell their groundnuts at a competitive price year-round. For the entire community, who came together to build the factory and support their wives, sisters, mothers and daughters, the factory has provided employment and strengthened community bonds.

OIC International believes in sustainable, community-based change. The Tagona Peanut Butter Factory is an example of how a community can be transformed when individuals become self-reliant. You can learn more about Pindayi and the Tagona Peanut Butter Factory in our upcoming short documentary series, and to find out more about OIC International’s programs, visit www.oici.org.

Sincerely,

Your OICI International Team

OICI Announces Short Documentary Series

Dear OIC International Supporter,

In 2010, OIC International President & CEO, Crispian Kirk, and a group of OICI team members spent four weeks in Africa with a camera crew and filmmakers. Their mission was to capture the OIC International story: who are the people behind the projects? Who is OIC International?

The people they encountered and the stories they brought back were truly breathtaking. From the remarkable perseverance of Sam Boateng in Samsam, Ghana, to the spirit of Pindavi Chiduwa and the women of the Tagona Peanut Butter Factory in Zimbabwe, the stories they were told spoke of endurance and strength, compassion and commitment.

The unifying message of everyone they met was: Tell our stories. Tell what we’ve been through, what we’ve accomplished—and how OIC International has helped.

These faces, these stories, these people are OIC International.

In the upcoming weeks, we’ll be sharing their stories with you and soon, you’ll be able to see them yourselves with the release of the incredible footage Cris and his crew caught.

Keep an eye out—these are stories you have to hear.

 

Sincerely,
OIC International

Private: Who are the people behind the programs?

With so many charitable organizations at work in the US and abroad, do you ever stop and think, “Who am I actually helping, and how?” OIC International’s mission is to teach women and men how to improve their lives. Our goal reaches beyond providing for immediate needs, but instead seeks to empower people in the skills needed to provide for their families and improve their communities. Just a few of OIC International’s programs in Africa and Haiti are:

• Liberia HANDS: Liberia Health, Agriculture, Nutrition Development for Sustainability – combating the food gap and nutritional deficit in Liberia’s most food insecure areas.
• Nigeria EDC: Nigeria Entrepreneurship Development Center – providing sustainable employment-generation and business development services to disadvantaged, at-risk women and youth.
• Ethiopia: Adolescent Reproductive Health Education & Skills Training – combining reproductive health education and awareness with vocational skills training for vulnerable youth in Ethiopia.

cocina11

Francisca Tettey Uordzorgbey, the head culinary instructor in OIC Ghana’s vocational training school, knows firsthand about the transformative experience of OIC International. Francisca first came to OIC Ghana as a trainee in the culinary school. After graduating, she built a life for herself and her family as a well-respected chef, working in the kitchens of Ghana’s finest restaurants before returning to OIC Ghana, this time as a teacher. She continues to train her students in local and western-style cuisines, helping them develop a strong foundation to build bright careers in Ghana’s booming cuisine industry. As a former student and now teacher, her relationship with OIC International spans over 30 years, a testament to how the work we do empowers lives.

cocina22

When you support OIC International, you are directly supporting programs that help people end poverty in their lives and communities.

Thank you,

Crispian Kirk

To find out more about these and other OIC International programs, visit our website at www.oici.org