Category Archives: News & Updates

“The Continued Human Crisis in Côte d’Ivoire”

News & Updates, Updates

We want to share the following update with you, which we received from Mr. Eliah Kassi, Executive Director at OIC International, Côte d’Ivoire:

“The war has caused many people currently [to be] displaced throughout the country. Currently just for the city of Bouake where OIC-Côte d’Ivoire is located, we [have] registered more than 15,000 people displaced by war. These people have all abandoned [their homes] and in their flight[,] came to seek refuge in Bouake. With the help of local authorities and NGOs we are currently register[ing] them in an [effort] to help them. For now, their needs are mainly in food, clothing, and other basic necessities.”

As many of you no doubt know, Côte d’Ivoire has been embroiled in a long and costly political crisis. Despite the capture of president incumbent Laurent Gbagbo by Alassane Ouattara’s forces, the humanitarian and economic impact from this month of violence will only get worse. During the months of the political impasse, nearly one million Ivoirians have been displaced with hundreds of thousands fleeing to neighboring countries. Côte d’Ivoire, whose poverty level has gone from 10% in 1985 to nearly 43% in 2008 according to the World Bank, will endure struggles long after the eyes of the international media and community have turned away.

costa-marfil

OIC International, however, has been working in the country since 1986, and we will continue our tireless efforts to help Ivoirians surmount the current crisis and to flourish in the future. We are working closely with the UNDP to support displaced persons, through a new priority implementation area for the city of Bouake, called early recovery, which seeks to “identify projects to revenue initiatives that can enable people displaced by war to take charge themselves.”

We will keep you updated on the struggles in Côte d’Ivoire as well as the recovery efforts by OIC-Côte d’Ivoire.

Thank you for your continued support. To make a donation to support our work in Côte d’Ivoire and other OIC International initiatives, visit oicinternational.org.

Sincerely

Your OIC International team

What does Green really mean?

News & Updates, Updates

“Go Green!” “Be Green!” We have all heard this call to action many times. Community Supported Agriculture, “farm-to-table” freshness, sustainable agriculture, and certified organic are the newest popular themes in American culture. But in many parts of Africa and in Haiti, “green” agriculture is more than just a theme. It is the means by which families and communities are fighting poverty, surviving and making a living.

Women are responsible for 60-80 percent of food production in developing countries, in addition to the work they do raising children and managing their households. The work is far from easy. With limited resources, tools and seeds, not to mention sometimes poor soil quality, these strong, intelligent and determined women-farmers must fight everyday to feed their families and support their communities. While we may desire that “farm –to-table” freshness, the women-farmers we work with depend on it.

OIC International invests in the lives of these women to help families and communities rise out of poverty. Although there are no easy solutions to poverty, supporting the matriarch of the household creates an environment for the entire family to thrive. She not only teaches her children the skills she has learned, but also invests her earnings into her family’s and community’s well-being. You can help these women by making an investment in their future. OIC International has the tools and resources to teach women how to farm, and you can support OIC International with its programs in Africa and in Haiti.

Very Truly Yours,

Crispian Kirk

Global economists are all saying the same thing: Women-farmers are a key ingredient in ending poverty. By making a donation to OICI International, you, too, can be a key ingredient in ending poverty. Go to www.oici.org to help.

 

Ways to Help Japan

News & Updates, Updates

Like us, you have most likely heard about and seen footage of the triple disaster that struck Japan on March 11, 2011. Following a magnitude 9.0 earthquake (the fifth largest recorded since 1900), northeastern Japan was struck by subsequent tsunamis with waves measuring up to 33 feet tall, wiping away homes and buildings, and devastating whole cities and towns.

The death toll has climbed to over 8,000 and with more than 10,000 individuals still missing, it will continue to rise. Over 400,000 survivors have been displaced and are living in temporary shelters, where food, water, heat and electricity are running low. Finally, the threat of nuclear emergency continues as workers race to stabilize conditions at the Fukushima Daichi power plant.

While OIC International does not work in Japan, we remind you that international support and solidarity, which you have demonstrated many times through your support of OIC International, always make a difference in an otherwise dire situation. Please consider donating towards relief efforts in Japan, to help make a difference. There are many options available:

You can easily donate $10 by simply texting any of the numbers below, and $10 will automatically be added to your phone bill.

Text “REDCROSS” to 90999 (American Red Cross)

Text “JAPAN” to 50555 (Global Giving)

Text “JAPAN” or “QUAKE” to 80888 (Salvation Army. You must reply “yes” to the automatic thank-you message)

Text “JAPAN” to 20222 (Save the Children)

AMERICAN RED CROSS-

http://american.redcross.org/

site/PageServer?pagename=ntld_main&s_src=RSG000000000&s_subsrc=RCO_NewsArticle

AMERICARES

http://www.americares.org/whatwedo/emergency/japan/japan-earthquake-tsunami.html

GLOBAL GIVING

http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/japan-earthquake-tsunami-relief/

SAVE THE CHILDREN

https://secure.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6617251/k.7E71/

Donate_to_the_Japan_Earthquake_Tsunami_Children_in_Emergency_Fund/

apps/ka/sd/donor.asp?msource=wellpaqkf311

SALVATION ARMY

https://donate.salvationarmyusa.org/site/c.tvI3IeNUJsE/b.5760419/k.2CB3/

Donate_Now/apps/ka/sd/donor.asp

?c=tvI3IeNUJsE&b=5760419&en=5eJzHIOjF4IIJSNmG3JEIUMDJoKRJXNyGjIRJVOuEgLLJWOIF

INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS

http://www.groupon.com/deals/international-medical-corps (buy vouchers of $5, $10, $25)

Japan Red Cross/ Unicef /Save the Children — pay with Google Checkout

http://www.google.co.jp/intl/en/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Crispian Kirk

 

Remembering Grace Sullivan

News & Updates, Updates

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Mrs. Grace Banks Sullivan, who passed away peacefully on March 15, 2011 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Mrs. Sullivan was the wife and life partner of OIC International’s founder, Reverend Leon H. Sullivan.

In his book Moving Mountains, Reverend Sullivan described his wife as thus:

My wife “Amazing Grace” whom I could never credit or thank enough shared my vision and my struggles, walking with me every step of the way. As a mother, wife and helper, she has no equal… For all important things achieved in this world, there are those who pay a special price, and this is true for Grace Sullivan. No one will ever know the sacrifices she made in standing by me and helping me with all the things I have attempted to do. As I zigzagged across America and the world it was Grace who maintained a home, cared for our children, and in untold ways made it possible for me to continue on… Neither I nor the world will ever be able to repay the debt that we owe to Grace Sullivan. Without her, the things we were able to achieve would never have been done.

Born in Maryland in 1924, Mrs. Sullivan graduated from Beaver College with a B.A. in Government and History and an M.A. in Education and Leadership. She founded and developed the Philadelphia Miniversity, an education program for adults that required no educational prerequisites, and also served on the boards of the Public Broadcast System, the William Penn Foundation and the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help (IFESH).

Mrs. Sullivan is survived by her three children, Julie, Hope and Howard, as well as seven grandchildren, Charlie, Leon, Chelsea, Elisabeth, Grace, Matthew and Saige.

On behalf of OIC International and our affiliates around the world, we are deeply saddened by the loss of Mrs. Grace Banks Sullivan. Please join us in remembering and honoring Mrs. Sullivan, who as an initial and longtime supporter of self-help was integral to OIC International’s mission and work.

Sincerely,

Crispian Kirk

 

Women and Children in Food Crisis

News & Updates, Updates

After 14 years of civil war, Liberia is in a serious food crisis. Seventy percent of the population is solely dependant on agriculture for their food production, but even 5 years after the war has ended, Liberia’s infrastructure and economy are still feeling its devastating effects.

Women and children feel the brunt of this crisis as the struggle to provide food and sustainability for the households becomes increasingly difficult. Pregnant women are especially in need of nutritional aid, but 85 percent of Liberians have no access to healthcare.

OIC International has developed the Health, Agriculture and Nutrition Development for Sustainability Program (HANDS) to try to eliminate the current food gap and nutritional deficit—greatest among women and children–in the most food insecure parts of Liberia. This program will achieve long-term benefits as it helps Liberian women and men to help themselves with training and vocational programs, business development, and the distribution of soy flour and soy beans.

As we attempt to grow these struggling economies, we ask for your help to support our efforts and campaigns like HANDS, a program that will benefit over half a million Liberians, many of them women and children, over the next five years.

To learn more about this crisis and see how you can help, visit oici.org.

Sincerely,

Your OIC International Team

P.S. Women and children are feeling the largest effects of a food crisis brought on by 14 years of civil war in Liberia. Support our efforts to help these communities thrive again by visiting oici.org today.

 

The Year Of The Woman Farmer

News & Updates, Updates

2010 was truly a remarkable year. Women-farmers around the world, in Haiti, Ghana, Liberia, and dozens of other countries, took a stance to change their lives and the lives of their families. Many of them had the opportunity to do so because of the support you gave to OIC programs in these countries—opportunities these women-farmers took full advantage of.

Now, at the beginning of a New Year, we have an even bigger resolution: to make 2011 the Year of the Women-Farmer. That means giving more Women-Farmers the Opportunity for Ownership, the Opportunity for Empowerment, and the Opportunity for Change. Many of us made resolutions on January 1st. While these resolutions might fade, we’re asking you to follow the example of the Woman-Farmer: 365 days of resolution.

What exactly do we mean by that? With your support, Women-Farmers can achieve their resolution to better their families, farms and lives. Not just on 1/1/11, but every minute of every day. With your support, we can truly make 2011 the Year of the Women-Farmer. That means redoubling our commitment and our efforts to help Women-Farmers gain the skills, knowledge and resources to help themselves, their families, and their communities. In Liberia, we are helping women-farmers commercialize their soy produce through HANDS (Health, Agriculture and Nutrition Development for Sustainability Program), an initiative that will benefit over half a million Liberians over the next 5 years. In Haiti, we are reaching out to women-farmers who lost their homes and farms in the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck the island in January.

With your continued support, we will be able to maintain and expand our skills training programs to teach Women-Farmers innovative growing, processing and marketing techniques, helping them generate more product and profit.

All they need is a chance. Your donation today will help us give it to them.

Thank you for your consideration,

Your OIC International Team

PS—Women-Farmers have resolve. All they need is an opportunity. Make it your resolution to give them the Opportunity to create real Change in their lives. Donate today .

 

Archer Daniels Midland Company To Fund Construction Of Bridges And Wells In 24 CÔTE D’IVOIRE Cocoa Villages

News & Updates, Updates

PrtScr-capture

Archer Daniels Midland Company

4666 Faries Parkway

Decatur, IL 62526

October 14, 2010

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND COMPANY TO FUND CONSTRUCTION OF BRIDGES AND WELLS IN 24 CÔTE D’IVOIRE COCOA VILLAGES

Infrastructure projects will benefit 120,000 people in cocoa farming communities

Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) today announced that it will donate more than US$576,000 to Opportunities Industrialization Centers International to fund bridge and well construction projects in 24 villages throughout Côte d’Ivoire.

The projects, to be completed by OIC International over a two-year period, include the construction of 16 clean water wells and eight small bridges with culverts.

“Working with OIC International to fund these crucial infrastructure projects is another example of ADM’s commitment to improving the lives of cocoa farmers and their communities,” said David Loué, sustainable development manager for ADM Cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire. “Construction of the clean water wells and bridges will lead to better health and more reliable infrastructure, resulting in improved farm incomes for 120,000 people in these communities, including 18,000 cocoa farmers who provide ADM Cocoa with approximately 18,000 metric tons of cocoa beans per year.”

The 16 wells will be installed in rural communities throughout Côte d’Ivoire to make clean water more readily available and to help reduce the incidence of waterborne infectious diseases. The wells will also lessen the burden on women who typically must travel long distances to obtain water for their families. Eight wells will be constructed in 2010 with the remaining eight completed in 2011.

Eight bridges will be constructed near rural cocoa communities to facilitate travel between villages. Six bridges will be constructed in 2010 with the remaining two completed in 2011. These bridges will also improve the cocoa bean collection and transportation processes, helping to broaden the marketing opportunities for cocoa farmers.

“Over the long term, the bridges and wells constructed through this program will also help to increase school enrollment rates for children in these areas,” said Loué. “Bridges will make it safer and easier for young children to travel to school, and ready access to clean water will improve the overall health of children in the area. The potential for increased farm incomes will also allow more families to afford to send their children to school.” (Continued)

ADM grinds approximately 16 percent of the world’s cocoa crop. In Côte d’Ivoire, the company operates the UNICAO cocoa processing facility in Abidjan, two cocoa conditioning and storage facilities in Abidjan and one cocoa conditioning and storage facility San Pedro where beans are cleaned, checked for quality and prepared for export to ADM’s cocoa processing facilities around the world.

These infrastructure projects in Côte d’Ivoire are being funded through ADM Cares, the company’s corporate social-investment program. ADM Cares strives to drive meaningful social, economic and environmental progress in communities where the company has a presence. Learn more about ADM Cares at www.adm.com/admcares.

About OIC International

Opportunities Industrialization Centers International is a non-profit, non-governmental organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life of low-income, disadvantaged individuals in developing countries. OIC International has earned a reputation for its unique approach to creating sustainable institutions operated by local citizens, and for implementing effective programs that help disadvantaged individuals, households and communities become more self-reliant.

About ADM

Every day, the 29,000 people of Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) turn crops into renewable products that meet the demands of a growing world. At more than 240 processing plants, we convert corn, oilseeds, wheat and cocoa into products for food, animal feed, chemical and energy uses. We operate the world’s premier crop origination and transportation network, connecting crops and markets in more than 60 countries. Our global headquarters is in Decatur, Illinois, and our net sales for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2010, were $62 billion. For more information about our Company and our products, visit www.adm.com

From:

ADM Media Relations

217/424-5413

media@adm.com

OICI brings people above the line

News & Updates, Updates

In Cameroon, there is a line that separates people.

It is not a physical line. You can’t see it and you can’t feel it. It doesn’t separate two parts of the country and it is not a border between two towns. It is a line that has a much greater impact than any physically tangible line. It is a thick line of poverty that separates those with the means to live a healthy life and those without those means, who cannot afford many of the daily necessities we take for granted, such as food.

OIC International is proud to announce that we are bringing people above the line. We saw people who couldn’t rise up, who couldn’t do anything to move their families to a more comfortable life, and decided it was time to do something about that thick line.

Since 1986, our training programs in Cameroon have been helping individuals gain the skills necessary to become employed, empowering them to access the means to a healthy life. In 2010, we have expanded our operations in Cameroon with a new Textile and Fashion Design Department.

Our new department has launched trainees in seven different types of jobs. This year, we are empowering two hundred and eight males and seventy-six females to rise above that thick line of poverty. Additionally, we are training seventy-five people in hotel catering, seventy in metal fabrication and many more in areas such as Wood Work, Auto Mechanics, Information and Communication Tech, and building construction.

Celebrate Women-Farmers

News & Updates, Updates

Global economists are all saying the same thing: Women-farmers are a key ingredient in ending poverty.

There are no quick solutions to poverty, but by supporting the matriarch of the household, the entire family thrives. When you teach a woman to farm, she teaches her children and the people around her. When a woman is in charge of her family’s finances, she invests it in her family’s and community’s well-being.

The hands that she uses to comfort and nurture are the same hands that bring her family and community prosperity through hard work.

And yet, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, while women produce between 60% and 80% of the food in developing countries, they own only 2% of the land. That’s why OIC International doesn’t give hand-outs – we provide the tools and training needed to change the lives of these women-farmers, for themselves and for their communities.

Through training courses in farming and marketing, funds to start a small business or a plot of land to being her journey, OIC International is there to empower and support the vital resource that are women-farmers.

Celebrate these women with us and create change in the world. By visiting OIC International’s brand new website, www.oici.org, you’ll find the tools that you need to start a woman off on her journey.

Sincerely,

Your OIC International Team

P.S. Hand in hand, we can create a better life for millions of women and their families by supporting their small businesses and celebrating the end of poverty.

water_oic

Water, Water Everywhere – But Not a Drop to Drink?

News & Updates, Updates

More than 300 million Africans lack access to safe water. At the same time, Africa has abundant water sources, most of which are not being used to their full effectiveness, including 17 large rivers and more than 160 major lakes. In fact, Africa only uses about 4 percent of its total annual renewable water resources.

One of the greatest current challenges to ensuring all Africans have access to clean water is to getting water from where it is to where it is needed the most. OIC International’s Clean Water and Sanitation programs therefore concentrate on improving a community’s access to water, as well as sanitation control, thereby helping provide the people of Africa with clean, drinkable water.

These programs in Africa vary from drilling wells and boreholes to forming locally-managed Water and Sanitation committees to provide training in hygiene education. By tapping into local resources, OIC International creates efficient programs that are sustainable and encourage local self-reliance and entrepreneurship.

Health and wellness in areas such as Ghana and Guinea starts with access to clean water. Without it, disease prevails. We need your help to make clean water available to those who need it the most.

Donate now, or visit our site today to learn more about Africa’s water crisis.

Sincerely,

Your OIC International Team

P.S. Your help can necessary water resources to those who need it the most. Donate today.