December 10, 2013:
As the OIC International family reflects on the legacy of Nelson Mandela we are comforted by the fact that positive and transformative change can happen, particular in the lives of the most vulnerable. Nelson Mandela’s life is the perfect testimony of servant leadership. We are reminded of a proverb, “the test of a true leader, is at the end of the day, when the battle is won, the people will say, look what we have done.” Mandela’s life is the best representation of the strength of a people’s struggle for dignity, and ownership of their own destiny.
Meet Isatu Kamara, one of the stars behind OIC International. As the Project Coordinator of OIC Sierra Leone, she oversees four training centers that have produced over 15,000 graduates. She says, “in every office, in every service, you are bound to come across an OICI graduate, that I know for sure.” Find out more about how she’s been so successful—and why she cares so much.
OIC International’s training and microfinance programs reflect a comprehensive and adaptable approach to human resource development, ensuring that the training and employment services provided by our projects are relevant to the assessed market demand for skilled labor. OIC International provides non-formal education, with training consisting of seventy percent hands on learning and thirty percent theoretical training.
OIC International does more than give women-farmers new tools; we provide better seeds, improved livestock, and most importantly, train women farmers in the skills they need to start their own small businesses. A significant part of our strategic plan includes helping 25,000 poor woman-farmers gain access to knowledge, tools and capital in order to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.
OIC International’s development finance projects provide financial services, coupled with business literacy, to groups of aspiring entrepreneurs, with a strong focus on rural female entrepreneurs. Our programs provide largely rural entrepreneurs with the working capital they need to start, expand and diversify their existing businesses and aim to enhance incomes for those who are unemployed or who are engaged in subsistence agriculture.
OIC International’s clean water and sanitation programs aim to make measurable and sustainable improvements in water supply, sanitation, hygiene, and the overall environment in the communities we serve. Additionally, our 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.