News (July-August 2009)

A ‘Bridge to Somewhere' Brings
First Vehicles to Guinea Village

When an OIC International Toyota Land Cruiser rolled into the village of Dounki in the Middle Guinea region of the Republic of Guinea on April 22, 2009, it was the first time in the 150-year history of the village that a car or truck had arrived in town. Previously, men, women, and children had had to carry their belongings on their heads over a five-mile track through fields and forests to connect with the unpaved road to Donghol Touma, the capital of the prefecture—making it exceedingly difficult to derive any profit from marketing surplus agricultural production.

The Picture Tells the Story: Villagers in Guinea escort OIC International Executive Director Molly Roth over their new cement bridge, which will allow access by car or truck for the first time in 150 years, while, at right, a few cross on the old log bridge.

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Board Leaders Hear Praise, Plan Progress
in Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon

"It was truly remarkable to meet people from throughout society—from the vice president of Ghana to the prime minister of Cameroon—whose lives had been personally touched by the work of OIC International," said OIC International Board Chair Edmund D. Cooke, Jr., of the rewarding three-nation tour in June by Cooke and fellow board members Vice Chair James M. Talton and Program Chair Emmanuel O. Irono.

Undertaken to strengthen ties with OIC affiliates and partner organizations, identify new programming needs, and evaluate and celebrate the success of the OIC model in empowering citizens to secure a better future for themselves and others, the OIC International board tour included stops in Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon.

OIC International board members mark the strong friendship and growing partnership with their hosts during a three-nation visit in June. Above, at left, Vice Chair James M. Talton (second from left) presents a gift to His Excellency Chief Ephraim Inoni, prime minister of Cameroon. He is joined by Cameroon OIC Board Chair Barrister Sam Ekontang Elad, far left, and OIC Board Program Chair Emmanuel O. Irono. Above, at right, OIC International Board Chair Edmund D. Cooke, Jr. (left) presents Ghanaian Vice President John Dramami Mahama with an OIC International lapel pin.

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'Positive Change' Program to Tackle
HIV Transmission in Ghana

A bold, broad-based program, conceived by OIC International and supported by a three-year, $540,000 grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will tackle the increased rate of HIV infection in Ghana and its resultant risk of transmission to the general population of that country.

The program, called Positive Change, will target a number of beneficiaries, primarily people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) and their partners (and their families) and others engaged in high-risk behavior in high-prevalence districts and communities in the Greater Accra, Eastern, and Ashanti regions.

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U.S. Ambassador, Zimbabwe OIC
Support Small Business Efforts

When U.S. Ambassador James D. McGee cut the ribbon on a well donated to the Tagona Peanut Butter Milling group at a May 2009 ceremony in the Bikita district of Zimbabwe's Masvingo province, he was doing much more than helping to provide clean water to an entire village in the district. He was making an important statement of confidence in 13 women from Bikita who, in 1996, mired in poverty and facing uncertain futures, chose to take control of their own destinies.

U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe James D. McGee (right) confirms the quality of newly processed peanut butter with Zimbabwe OIC Program Director Phillip Bohwasi. A borehole, the gift of the ambassador’s Self-Help Fund, provides the dry region with needed groundwater, a vital component in the processing of peanut butter.

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