News (September 2009)

Crispian Kirk Joins OIC International as
President and Chief Executive Officer

Crispian Kirk, a highly regarded social entrepreneur, has been appointed President and CEO of Opportunities Industrialization Centers International.

“Crispian, who was formerly the director of the National Medical Association’s (NMA) Global Health Initiative, will lead OIC International to a new level of prominence in international development,” said the organization’s board chair, Edmund D. Cooke Jr.

“The Board is very excited about the new capacity Crispian brings to the organization,” said Cooke. “His entrepreneurial experience together with his access to decision-makers will be an invaluable addition to the strengths of the current management team.”

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OIC International to Develop School
Farms and Agriculture Clubs in Liberia

An innovative three-year program, funded by the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will tackle short-term hunger, chronic under-nutrition and low school enrollment in the remote southeast Liberian counties Maryland, Grand Kru and River Gee, as well as other regions.

OIC International will receive $300,000 to develop, through Liberia OIC, school farms at 10 of Liberia OIC's 15 training sites. These school farms will establish or strengthen existing agricultural youth clubs, providing them training in agricultural production and enabling them to pursue social enterprises. OIC International's agriculture work will directly benefit 7,500 students and indirectly benefit 45,000 additional family members through increased income and improved nutrition from the sale, production and consumption of local agricultural produce.

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OIC International Welcomes Two New Staff Members

Reina Chano and Asma Choudhary have joined OIC International’s headquarters staff in Philadelphia.

Reina Chano, a recent graduate of Swarthmore College, began as program assistant in July. She is responsible for a range of communications initiatives, including maintaining the website, distributing the monthly e-newsletter, assisting in print publications, and crafting a strategy for an OIC International presence in social networking media.

Asma Choudhary, who has been working at OIC International as an intern since April 2009, has joined the staff as program development officer. Her duties include researching new program opportunities, program design, and proposal writing.

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OIC Guinea Renovates Conakry Center

Work continues at the OIC Guinea job skills training center in Conakry with repairs to the roofs of the buildings.

Located in the heart of the capital city of Conakry, OIC Guinea’s job skills training center has been recognized as a leader in providing unemployed youth with the technical and vocational skills needed to succeed. For students who are unable to continue with secondary education due to low placement scores, OIC Guinea is a school of second chances, offering courses in carpentry, bricklaying, plumbing, accounting, secretarial training, administrative management and computer science.

With limited funds for capital expenses, however, the 12-year old center was feeling the effects of age: the roofs of the buildings leaked; the carpentry, plumbing and bricklaying equipment were outdated; the classroom tables and benches were in need of repair; and the computer science classroom contained only five obsolete computers.

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