Small Seeds to Great Dreams

The Oshie Cultural & Development Association in Njikwa Subdivision, Northwest Region of Cameroon, is abbreviated OCA, and it is the umbrella organization governing all developmental activities and sub-groups in Oshie.

Ordinarily, the Fon of Oshie does not interfere with its administration. But on the other hand, he may be consulted by the OCA leadership, as the need arises. At the end of the day, however, an account is rendered to the Fon, the village’s paramount ruler.

OCA is registered at the Divisional Office in Yaounde as the developmental wing of the Oshie administration. All other sub-developmental groups in Oshie fall under OCA. It sources resources, initiates projects, and executes projects of interest to the Oshie homeland.

OCA is led and directed by a team of elected officials, the head of which is a President. The Executive organ runs OCA’s affairs for a definite period, after which new elections are conducted at the level of the general assembly.

Since its creation, the following Presidents have led OCA: Oliver Binda, Rev Dr. E Ayambod, NgamFon Zac Awanga, Dr. Akob Christopher, and the current President, Dr. Agwara Ondoh Moïse.

Aerial View of Oshie

Oshie Women in Development (OSID) was created some years ago in the 1990s. The initiative began with four Oshie women in the South West and Littoral Regions of Cameroon who decided to come together with the common goal of helping girls and women from Oshie. The movement quickly spread to other parts of the country including Yaounde, Bamenda, and Oshie forming sister groups with a similar goal but different names.

Seeing that the movement had gained the attention (interest) of many more Oshie women, these sister groups decided to increase their membership and come up with a common name befitting of their vision to help the Oshie girl child. It was in this light that OSID was birthed in the early 2000s. These sister groups all operate under the umbrella of OSID and work towards meeting the goals of OSID.

Pioneer OSID Members

Mrs. Comfort Ewang	Mrs. Regina Ajame	Mrs. Susan Akenji	Ms. Violet Leah Keng Fombang

At its inception, Mrs. Ajame Regina was elected president of the group. Mrs. Ajame Regina was succeeded by Mrs. Martina Tafah, who became the second president of OSID, and the current president is Mrs. Olivia Awanda.

OSID Presidents: Past & Present

Mrs. Regina Ajame First OSID President	Mrs. Martina Tafah Second OSID President	Mrs. Olivia Awanda Current OSID President

Since their inception, they have offered scholarships to Oshie girls and chairs to OCA. However, due to COVID, OSID went into hiatus for a while but resumed regular activities including the election of a new executive in 2023 to continue to lead the organization.

Following in the footsteps of our sisters back in Cameroon and the absence of a similar group in the diaspora, Sisters of Hope USA and Canada (SOH) was created in 2021. SOH is also under the umbrella of OSID and has the same vision for the Oshie girl child that OSID has. Together we can encourage, support, and make Oshie, Cameroon, and the world a better place by helping one girl/woman at a time.

Oshie Sisters in Development (OSID) is an organization that was created many years ago by women originating from Oshie or affiliated with Oshie by marriage. The primary goal of this organization has always been and remains to search for ways to improve the condition of the less privileged Oshie girl child/woman economically, socially, educationally, and health-wise. Over the years, this organization has identified and executed projects that have had a positive and measurable effect on the lives of its target population. Some of us from Oshie, residents in the USA and Canada had been registered members of OSID and had been participating from a distance for years.

Inspired by OSID’s quantifiable successes, those of us based in the diaspora started talking about how we could contribute more significantly to the activities of this noble and honorable organization in the Oshie community. After brainstorming for some time, we all agreed in 2020 to constitute ourselves into a foreign cell and called it Sisters of Hope (SOH) USA and Canada Inc. The composition of our membership is based on the criterion set by OSID.

Pioneer Members of Sisters of Hope

Dr. Helene Oyebog-Tayong	Dr. Regina Nyambi-Anaka	Ms. Bridget Angono	Dr. Ernestine Ndakwah	Mrs. Esther Annih Asukwa
Mrs Solange Afise-Fubuh	Mrs. Vivian Ozughen	Rev. Pastor Alice Tebi	Mrs. Sophia N. Anyangwe-Afise	Mrs. Mary Ndashi
Mrs Justine Fokala	Ms. Caroline Angono	Mrs. Catherine Aparandi	Mrs. Beatrice Ndambi	Mrs. Ziravine Ngene-Afise