OASIS

OASIS is a nonprofit based in Berkeley, California and working across the Sahel region of Africa. We advance education and choice for women and girls, through programs, capacity building and policy advocacy. We work collaboratively with a strong network of partners based in the Sahel.

We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, formerly known as Venture Strategies for Health and Development (VSHD). In 2003, pursuant to a request from three leading African obstetrician-gynecologists, VSHD started a program to understand and overcome the barriers to accessing essential medicines for prevention and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), which is the leading cause of maternal mortality around the world. By 2014, the program had expanded to over 26 countries, improving access to a range of essential maternal health medicines and services.

In the years following these early successes, VSHD expanded its work. In 2016, VSHD formally partnered with University of California, Berkeley and a team of Nigerien experts to establish l’Initiative OASIS Niger as a civil society organization. L’Initiative OASIS Niger now operates as an independent organization, based in Niger’s capital city Niamey, and run entirely by local staff.

In 2020, VSHD changed its name to OASIS to better reflect our ongoing work in the Sahel and our mission to improve the lives of women and girls across the region.