Operation Crossroads Africa

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Operation Crossroads Africa (OCA) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization working to build links between North America and Africa. It was founded in 1958 by Presbyterian clergyman James Herman Robinson. OCA annually sends groups of young volunteers from North America to work on projects in Africa. At its peak in the 1960s OCA sent about 350 people per year. As of 2014, it sends about 50 people per year. In total over 10,000 have been sent. The organization has also expanded to the Caribbean and Brazil. OCA is often cited as a forerunner of the Peace Corps. [1] [2]

Non-governmental organization organization that is neither a part of a government nor a conventional for-profit business

Non-governmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations, or nongovernment organizations, commonly referred to as NGOs, are usually non-profit and sometimes international organizations independent of governments and international governmental organizations that are active in humanitarian, educational, health care, public policy, social, human rights, environmental, and other areas to effect changes according to their objectives. They are thus a subgroup of all organizations founded by citizens, which include clubs and other associations that provide services, benefits, and premises only to members. Sometimes the term is used as a synonym of "civil society organization" to refer to any association founded by citizens, but this is not how the term is normally used in the media or everyday language, as recorded by major dictionaries. The explanation of the term by NGO.org is ambivalent. It first says an NGO is any non-profit, voluntary citizens' group which is organized on a local, national or international level, but then goes on to restrict the meaning in the sense used by most English speakers and the media: Task-oriented and driven by people with a common interest, NGOs perform a variety of service and humanitarian functions, bring citizen concerns to Governments, advocate and monitor policies and encourage political participation through provision of information.

James Herman Robinson was an African-American clergyman and humanitarian, best known as the founder of Operation Crossroads Africa (OCA), a cross-cultural exchange program considered a forerunner of the Peace Corps. Robinson served on the Corps' first National Advisory Council, and advised the U.S. State Department on African affairs. He also organized Harlem's Morningside Community Center, cofounded the African Academy of Arts and Research, and advocated independence for African nations.

Peace Corps US volunteer agency

The Peace Corps is a volunteer program run by the United States government. Its official mission is to provide social and economic development abroad through technical assistance, while promoting mutual understanding between Americans and populations served. The program was established by Executive Order 10924, issued by President John F. Kennedy on March 1, 1961 and authorized by Congress on September 21, 1961 with passage of the Peace Corps Act.

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References

  1. Meriwether, Jim (2001). "Operation Crossroads Africa". In Nina Mjagkij. Organizing Black America: an encyclopedia of African American associations. Taylor & Francis. pp. 542–543. ISBN   0-8153-2309-3 . Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  2. Sarkela, Sandra J.; Mazzeo, Patrick (2006). "James H. Robinson and American Support for African Democracy and Nation-Building, 1950s-1970s". In Smith, R. Drew. Freedom's distant shores: American Protestants and post-colonial alliances with Africa. Baylor University Press. p. 41. ISBN   1-932792-37-6 . Retrieved 2009-05-18.