Our History
OASIS, which stands for Organizing to Advance Solutions in the Sahel, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Berkeley, California. Formerly known as Venture Strategies for Health and Development (VSHD), OASIS and its founders and core staff, have more than twenty years’ experience in improving the lives of women and girls.
In 2003, in response to three leading African obstetrician-gynecologists’ request to address the leading cause of maternal mortality, postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), VSHD embarked on an initiative to overcome the barriers to accessing misoprostol for PPH. By establishing a sister organization focused on this initiative, Venture Strategies Innovations (VSI), we spurred research, advocacy, and action to improve availability and access to this life-saving maternal health medicine. This model became a catalyst for international change. In 2006, we facilitated the first global registration of misoprostol for PPH in Nigeria. By 2014, misoprostol was approved in more than 25 countries, reclassified as a WHO essential medicine and had protected the lives of countless women in pregnancy and childbirth. Having galvanized numerous donors, NGOS, and country governments to integrate misoprostol into their maternal health programs, VSI was dissolved in 2014 and VSHD focused attention on its next challenge.
In 2016, VSHD formalized its longstanding partnership with the University of California, Berkeley, and a team of dedicated experts from Niger. Together, they established l'Initiative OASIS Niger as a civil society organization. This milestone marked a crucial turning point, allowing for localized leadership and a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by communities in Niger. Today, l'Initiative OASIS Niger operates as GRADE, an independent organization, headquartered in Niamey, Niger's capital city, and is fully staffed by talented local professionals.
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. While our geographic focus has narrowed, we continue to apply our expertise and historical success with misoprostol to address persistent gaps in access to essential reproductive health medicines within and outside the region.