Current Initiatives
We want to bring culture, systems, and people back to their original design with the opportunity to leave bondage, flourish in purpose, be fruitful and multiply. To do this we don’t have one cookie cutter process. We do have process, but we seek to adapt and adjust to people and how God is moving in a community rather than asking people and God to adjust to us. We import great solutions and people into the incubator that is Occular Institute, we innovate with what God has put in our hands, and we export to empower people & communities to bring these solutions to life.
Hubs & Innovation Centers
Hubs
A hub is generally location-based. A hub is a place where we do multiple waves of investment. We generally have an office and a single worker. The goal is to beta test KBR and other solutions at some real scale.
Innovation Centers
An innovation center is a location where we do investments, test solutions, teach and train people, and do in-depth collection of ideas and opportunities in the area. While an innovation center can be partnered with an organization, the only activities an OIC can carry out are what OI has to offer. In this sense it is not a label of an alliance (like a Partner or Hub can be), but a standalone operation that takes all the available information OI is working on and implements that in a consistent and diligent manner.
Let’s use some examples here.
Let’s say OI has:
- KBR investment system
- Business/KBR system training/classes
- Coffee value chain project
- Artisanal mining value chain project
- Social impact metric systems
If we open an Innovation Center in Cameroon, then the initial operations would be anything in these five categories. If the center was started by someone who runs the YWAM base in Cameroon, that is fine, but the actual OIC would need to be separate, legally and publicly, even if the day-to-day blends for those involved. If there Cameroon OIC has a model where they recycle plastic into books for kids, then they have to submit that through the OI process. Once OI approves and gets the project to a place where it can be distributed (might be fast or take a long time depending on the preparedness of the solution), then the recycling project gets added to the list and can be implemented through the Cameroon OIC, if the local leaders see fit.
Ethiopia
Occular began working in Ethiopia by coming alongside an existing project. Then, that our involvement grew quickly into a more synergized partnership. From there we've seen Occular Ethiopia become a full-fledged hub with employees on staff, office space established and two waves of investments that have helped begin nearly 30 small businesses among former street kids and moms trying to get their families out of poverty.
Mozambique
Our relationships in Mozambique have helped propel this location into establishing a full scale Hub & Innovation Center. This will entail local staff, volunteers, a defined local partnership, multiple waves of investments as well as a university level business course that will include onboarding opportunities for our algorithmic, debt-free alternative lending system to help build the community.
Developing Hubs & Projects
- Coffee As Mission
- Kenya
- Malawi
- Uganda
- India
- Cambodia
- Egypt