Ghana Shares Ghana
Presented by participants in Ghana- History, from ancient kingdoms to independence in 1957
- Kente, Adinkra symbols, music and dance
- Languages, food and family traditions
- School, community and daily life today
Nonprofit 501(c)(3) · Since 2009
Learning beyond the four walls of the classroom.
Oiada International connects students LIVE, face to face, with their peers in Africa and around the world through award-winning videoconference programs.
500,000+Students reached worldwide
50U.S. states
77Countries
2Centers: New Jersey & Cape Coast, Ghana
About Oiada
Global education isn't a new idea. How we deliver it is where we excel.
Oiada International is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization providing award-winning educational and experiential programs via videoconference. Since opening our New Jersey and Ghana, West Africa centers in 2009, more than 500,000 students in 50 U.S. states and 77 countries have engaged in our programs.
What sets us apart: students interact LIVE, face to face with their international peers to build educational and cultural awareness and real relationships.
Our goal is to prepare students for the global workforce and empower them to become 21st century global citizens and world leaders, with the tools to understand and appreciate the world they live in and care enough about others to make a global difference.
“If a picture is worth a thousand words, then seeing students from around the world connect via video conferencing is PRICELESS.”
Eric Jones, CEO of Oiada International
Our Mark
One look tells you what we do.
Every element of the Oiada logo tells part of our story. Select a number on the logo, or a line below, to explore it.
Our Centers
Two hubs, one live classroom.
In 2022, Cisco awarded Oiada $250K in videoconference equipment to power our centers, helping us bring the program to more countries throughout the world.
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Oiada's U.S. home base, opened in 2009, where we coordinate live connections between American classrooms and partner schools abroad.
Cisco donates networking technology to qualified nonprofits. Together, we are making innovative use of networking and communications technology to empower students to become 21st century global citizens and world leaders.
Cape Coast, Ghana
Built from the ground up for live global learning.
Our newest center in Cape Coast is a 21st century, state-of-the-art videoconferencing and cultural center. Watch it rise from an empty lot to a finished building, then step inside the space where students in Ghana meet classrooms around the world.
- Videoconference studioA dedicated room with a large display where students gather to connect live, face to face, with their international peers.
- Cultural event hallA welcoming hall framed by murals of African life, used for performances, storytelling and community gatherings.
- Rooftop terraceAn open-air space lined with hand-painted murals celebrating Ghanaian history, heritage and everyday life.
Passport Programs
Choose your destination. Stamp your passport.
Every program is a live, interactive session straight from Africa. Pick a stamp to see what your students will experience.
Africa · The Caribbean · One Conversation
Roots & Routes Exchange
The islands of the Caribbean and the nations of Africa share roots that cross the Atlantic. Roots & Routes brings them back together, live and face to face. Each island presents its own story: its history, culture, traditions and everyday life. Then students talk with their peers in Ghana directly.
This is an ongoing program. It begins with Bermuda and Ghana, and every island in the Caribbean is invited to take its place on the map.
GhanaBermuda
One ocean. Many routes. One conversation.
Every line on this map leads home to Cape Coast, Ghana. Tap an island to see its route.
- Kick-off partner: Bermuda
- Open seat: your island
- Oiada Cultural Center, Cape Coast
Free kick-off event
Session one · You're invited
Ghana meets Bermuda
Participants in Ghana and Bermuda each present their own country. Then they talk with each other directly: asking questions, comparing experiences and building friendships.
Bermuda Shares Bermuda
Presented by participants in Bermuda- Island history and heritage
- Gombey dancers, Cup Match and local traditions
- Food, music and island customs
- School, community and daily life today
Island spotlight
Bermuda: our first route
Pink sand, Gombey drums and four centuries of history. Bermuda students will open the exchange by showing Ghana their island.
Every island has a story
Your island belongs on this map
From the Bahamas to Trinidad and Tobago, every island carries its own piece of the African story. Which one will connect next?
Why join
What your island gains
Free, with no travel
Sponsored by Kean University. Students join live from their own school, campus or community site.
Your students take the stage
Students research, present and speak for their island, building real public-speaking and leadership skills.
Reconnect with African roots
Students meet the people and places behind the history they study, and they trace their own heritage across the Atlantic.
Friendships across the ocean
Live dialogue turns pen-pal curiosity into lasting connections with peers in Ghana and across the Caribbean.
Fits your curriculum
It supports history, social studies, geography, languages and the arts, with ready-made global citizenship outcomes.
Put your island on the world stage
Your culture is shared with Oiada's network, which has reached over 500,000 students in 77 countries.
Award-winning facilitation
Oiada is a multi-year CILC Pinnacle and USDLA award winner, so every session is professionally run.
A seat that grows
This is ongoing, not one-and-done. Islands that join now help shape future multi-island sessions.
How it works
Three steps to your first connection
- Reach out. Email us with your island, school or organization, and the age of your participants.
- Prepare your story. Oiada helps your students plan a short presentation about your island's history, culture and daily life.
- Connect live. Your students meet their peers in Ghana by video. They share, ask questions and build friendships.
Share your story.
Discover theirs.
Students, schools and colleges, educators, families, community groups and anyone curious are welcome.
Add your island info@oiadaintl.orgSponsored by Kean UniversityHosted by Oiada International
Island photos from Wikimedia Commons.
Explore a Country
Tap a country. Take a trip.
Africa is four times the size of America, and its people speak over 2,000 languages. Highlighted countries have a spotlight video from the Global Village program. Select one on the map or the list to watch.
Spotlight video available Coming soon
Kean–Oiada Amistad Global Village Program
Orange, New Jersey ↔ Ghana. Every week, live.
Our partnership with Kean University's Center for Africana Studies gave rise to the Amistad Global Village, a platform connecting Africa, the African diaspora and communities worldwide to dispel misconceptions through mutual understanding and dialogue.
Oiada facilitates weekly videoconferences that give ninth graders at Orange Preparatory Academy the chance to interact in real time with students at the Osagyefo Leadership International School in Ghana. The program began on January 3, 2023, and incorporates the Amistad curriculum, which integrates the history and contributions of African Americans and the descendants of the African Diaspora into projects and presentations.
- Jan 3, 2023Program launch
- WeeklyLive sessions
- Grade 9Orange Prep scholars
Watch
See the connection for yourself.
Recognition
An award-winning approach to distance learning.
- 2013–2024
The Pinnacle Award
Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC)
- 2015
Best Practices Award for Excellence in Distance Learning Teaching
United States Distance Learning Association
- 2021
USDLA Impact Award
Videoconference Programming
- 2023
USDLA Trendsetter Award
In Distance Learning
Meet the Team
The people behind every connection.
Advisory Board
Bring the world into your classroom.
Students participate from their own school, with no travel required. Oiada coordinates the live connection and structured activities. Programs are booked through our partners at CILC.
Contact Us
Two hubs. One call away.
Whether you're a teacher planning a live exchange, a school leader exploring a partnership, or a supporter of our mission, our teams in New Jersey and Ghana are ready to help.
Cape Coast, Ghana
Ghana Hub
--:--Local time
Dialing from the U.S.: 011 + 233 (Ghana) + 54 545 8943