MSF Netherlands Association

All about OCA moral Association

The OCA Association is the moral association of OCA, which came into existence as a result of a motion raised in 2017 by the Association members within the OCA. It is not a legal entity like the regional and national Associations are, which is why it is not represented at the IGA. It is a grouping of individuals who feel committed to the MSF social mission, charter and principles. It is made up of people who feel part of the MSF movement and who feel connected through the OCA operational project. 

The OCA Association aims to promote associative action, engagement, and open dialogue amongst MSFers who feel connected to OCA operations. The OCA Association is aimed at strengthening the associative dialogue between the various communities within OCA’s field, regional and national associations, in service of our collective social mission. The OCA Association increases the direct accountability of the OCA Council to the broader OCA membership. 

How to be engage in the OCA Association? 

• Bringing topics for associative dialogue forward 

• Fostering associative debates and activities in the field/projects 

• Engaging through the OCA Association Facebook group

• Standing for associative life on the field focal point (ALFie) 

• Reaching out to your ALFie 

• Participating in OCA associative events, such as the OCA Café/Associative Life in the Field Workshop. 

Associative Life in the Field 

OCA has committed to growing Associative Life in the Field, to ensure the internal democracy and governance at MSF is truly representative. In order to facilitate this, a host country staff focal point for each project– an ALFie – is chosen from within the project for a two-year mandate and attends a training in Amsterdam. After this training, each ALFie is responsible for driving this initiative forward in their project and/or country, with support from the OCA Association Team.  

For OCA projects, there are two key moments in the year for Associative Life in the Field. Firstly, the OCA Café – a key moment for the whole of OCA to come together to discuss the important issues faced by the operations mand executive. The second is the Field Associative Debates (FADs). The FADs are annual events, which take place within each project. They are an opportunity for the project to come together, discuss the issues which are important to them and, if they choose, pass motions which can be sent to the IGA through an Association’s General Assembly / Annual General Meeting. 

The OCA Association Team 

There is no dedicated staff for the OCA Association – instead it is supported by Association Coordinators from all the OCA partner sections. The OCA Association Team run the OCA Café, provide annual ALF training, publish regular newsletters, manage the international ALF community, and provide virtual opportunities for ALFies to come together to discuss their work and learn from each other and others in the MSF movement.