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On June 27, 2000, OISCA's Agricultural Training Centre for Women in Bangladesh was honored by a visit by some of the country's top administrators. In 1988, the Centre was established as the first women's agricultural training institution in the entire Islamic world. It was incepted in response to a request by the Bangladesh Government, which appreciated OISCA's orientation and wished to promote the capacity-building of its female citizens. The Japanese Government was also instrumental in establishment of the Centre, providing both understanding and support. During the past 12 years, the Centre has trained over 2,200 young women.
OISCA has had a long tradition of working for the welfare of Bangladeshi rural people. The history goes back to 1970, when the area was still called East Pakistan. In response to catastrophic cyclone damages, OISCA's Founding Father, Dr. Yonosuke Nakano, organized a visit of 37 Japanese activists to provide emergency relief to the desperate people and to investigate the possibility of successfully implementing long-term agricultural projects.
The June occasion at the Agricultural Training Centre for Women marked the Course Completion Ceremony for the first class of trainees under the JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) In-Country Training Program, started in January 2000. The visiting officials included Hon. Ms. Begum Motia Chowdhury (Minister for Agriculture), Hon. Ms. Jinatun Nesa Talukder (Minister for Women and Children's Affairs), and Ms. Nilufar Begum (Director-General, Department of Women's Affairs), and were received by Dr. Nizamuddin Al-Hossainy, who has been the Director of the Centre ever since it started.

In addition to congratulating the thirty trainees who had just completed the half-year program, the ministers expressed their belief that the rural development of Bangladesh depends upon the effective participation by its female citizens, and their hope that OISCA continues to make contributions in the interest of the women and the nation as a whole. In a country where women had traditionally been encouraged to focus upon domestic and subordinate functions, their advance to the social and public spheres is only a recently emerging phenomenon, and the political leaders' expectation for OISCA to help bring about this transition is stronger than ever.