Since 1982, OVCI deals with development projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and works on projects for Development Education in Italy.

The Body was founded in 1982, while in 1983 the first activities started in Juba, South Sudan.

OVCI was the only NGO continuously present and active in South Sudan since the '80s, despite the outbreak of the civil war.

The specificity of OVCI regards the rehabilitation projects mainly targeting disability in childhood.

The approach used is that of the Community-Based Rehabilitation, a community development strategy aiming to ensure equal opportunities and social inclusion to all people with disabilities.

The wealth of experience in this field has resulted in interesting international contacts:

OVCI is one of the members of the International Disability and Development Consortium IDDC, European coordination Body of the non-governmental organizations specialized in cooperation for the rehabilitation of disabled people, born from the auspices of the Rehabilitation Sector of the World Health Organization.

OVCI completed the Italian translation of the manual for the dissemination of the Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) published by the WHO (World Health Organization) in 1989. He received the permission to spread this publication by the WHO itself.

In 2011, OVCI received the authorization by the WHO to translate in the introductory booklet of the CBR guidelines (2010) into Italian.

OVCI has translated many other documents related to disability in the world, in Italian.

Since 2000, the Body works with the Association "Physiotherapists Without Borders" (FSF) in the training of rehabilitation staff leaving as volunteers in development projects in the field of rehabilitation medicine.

OVCI is one of the founding members of the Como Peace Organization, association promoting the decentralized cooperation and consisting in 48 associations in the Province of Como, together with 40 Municipal Administrations.

OVCI also adhere to: