Oasis Africa is a Kenyan based NGO which through its mission statement seeks to "empower the people of Africa to build and sustain holistic healthy communities". It achieves its mission through undertaking professional training, counselling and practical Community projects. Oasis Africa Australia is an independent/non-religious organisation, working in partnership with Oasis Africa Kenya to assist financial growth and positive outcomes in its Community Project in Kibera which includes the Oasis Africa Kibera School.
The Oasis Africa Kibera school is not an orphanage, rather a day school located in Africa's biggest slum, Kibera. A large number of the children have been orphaned due to AIDS and other illnesses, however they all live within Kibera among their extended family, care givers and community.
In African society, the rebuilding of a healthy community, not just its children, is central to breaking extreme poverty and providing cultural linkages that enhance the child's resiliency. The children of Oasis Africa Kibera School provide the new future of the community, however it is critical to invest in the counselling and economic growth of the entire community for the children to successfully grow. As a result, your child sponsorship provides education, school equipment, health, clothing, food, counselling and improved shelter for every child attending the school as a whole, as well as also providing capacity building (micro-enterprise projects) and support (counselling) for parents and/or caregivers of these children.
Kibera is a large area within Nairobi, Kenya (just a few kilometres from the city centre). With over 1 million people living in extreme poverty conditions, it is Africa's largest slum. Extended families, generally totalling 8 or more, live in small mud/stick shacks with corrugated roof and no electricity (only 10% of shacks have electricity). There are no government hospitals or clinics, no proper sewerage systems and one latrine (hole in the ground) is shared by up to 400 people (50 Shacks). Due to high unemployment and conflicts between the over 40 different tribes that live in Kibera, it suffers from high incidents of crime and violence. Although living in extreme poverty, the majority of children, parents and caregivers work hard at school and work initiatives to change the future, which has been greatly assisted with various NGO's including Oasis Africa.
Your money goes directly into the various projects and initatives within the Kibera Community Project and Oasis Africa Kibera School. For the children at school it will be spent on providing food (lunch), health care, teachers, headmaster, classrooms and all classroom materials (tables,chairs,text books, stationery),higher education fees,professional counselling, lunchtime cooks and cooking equipment, maintenance and security personnel. Outside of the school it is spent on micro-finance projects, healthcare and counselling for all the children's parents and caretakers.
Oasis Africa works to ensure that 80% of all donated money is directed towards the Kibera Community Project and Oasis Africa Kibera School and 20% is used for administration, fundraising activities and other managerial requirements necessary to ensure the successful running of these programs.
Oasis Africa Australia works in partnership with Oasis Africa (Kenya), to ensure that all financial and operational support is provided to facilitate the implementation of its initiatives. The Kenyan office has a designated Project Coordinator who works full time managing the project and working closely with the headmaster, and is supported with various other part time staff members and volunteers who provide professional guidance in counselling, micro-enterprise intiatives and construction & building maintenance. Dr Gladys Mwiti, clinical psychologist and Oasis Africa founder& CEO oversees all Oasis Africa activities that include regular staff meetings and project evaluation to ensure quality output and service provision.
Accountability and transperancy of all financial transactions is critical to the success of the Kibera Community Project. In both Australia and Kenya, the offices have internal accountants that ensure consistency and accountability of all expenses and both organisations are externally audited seperately every year. Oasis Africa (Kenya) is more than just an NGO, but professionals in their own fields of counselling and psychology. They are also led by seperate and strict codes of conduct and ethical practice.
Yes we encourage you to sponsor as many children as viably possible. Many parents will tend to sponsor the same number of children as their own children. It is important to understand that ongoing support is critical to future of the children and financial consideration should be taken into account when sponsoring multiple children.
We encourage that you sponsor your child until the completion of their education. This will allow consistent financial support to guarantee their future. Once they leave school, we can assist in providing a new sponsor child for you.
Due to the difficulty of sending mail to Kibera, We have set up an
email letter from the website for sponsors to correspond with their
sponsor child. These emails are received by Oasis Africa Kenya staff to
be distributed to the children at Oasis Africa Kibera School. To write
your child a letter, please click here. You will be asked to login
before writing your child a letter, so please have your Oasis Africa
sponsor username and password handy.
Your child likes to hear encouraging words and learn about where you are from. Letters can include details of your family, the food you enjoy, aspects of your country (e.g. animals, the town you live in and weather) and words of praise about their progress at school. Life in Kibera is very different to Western society and lifestyles, so please show discretion when addressing materialistic or monetary matters.
As not all children have sponsors or recieve separate gifts from their
sponsors, if you are travelling to Nairobi it is recommended to
organise gifts that can be used by all the children of Oasis Africa
Kibera School. Popular gifts include skipping ropes, various size
playing balls, children's book and/or children paints. Due to the
problems with postage, please only organise gifts if you visiting your
sponsor child in Nairobi on an approved organised visit. A great way
to
arrange a group gift to the school (of which your child will benefit),
is to make a donation via the 'Donations, Gifts & Tickets' page
on
the website. This way, the Oasis Africa representative, in conjunction
with the headmaster can work out the most appropriate and needy gift.
Purchasing this locally will also help to re-invest funds directly
back
into the community. To make a donation, please click here
With no government hospitals or clinics in Kibera, most of the children in Kibera do not have official birth certificates. With many children living with one or no parents, details like spelling of name and age are very difficult to accurately determine. As a result, occassionally changes of name, age and family members are adjusted as more accurate information is received.
Sponsor children can leave the school due to various reasons including: leaving the area, change to another school and/or advancing to higher education. As all the finances from your sponsorship is invested into the Oasis Africa Kibera School and the community of Kibera, sponsorship for this particular child will cease. When this occurs we will inform of any known details and organise another child for you to support and sponsor.
Yes, pending approval (both Police Security and internal viability) it is possible to visit your child at Oasis Africa Kibera School. All visits need to co-incide with the school term: Jan (second week) - End of March, May - End of July, September - November (third week).
At least 6-8 weeks is required to organise your visit. It is important to understand that visits will not be approved until completion of a Police Security report and confirmation with the office at Oasis Africa Kenya.
As soon as you are aware of your intentions to travel to see you
sponsor child in Kibera, Nairobi (Kenya) please contact Oasis Africa Australia
administration so they can send you an information sheet
which outlines all necessary procedures necessary before having your
visit approved.
A visit to see your child and the Oasis Africa Kibera School will usually take 2-3 hours. During this time you will be able to interact with various classes at the school, see the various project initiatives and play with the children. Oasis Africa Kenya staff will accompany you throughout the entire visit.
Most countries (including Australia) require a Visa to enter Kenya. 3 month single entry Visa's can be arranged for Kenya on arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi for US$50. As VISA costs and conditions can regularly change, it is advised to gain the latest advise from your countries local Kenyan High Commission/Consulate before departure.
It is strongly advisable to see a travel doctor at least three months
before your departure. Travelling to Africa will require you to be
vaccinated against various diseases and parasites known in Africa. A
good reference point for current requirements can be found on the TMVC website
On arrival at Nairobi you can contact the local representatives of Oasis Africa Kenya <link> who will confirm your pick up and all other arrangements for your visit to see your sponsor child. This will be pre-arranged with you prior to your departure.
You will need to organise your own accommodation in Nairobi. Nairobi
has a variety of accommodation options varying from backpackers/hostels
to 5 star hotels. www.a1tourism.com www.hotel.com.au
Local Oasis Africa Kenya staff will assist you throughout your stay. They will organise to pick you up from your accommodation and bring you to the Oasis Africa Office. They will then accompany you out to visit your sponsor child and all the children at Oasis Africa Kibera School.
As not all children have sponsors or receive seperate gifts from their sponsors, if you are travelling to Nairobi it is recommended to organise gifts that can be used by all the children of Oasis Africa Kibera School. Popular gifts include skipping ropes, various size playing balls, children's book and/or children paints. Due to the problems with posting, please only organise gifts if you visiting your sponsor child in Nairobi on an approved organised visit.
It is important to provide consistent payments. If you cannot make a payment it is important to advise the Oasis Africa Australia office immediately so that they can put a delay on your payment.
When you registered for sponsoring your Child, you would have been asked to select a password. You also will have been provided your Sponsor ID along with confirmation of your password in your welcome Letter sent to you after Sponsoring your Child. With your Sponsor ID and password you can log on the see your account details on the website. You are able to update your credit card expiry date here. This page is protected by SSL security.
Alternatively, please contact the head office on xx, or via the Contact Us form <link>
when you registered for sponsoring your Child, you would have been asked to select a password. You also will have been provided your Sponsor ID along with confirmation of your password in your welcome Letter sent to you after Sponsoring your Child. With your Sponsor ID and password you can log on the see your account details on the website. You are able to update your contact and address details here. This page is protected by SSL security. <link>
