South Africa
South Africa stands alone in Africa as having the continents biggest economy, yet it is still a county of great poverty.
Oasis' focus is on combining local and international expertise to find innovative ways in which the local church can work to address the issues facing South Africa: a country where 42% of the population are unemployed; the HIV infection rate is estimated as high as 21% and less than 15% of schools have access to computers for teaching and learning. The overall aim is to model effective community work and to equip local churches to get involved in their communities by offering training, consultancy, and support to churches.
Case Study: Community Health Research
Oasis South Africa are very excited to be able to carry out an in-depth Community Wellness Research and Analysis Study of the Diepsloot community in Johannesburg thanks to an International Small Grant from the Big Lottery Fund.
We are already part way through a six-month research plan with the following aims:
- Identification and analysis of community needs and priorities.
- Building of relationships in order to increase our understanding of the community as well as to identify potential future partners.
- To assist Oasis in developing our future strategy, especially in the Diepsloot community; as well as to assist churches and organisations to take decisions on projects in the community.
Thanks to the Big Lottery Fund we are now able to carry out a more in-depth research into understanding the healthcare needs of the Diepsloot community. We plan to meet with a variety of people from the local community including community leaders, community health workers, members of the local churches, as well as children and parents from the local schools, to help us identify a deeper understanding of the health needs as perceived by these various members of the community.
Following our research we would like to design an appropriate project that will address the community’s primary healthcare needs, as well as develop an appropriate response in partnership with community organisations to HIV and AIDS.
