OASIS OF HOPE

Latest news

OoH News September-October 2022

September has been a quiet month for OoH in Norway. We received money from a funeral where the relatives wished to support our work instead of receiving flowers to the funeral. We are most grateful for this initiative.

We transferred a sum of money in order to keep the completion work of the school going. This has amongst other things been used to build a ramp to the first floor giving also wheelchair users access to that floor

Monday 25th October Hovedgården arranged Campaign day for Oasis of Hope. It will be exciting to see the result.

Per and Anne Kisti are planning a visit to Mbita in November.

In Kenya the board has been working steadily towards the authorities in order to have the school reopened. Monday 17th October we finally received the lmessage that the Oasis of Hope school at long last has been approved by the authorities and that we can start again, after one year’s lockdown. We are incredibly relieved and grateful for this. At last we can start running a school again – not only build!

Headmaster Mr. Otula has got a new job and has moved from the school premises. Until a new headmaster has been found another person lives in the headmaster quarters. He will act as a guard, caretaker and step in where it may be needed.

OoH News July-August 2022

What is happening at the OoH school? How has the building process come? How are the pupils? Questions like this - and many more - have lately been received from many of our donors.

Unfortunately there is not a lot of news from the Oasis of Hope school this time.

The school has been closed for several months. The authorities keep giving us new instructions as to what has to be in order before the school may reopen. The increasing prices for both building materials and fuel do not make it cheaper to pospone completing the school. One good thing is that thanks to means from Time of Fast, Y’sMen aid project, all doors and windows will now soon be in place. We are very grateful for this. Six of the classrooms have also got permanent floors, so we are slowly but steadily approaching a completed school. However, it appears that the authorities now demand a total practical completion of the school before they will allow its opening. This means that we still need about NOK 200,000.- in order to make the school ready for occupation. This is quite some money but we shall manage this! Considering what we have achieved since we started in 2013 we shall pull through this as well.

Even if the authorities make life challenging these days we can till assure you that the board in Kenya are doing their best in order to reopen the school as soon as possible. They are in negotiation meetings and follow up the work in a very good way.

The Kenyan board also consider it important not to make shortcuts in the running of the school. Here we shall follow all rules and regulations to the letter, which we find is a wise way of thinking.

We can also assure you that the most needy children who need extra food and care get this. Many people around the world now experience increased food prices, and Kenya is no exception. The prices of basic food thas doubled and for those who lives from hand to mouth this is dramatic.

The oldest pupils are allowed to attend schools in the neighbourhood so that they gave continuity in their education. The teachers are also doing a good job following them up at the schools they attend.

Here in Norway we have at last got clearance to create fundraising action on our new Facebook page, which enables us to get new income. This was a long and challenging process but it means that we ourselves may arrange fundraising actions and that others also may arranage actions with us as beneficiaries. We hope someone will use this possibility

We find it challenging to motivate more donors to OoH, especially now that the school is closed and our main need for money is for building and completion of the school. We are many now who long to operate a school and not only building one!

OoH news March-April 2022

In March and April the main focus has been on building a school. The latrine was completed in the beginning of March and doors and windows were bought and mounted with money we have received from Y’s Men’s aid programme, Time of Fast. When everything inside the classrooms has been completed with windows, doors and treatment of walls and ceilings, only the floors remain. We got the choice between a cheap and an expensive solution and went for the expensive alternative because it will last for many, many years. The cheap solution would require repairs after a short time.

Many of our pupils have had to attend other schools since the authorities closed OoH in October. The eldest have passed exams and we are rather proud of the results. Out of 20 schools in the district the Oasis of Hope school pupils ranked 7. We are extremely satisfied with this and are very happy with them. Imagine obtaining such a result with the demanding everyday life of many of our pupils!

We experience a price rise of both building material, fuel and food, meaning less value for the money, making the building process more expensive than anticipated. This is undoubtedly a result of the pandemic. The war in Ukraine is also noticeable in Kenya and the food prices have been tripled. This is dramatic for people who basically live from hand to mouth. Nevertheless, we can note that by the end of April six classrooms have been completed and are ready for use.

The plan was to reopen the school on Monday 24th April. This did not happen. Prior to the reopening an inspection by the authorities must take place, and this we are eagerly awaiting! But hopefully the school will soon be filled by pupils willing to learn and keen teachers.

Here in Norway, we have established a cooperation with Rotary Moss. They wish to support us, and we look forward to this cooperation.

OoH news January-February 2022

There was no reopening of the school in January after all. Our board in Kenya wished to apply for permission to reopen even though the building of the latrine had not been completed. (According to the authorities’ regulations at least two classrooms and a new latrine must be in operation before the school can be approved and reopened.) However, the authorities had another proposal: This year the Kenyan school year ends in March and a new school year starts again in April. They therefore proposed that the reopening should be postponed till April. This would enable us to build more at the school and complete the latrine without considering the pupils. And latrine has been made! Photos show that this is not an easy and straightforward job, involving digging down to 6 meters depth. There is no lack of willingness to contribute and we look forward to having the latrine completed some time during February.

We have also received amount number two from Y’s Men, an amount to be used solely for windows and doors in the new school building.

The oldest pupils are stationed at various nearby schools and the authorities also emphasized the importance of their being able to spend the rest of the school year at their present location. So now we are all set on reopening the school in April.

We also know that the teachers follow up the pupils at home to the best of their ability, and those who get little or no food at home get food from us.

January has been a quiet and peaceful month here at home. Hovedgården junior secondary school have informed us that they wish to remain sponsor school of OoH, and we look forward to further cooperation with them. Consequently both Hovedgården and Vettre school here in Asker are on our team!

Nor this Spring will there be any visit to Mbita. Due to the Corona situation we have decided to postpone a visit. We will plan a trip as soon as possible.