An extremely exciting aspect of Oasis' vision and mission statement is the role of the community in bringing about real, long-lasting change in people's lives. It leads me to believe that transformation really is possible and sustainable. Developing thriving community isn't always easy, but in almost every aspect of Oasis' work around the world, there are poignant reminders that fostering and supporting functioning community is an essential element in transformation. NGOs are constantly being encouraged to be more sustainable and devise new methods of working that tackle root causes of problems. Oasis sees thriving communities as clear and definable vehicles for tackling these causes.
We have to be clear about what we mean by community. There are many definitions used and there are also many communities that don't function positively. It's important to understand what a fully functioning community looks like in order that we know where we are heading. There are communities that are bound by location, communities that are bound by common purpose and communities that are bound by common work - to  name but a few.

For instance, Oasis India works with women in the red-light districts of Mumbai. These women are part of a community but it's certainly not a healthy one. Community should be a place of safety, encouragement and opportunity. A place where the sum total is greater than the individual elements. A healthy community should offer relationships, educational care, health care, spiritual care, a sense of direction, leadership and wider responsibility. This, obviously is not an exhaustive list but it strikes me that a clear articulation of functioning community would help to target resources.

There is an African proverb that says it takes a whole village to raise a child. Unless a whole community is vibrant and alive, it will be difficult for individuals within that community to live full, flourishing lives. It's certainly not impossible but a healthy community helps fosters an atmosphere where it's more likely.
Oasis India runs several community projects based on this concept. We work in a slum community in a suburb of Mumbai called Bandra. Here we are working towards empowering the people of Dyaneshwar Nagar to be a community that embodies some of the values outlined above. We have worked there for many years and have seen considerable change as members of the community now take responsibility for changing the world around them. We also work with many women and children across the city who are currently part of dysfunctional communities, whether it is the community of street children or of women in the red-light district. Often, we have to work with these people individually but our long term aspiration is that they might be re-integrated into healthy, empowering communities.

We talk about being holistic in the delivery of services, and I agree that this is extremely important, but we need to ensure that we are offering these services in the context of the community. For instance Oasis offers services including educational, health and psychosocial support. We could offer this holistic care solely to individuals but without the support and nourishment of a functioning community, this input could be less effective than we might hope.

Working in a community is also a powerful demonstration of the Oasis ethos. The Bible records the way in which Jesus interacted with members of the community around him. He didn't focus his time wholly on the people that we might call underprivileged. He spent time with a wide spectrum of people, from middle class tax collectors to lepers. Jesus was clear that transformation is for everyone and he was passionate that community functioned in the way that it had been devised.

At Oasis, we have a challenge to ensure that wherever we work, we are constantly striving for transformed communities and not just transformed lives. It is only in this way that we can ensure that our efforts are sustainable. We need to make clear that wherever we work, we work for the whole community and not just a section of it. Oasis should be a refreshing statement, to a world that is sometimes exclusive and divisive, that we want to be utterly inclusive and are for everyone - whoever, whenever, whatever.

 

August has been a time of fun, farewell and future-looking for the team at Purnata Bhavan (PB).

 

A team from California kept the children busy with songs, laughter and games. PB also bid farewell to three of their girls who have moved to Mumbai - one to work at a children's home and the other two to begin college.

 

Get involved: Pray for the children at Purnata Bhavan and especially for those who have moved out. You can also give to support the project.  

 

  

Chennai