How many times have you heard an organization, especially a not for profit, use the term “Holistic” somewhere in their vision?
In our industry it’s a given to throw this word in a mission statement and use it as a highlighted keyword when discussing the level of care a child receives.
BUT, what does it mean?
At its roots, the word holistic is referring to the whole. When a child comes into the Oasis program we don’t just make sure they get new clothes, a bed, food in their belly, and a roof over their head. While those things are basic needs EVERY child should have access to, there is so much more to evaluate, address, and pull out of each and every child we have the privilege to impact.
At Oasis we know it will cost more money, take more resources, and break more sweat to provide for orphaned and vulnerable children. Providing holistic care is not just a given when we put it in a mission statement, it’s quite honestly hard and doesn’t make sense from a time and resource perspective.
BUT, it’s what we are called to do!
Our four main buckets of care include a child’s physical development, educational development, spiritual development, and their social development. A typical orphanage focuses really well on the physical development of a child—there is food, shelter, and basic needs are met. Schools are in place to focus on the educational development of children around the world. There are programs, professionals, churches, you name it, ready and available to provide support for the spiritual and social development of children.
BUT, like any child in your own life, just going to school or having access to a program doesn’t make you excel.
We have staff, a program, and even a database to help us measure and track the most important aspects of a child’s development in these four main buckets. Our hope and mission isn’t to cross off a checkbox or settle for children simply having access to education for example. We absolutely want to evaluate where a child is, then help them grow to where they can be—in all aspects of life.
Oasis exists to provide better options to children who started out with little to no options on their horizons.
We believe in each and every one of them, no “BUT’s”.
