You make an amazing impact in Kenya each month through a simple donation. But how? What happens when you give, and how does that gift make an impact in a child’s life? In my own parenting, I can barely keep up with schedules, appointments, groceries, and school supplies for my two children. How does Oasis do that for 300+ children?
The answer to that is Nancy. As the Site Coordinator overseeing the logistics, Nancy is a bridge, transforming your gifts into tangible impacts for the children of Oasis. Nancy truly works miracles. We often stand in awe of how she uses her talents, skills, and gifts to provide for every child.
Nancy joined Oasis in March of 2018 when she saw a job posting for a librarian. Very quickly, Oasis staff recognized her talents, and within 3 weeks she began teaching math classes at The Valley. While she was an incredible teacher, Matt quickly realized how instrumental she could be on a larger scale. She transitioned over to The Shelter and became a site manager and then was promoted to the Site Coordinator over all Oasis locations.
What does it mean that you are an Oasis Site Manager?
The biggest part of my job is the monthly budget. Then I handle operations and site maintenance. I create the schedule for our staff, security, teachers, house parents, and social workers. I am in charge of our staff and making sure they are trained and able to do their jobs well. I make sure the kids have all the things they need – school supplies, uniforms, home clothes, and home shoes.
What does an “average” day in your life look like?
I arrive around 7:30am and walk through the site to check everything. While we are using tents for school at The Shelter, I must check if they are ready or if they need repair.
The first and last week of the month I focus on budgeting, and the other weeks I focus on supplies. I have weekly meetings with house parents, teachers, and cooks. Then twice a month I meet with security guards.
My house parent meetings focus on encouraging them. I ask how the kids are doing and what the house parents need help to overcome. When I meet with teachers, I focus on their lesson plans, and then we talk through any children who need help.
Our staff are so loving! They love the kids so much. Our staff are also ready to grow personally. They are eager to listen and improve themselves. They are awesome!
I can barely manage grocery shopping for my family. How do you handle supplies for that many children?!
When we get supplies, we buy them for the whole month. We budget just exactly for the month. We have a menu, and we schedule every meal exactly. For example, we will have rice 4 times a week, and I work with cooks on exactly how much they can use at each meal. Then I do the math to measure exactly how much we need. So, we use 400kg of rice in a month. I order it, and a truck comes and delivers it to us here.
What’s your favorite memory of a day at Oasis?
I fell sick one day. All the kids came to visit me and were so loving. While I was out, all the kids wrote me letters about my recovery, and some made me bracelets.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
Helping the kids – I love to make sure that they have all that they need. I always felt the need to help children. In high school, I would help the children in the community when I saw them sleeping and hungry without food. Now in this role, I get to facilitate giving them what they need, and I feel so good.
From your role, what does Oasis look like to you?
A home… a home for a child that is vulnerable and needs someone to help… a place for a child to belong… not just a home, but a place to belong…
There was a boy when I joined Oasis. He used to be rebellious when you corrected him. He would get in trouble. Through counseling, he began to change. He became our best basketball player. He began to excel educationally. Now I see him reading the Bible, which he never used to do. You see them develop holistically.
The donors across the world don’t always get to see the impact they are making. What do you wish a donor could see from your view?
I want them to see how a child is growing holistically – physically, spiritually, educationally, every way. I would like you to see how a child is really improving educationally – going from the lowest 10% of students to the top 90% of all students. That is what I wish you could see.
From Nancy and all of Oasis, “Thank you so much for supporting the children and also us.”
