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Have you ever heard the term “vaguebooking”? According to dictionary.com vaguebooking is “​​A blend
of vague and Facebooking; vaguebooking is the practice of making a post on social media,
primarily Facebook, that is intentionally vague but highly personal and emotional.”

This story is hard to begin without vaguebooking. Please accept our apologies and allow us to
explain…

The story begins with trauma. It has all the elements of an episode of CSI, except that this story is
completely factual and involves two precious children in Oasis care. Because of that, we not only won’t,
but can’t tell you the beginning of the story. These stories go out publicly, and for their safety, we won’t
share the details. We also have the highest level of commitment to their emotional safety. This
beginning is their story, and they get to keep the details close to their own hearts.

So, welcome to the second chapter, the day they came into Oasis. The older brother brought all the
baggage from the beginning of their story, plus a sense of responsibility for his younger sister. He was
visibly weighed down. He seemed shy and always anxious. He struggled with ANY emotion, and he
could not express himself well. He had no self-confidence and every situation seemed to overwhelm
him.

Oasis is a safe place to belong. This means that not only were these children safe from their previous
situation, but they now had a place where their emotional safety was a priority. The one thing this older
brother wanted was a pressure-free environment where he could go at his own pace. He had been so
afraid that he wouldn’t be able to compete inside school or outside in the extra-curricular activities. He
felt behind. When he asked for his own pace, Oasis responded with a resounding, “Yes. Absolutely.”
That meant this young man did not have to “catch up” in his schoolwork. He was given a flexible
schedule for his studies with the support of one-on-one attention. The teachers and tutors recognized
every effort and achievement he made.

As a result of this encouragement, he found some self-esteem and lost some of the anxiety. He was
committed to his studies, and he did catch up. In fact, he had extra time. He used that time to play
soccer and basketball. While he stayed dedicated to his studies, he found confidence in sports. He
became one of the top basketball players and led his school’s team. Then he began to join his class in
group settings. With that same confidence and commitment, he began to speak up and ask questions.
He even presented speeches in front of the entire school.

This March, he took the national exam for 8th grade to complete primary school. The scores on this
exam determine what quality of high school a student can attend. This boy who began with trauma and
anxiety emerged as the valedictorian of all Oasis schools, with offers to the best national schools
across Kenya and scholarships to help provide for his continued education.

When you provide an Oasis scholarship, this is the kind of opportunity you are creating. You are
opening the doors to a safe place to belong both physically, emotionally, and spiritually. You are giving
children from the hardest of situations an open door to a new future, just like this one.