South Africa

OASIS work to create developmental opportunities for young people across South Africa through participation in sport and education.

They focus on creating developmental opportunities for young men living on the streets, or those who live in very difficult circumstances within informal settlements. Each year they participate in the Homeless World Cup with the goal of giving opportunities to those less fortunate. They also offer accommodation to participants before and after the Homeless World Cup, with an emphasis on working out an exit plan.

The problem of squatting and homelessness in South Africa dates back to the apartheid period and before. Black people were prevented by the 1885 Gold Law from owning and residing on land that had been claimed for mining. As a result, accommodation shortages and overcrowding of black suburbs has a long history, and it is both a creation of apartheid and a phenomenon of the post-apartheid era (Olufemi, 1998).

There is a housing deficit of 2.5 million homes, and 7.5 million South Africans lack access to adequate housing. Millions of those who do have homes live in small, wooden shacks built in informal settlements (IRIN News, 2007).