South africa
OASIS “REACH FOR YOUR DREAMS”
OASIS work to create development opportunities for young people across South Africa through participation in sport and education.
They focus on helping 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.
Country statistics
114 out of 189 in Human Development Index rankings (UNDP, 2020)
$6,010 Average annual salary per person (World Bank, 2021)
63% of young people aged 15-24 are unemployed (Work Bank, 2021)
South Africa is a country at the southern tip of Africa with a population of 60.4 million people (Worldometres, 2022). The majority of people live in cities, with the urban population increasing slowly every year.
It has the second highest rate of youth unemployment in the world behind Djibouti. More than a quarter of people are unemployed, this disproportionately affects black youth (CIA World Factbook, 2021).
Homelessness is a major problem in urban areas. In 2018 there were estimates that 100,000 – 200,000 people were homeless in South Africa (Human Sciences Research Council, 2018). An estimated 34,000 people are homeless in Cape Town and Johannesburg (Africa News, 2021 / Daily Maverick, 2021).
Forced eviction is a common problem. In October 2021 residents facing losing their homes in Cape Town took the local government to court and won. The judge ruled in their favour saying that legislation was being used to ‘criminalise the poor’ (Africa News, 2021).
People not being registered at birth is leading to mass statelessness across Southern Africa. This prevents people from gaining access to education, health care or buying and owning property. It’s estimated that this could affect 137 million people in the countries in Southern Africa (UNHCR, 2020).
As of 2020, 7.8 million people in the country were living with HIV or AIDS. This is nearly four times higher than any other country in the world (CIA World Factbook, 2021).
The Homeless World Cup took place in Cape Town in 2009.
STORIES from the region
