Roughly one in ten people lives with an intellectual disability. Four in every thousand fall into the moderate, severe or profound categories, this is the group that Oasis Association exists to serve.

For over six decades, this Cape Town-based non-profit organisation has been doing the quiet, unglamorous work of helping people with intellectual disabilities live with as much independence, safety and dignity as possible. Gail Bester, Director of Oasis Association, shared what the work in fact looks like and where support is needed most.

Ask Gail to describe Oasis’ mission in plain terms, and she doesn’t reach for a slogan. “Oasis’ mission is to provide as many developmental opportunities as we can to optimise each intellectually disabled individual’s potential,” she says. The advocacy side runs largely through a collective and a forum: the Western Cape Forum for Intellectual Disability.

What makes the work distinctive is how it defines success. Intellectual disability is a lifelong condition that begins before the age of eighteen, which shapes everything from communication to self-care and independent living. It’s important to know that it presents differently for every person. So “reaching one’s fullest potential” is not a single bar everyone clears.

For some beneficiaries, progress looks like workplace skills, longer concentration spans, or growing confidence in communication. For others, particularly those with severe or profound intellectual disabilities, it’s smaller, equally meaningful milestones: learning to feed themselves, using the toilet independently or simply greeting someone and taking part in an activity. “Their fullest potential should not be measured against what others are able to achieve,” Gail says. “It is about helping one and all  to develop their own abilities, independence and confidence as far as possible, while providing the care and support they need.”

Every weekday, Oasis’ drivers collect beneficiaries from their homes or from a central pickup point to take them to one of several settings: a protective workshop where they’re employed, an Oasis Day centre for children with severe to profound disability, or one of the organisation’s group homes. Around ten percent of the people Oasis supports (some 30 to 40 individuals) live in these affordable and supervised living arrangements. They’re driven to their workshop each morning and brought home, and it’s a logistics operation as much as one of care, and that’s where some of the least visible pressure sits.

Gail is candid about what running Oasis really involves day to day. Transport is a constant strain: this year alone, one vehicle was hijacked and stolen, and windscreens have been smashed by vandals stoning vehicles on three separate occasions, in addition to the routine cost of keeping a fleet roadworthy. Good drivers are hard to find and harder to keep.

Beyond the road, there’s the physical footprint of the organisation itself. Oasis owns seven properties outright, but several are ageing and need attention: painting, damp-proofing, window repairs, and the general upkeep of buildings and grounds. “Funding made available for that would certainly help us to ensure that our services are available for a long time to come,” Gail notes.

Not everything about the work is a hard number, though. Gail points to a recent moment that stuck with her: the admission of three new residents to one of Oasis’ homes. Beyond the direct care to the residents themselves, she was reminded of a quieter service Oasis provides: relief and peace of mind for families, often ageing parents, who have spent years worrying about what happens to their son or daughter when they can no longer provide care themselves. “Oasis provides a solution,” she simply says.

It’s also an answer to what Gail calls the most damaging misconception we harbour: that people with intellectual disabilities don’t have the same right to dignity, opportunity and, where needed, supervised care as anyone else. A related, more specific myth she hears often is that Oasis’ beneficiaries are aggressive. “It couldn’t be further from the truth,” she says.

Being of sound intellect is a real privilege.”

 

How you can help

Gail is specific about where support currently matters most:

• Pro bono trade skills.
  Building repairs and maintenance: painting, damp-proofing, general upkeep, plus mechanical support for the transport fleet from motor companies, would all go a long way given Oasis’ rising fuel and maintenance costs.
• Confidential paper shredding and contract work.
  Oasis offers these services commercially, which double as both revenue and meaningful work for beneficiaries.
• Charity shop support.
  Shopping at or donating to Oasis’ charity shops in Claremont and Fish Hoek; pre-loved fashion, books, household goods, furniture, art, or shop-soiled and overrun stock no longer needed.
• Visibility.
  Following, sharing and championing Oasis’ campaigns, including its Food Parcels drive, on your own platforms and networks.

Support our Charity Shops
Oasis Charity Shops Claremont — Corner of Lee and Imam Haron Road
Mon–Fri 8:30am–4pm, Sat 8:30am–1pm

Oasis Charity Shops Fish Hoek — Somerset House, 6 Recreation Road
Mon–Fri 8:30am–4pm, Sat 8:30am–1pm

Website: www.oasis.org.za
Email: info@oasis.org.za
Facebook: Oasis Charity Shops CT
Instagram: @oasischarityshopscapetown

 

Original article:
In partnership with Calleo 
https://calleosolutions.com/press-releases/supporting-potential-building-dignity-inside-oasis-association/

Dear Oasis family,

Your kindness during our 2025 Food Parcel Campaign meant the world to us — and to the hundreds of our beneficiary households who felt your care, nourishment, and encouragement.

As we head into our 18th year of giving food parcels, we’re once again hoping to bless 400 Oasis Association beneficiaries with intellectual disability, a Christmas gift of food, comfort and care.

And the best part?
You don’t need to fund a whole parcel to help.
Every contribution counts — whether it’s a tin of baked beans,
a packet of rice, a sweet treat or a cash donation of any size.

With grocery prices climbing, we’ve hunted down the best possible prices this year, so that each food parcel costs around R700.

We’re still packing each parcel with wholesome, essential items that make a real difference, including small treats, personal toiletries and cleaning items.

Every rand and every donated item helps us show our beneficiaries and their families that their community cares.
Thank you so much to everyone who is able to help. See the easy ways to contribute below.

We’re so grateful for the amazing friends and supporters who stand with Oasis year after year.

Kind regards
Gail Bester
Executive Director   |   021 671 2698    |   www.oasis.org.za

 

Our Food Parcel List 2026 (click here)

We aim to include the above items in each food parcel.

Donations of cash or individual food items can be dropped off at any of our Charity Shops:
Claremont, Fish Hoek, or Elsies River.
When making an EFT donation, please use your surname or company name as the bank reference.

Thank you for supporting our Food Parcel Appeal.

 

1. Donation via SnapScan

2. Donation via EFT

Account name: Oasis Association
Bank: First National Bank.  Branch: Claremont
Acc no: 593 7179 7078.  Branch code: 200 109
Ref FOOD PARCELS + your name

Please email your POP to accounts2@oasis.org.za

3. Cash Donations

Can be dropped off at any of our Oasis Charity shops – Claremont, Fish Hoek or Elsies River. Cashiers will ring up your donation under “food parcels”.

4. Donation via Drop-off

For all food item donations, we have set up a collection point at the Claremont recycling and donations drop off. Food items can be dropped off at any Oasis Charity Shop – Claremont, Elsies River and Fish Hoek.

Oasis Claremont: Cnr Lee Road and Imam Haron Road, Claremont.
Oasis Fish Hoek: Shop no 4, Somerset House, 6 Recreation Road, Fish Hoek.
Oasis Elsies River: 16th Street & 8th Avenue, Elsies River.

5. Email us

For further information, please email us at accounts2@oasis.org.za

Please email your deposit slip or proof of EFT to accounts2@oasis.org.za

Ref FOOD PARCELS + your name

 

Every little bit helps.
Thank you for supporting Oasis.

Oasis Association is a registered non-profit organisation (002-937 NPO) and registered public benefit organisation (PBO 930006609).  We are authorised by SARS to issue 18A Tax receipts, on the strict proviso that donors, both individuals and companies, supply the following information.

18A receipts are only issued when this information is supplied to Oasis with proof of payment to accounts2@oasis.org.za.

Section 18A tax receipts please require:

• Full name of individual/business (Where trading name differs from registered name both must be supplied)
• ID number/Business registration number
• Income tax no/Business tax reference number
• Physical address
• Contact phone number
• Email address

The Oasis Association in Claremont is proud that one of its beneficiaries will be competing in the Special Olympics, starting tomorrow in Abu Dhabi.

Jeffrey Julies, 46, from Belhar, is one of several South African athletes with intellectual disabilities representing the country. He has been part of Oasis for 27 years and, according to Oasis spokesperson, is one of 370 intellectually disabled people at the organisation’s two protective workshops.

“Very often people form stereotypes of what people with intellectual disabilities can and can’t do. Jeffrey’s story highlights what is possible for people with intellectual disabilities, if they are given the opportunity to realise their potential,”

 

said Ms Fransman. Mr Julies who stands at 1.85 metres tall, will be participating in the 100m walk for men, the standing long jump and the 50m walk for men. Mr Julies, pictured, is currently overseas preparing for the competition so was unavailable to comment.

Gail Davids, services manager at the Oasis Association, added that Julies and thousands like him, have the capacity to make meaningful contributions to society but are often not afforded the opportunity to do so. “People with intellectual disabilities are capable, but often societal stereotypes prevent them from doing so,” she said.

Oasis provides employment opportunities which are critical for them. The NPO also goes an extra mile to meet the holistic needs of these individuals through key programmes and projects including weekly education classes, life and work skills programmes, feeding schemes, diversion programmes, occupational units – for the training of basic motor skills, and social work services.

It was through one of these empowerment programmes offered at Oasis Association, that Julies was able to access the opportunity to participate in the Special Olympics.

 

The article initially appeared in the Southern Suburbs Tatler