As September rolls in, we invite you to take part in a global initiative aimed at creating a better, fairer world. Second Hand September, a movement pioneered by Oxfam, encourages us to resist the fast fashion frenzy and instead opt for pre-loved treasures – and our Oasis Charity Shops offer you the chance to do just that.

What is Second Hand September?

The fashion industry is one of the largest polluters on our planet. Its fast-paced production and the rate at which clothes are discarded after only a few wears mean that millions of garments end up in landfills each year, contributing to a throwaway culture that has grave consequences for our environment. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

By choosing to buy second-hand, you’re helping to reduce the demand for new clothes, contributing to a more sustainable and slow fashion cycle, and conserving precious resources like water. Shopping during Second Hand September is a greener choice, but it’s also a statement – it’s your chance to take a stand against fast fashion, and the best place to make that statement is at an Oasis Charity Shop.

Why Oasis?

At Oasis, we believe in creating positive change. You’ll find unique, affordable, and stylish treasures while supporting our mission to improve the lives of people living with intellectual disabilities. When you shop at one of our charity shops in Claremont, Fish Hoek, or Elsies River, your purchases play a role in changing the lives of our beneficiaries, for good.

By opting for second-hand clothing – buying, wearing and donating pre-loved pieces – we can lessen the demand for new items.  Adding second-hand items to our wardrobes allows us to discover more trendy, stylish, and affordable threads.  It also supports a charitable cause and contributes to saving our planet.  Do good, look good and feel good.”
Gail Bester, Director Oasis Association

 

Proceeds from our shops go directly back into our programmes, helping us provide social work, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, sport and recreation, and much more for over 500 beneficiaries. You will not only look good but you will be doing good, and you will feel good.

Find your closest Oasis Shop here: https://www.oasis.org.za/our-shops/

Pop in today!!

You can shop or donate

Second Hand September is the perfect time to clear out your closet and donate those items you no longer wear. By giving your pre-loved clothes a new life, you’re helping to fund our vital work at Oasis. Your donations provide employment opportunities for our beneficiaries, allowing them to develop to their full potential in a supportive environment.

Please drop off your pre-loved, unwanted goods at Oasis in Claremont, on the corner of Lee and Imam Haron Road.

Join us in #SecondHandSeptember

This September, support a fairer, more sustainable thrifting industry by shopping second-hand and donating to charity shops like ours. Together, we can reduce the impact of fast fashion and support those who need it most. To learn more about the global movement, visit Oxfam’s blog here.

Pop into one of our shops today and discover how you can make a difference, one nifty find at a time. The best fashion is already out there.

Support Oasis by following us on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.

Oasis Charity shop Claremont

Our charming Claremont village of shops.

Corner of Lee and Imam Haron Road, Claremont.

Opening Hours:

Monday to Friday: 8:30am – 3:30pm

Saturday: 9:00am – 1:00 pm
Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays.

 

Oasis Charity shop Fish Hoek

Find us at Shop No. 4, Somerset House, 6 Recreation Road, Fish Hoek.

Opening Hours:

Monday to Friday: 8:30am- 3:30pm

Saturday: 8:30am – 1:00pm

Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays.

World Book Day 23 April 2024 

The power of reading to take us to new places and experiences is beautifully captured in Reading your way, the theme of this year’s world book day.

A good story, unravelling sentence by sentence, page by page,
can hold us in its grip and transport us to other worlds, to new ways
of thinking, feeling, and using language.

 

It’s an adventure in which we can participate vicariously, experiencing a rollercoaster ride while curled up in bed! We connect personally, perhaps identifying with the characters, and we follow them with anticipation, fascination and delight, cheering them on as they traverse magical unexplored paths, and suffering anguish as they navigate dangerous terrain.

I often find it difficult to put a book down because I need to know how the story will end: at the same time, there is a part of me that doesn’t want the experience to end. This is my present predicament as I’m nearing the end of Prophet Song, a brilliant dystopian novel by Paul Lynch. The story is set in a future Ireland, and yet, for me, it’s triggered memories about police surveillance and brutality in South Africa’s past, as well as anger about the current global approach to the refugee crisis.

It has also prompted reflection on how we deal with prejudice and increasingly authoritarian regimes in our present day. I know there’s no neat resolution to the themes in this powerful, complicated novel – I’d be disappointed if there were one – but that hasn’t stopped me from wishing for peace and harmony. This is what good stories do: they tinker with our emotions and invite us into their world to make connections, but they also challenge us to reassess and to imagine alternatives.

To imagine is to think – an active process in which we stretch our minds, play with words, create, innovate and contemplate how things could be different and better. As Einstein once said, “imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination circles the world”.

Books have the power to unleash our imagination, to take us away
from comfortable ways of thinking and believing and towards
new ideas and concepts.

 

Reading is therefore an activity: a process of thinking, learning and potentially creating. In recent years, many literacy organisations, educators, and librarians have changed the narrative around books, by moving away from narrow teaching approaches that prioritise the technical aspects of reading over reading for meaning.

They have recognized the power of shared reading activity that doesn’t prescribe what children ought to read and which, fosters a desire to read because it’s fun. Book clubs and libraries are helping children to experience a range of books in multiple languages and are developing imaginative book-focussed activities that encourage young people to discuss and interpret their book experiences, inhabit the characters, and create their own stories and productions. In partnership with literacy groups, teachers are also starting to involve parents and care-givers in the process of reading with their children. In some contexts, these adults are learning to read and to share the pleasures associated with reading alongside their children for mutual benefit.

While these interventions are relatively small scale, and not a replacement for our struggle for better classroom practice and well-stocked libraries, they represent an important model for building a culture of reading.

Another exciting, recent development in Cape Town is that the number of second-hand bookshops has increased.

Second-hand bookshops are affordable and deserve our support
and patronage. They often support a charity, and they aid our
efforts to recycle, share and network around books.

 

As individuals, we can build on these developments. In order to find their way in books, children need a plethora of books to cater for their individual needs, interests and desires. As is the case with most other activities, they need adults to help by turning reading into an active, exciting and joyful journey.

ROCHELLE KAPP
ROCHELLE KAPP is an Emeritus Associate Professor (UCT, Education). She is a member of the Board of Oasis Association and part of the management team of the Newly-Qualified Teachers’ Project.

Celebrate World book Day by popping in to one of our Oasis Charity Book Shops.

📍 Oasis Claremont
Our charming Claremont village of shops.
Corner of Lee and Imam Haron Road, Claremont.
⏰ Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 8:30am – 3:30pm
Saturday: 9:00am – 1:00 pm
✖️ Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays.

📍 Oasis Fish Hoek
Find us at Shop No. 4, Somerset House, 6 Recreation Road, Fish Hoek.
⏰ Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 8:30am- 3:30pm
Saturday: 8:30am – 1:00pm
✖️ Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays.