The OIKOS program

OIKOS is a multi-ptofessionl program, guiding homeless and hopless people to be re-integrated into the community in a succesful way.

OIKOS is NOT a shelter. It is meant to be a guidance program to homeless and hopeless people.

Our ideal and purpose is to assist people in the program to be liberated from their isolated and meaningless existence and to be integrated into a normal, functional lifestyle with an OIKOS (‘household/family’) of support systems including the OIKOS of God.

The program runs over 16 weeks, and a team of voluntary personnel (professionals) attend to all levels of their human functioning, including:

• Psycho-social
• Physical
• Religious – based on Christian principles
• Occupational therapy
• Skills development
• Leisure time and sport
• Re-integration into society

The program is presented on a farm (“Springboklaagte”), 40 Km from Middelburg. The farmhouse is large enough to accommodate at least 20 people and we try at present not to exceed 15, as the team battle to cope with more in the program. We have a couple living in and who have been appointed as care Resident Caregivers. The gentleman, being a rehabilitated alcoholic himself (for over 25 years), is extremely well equipped for the task and does a wonderful job.

Financial Sustainability

• The program is part of our Church’s outreach to the world (Our ‘Judea’) and is being financed by the church. The financial aim and planning is that the project should be self supporting. In order to do that we have started with a poultry project and already have 743 lay hens, producing 500 eggs per day (The production increases daily as the last batch of hens we got have just recently started producing)

• According to our calculations we could break even and run the project on its own steam when we have 3000 hens.

• I major donor is presently erecting a battery which will accommodate 2000 hens.

• We are now raising support to buy 2000 hens at R50 each (R100 000). Our church, not being a large church, have reached a point where we have optimally tapped into the average member’s giving potential and are now compelled to look wider.

• Middelburg is severely hit by crime, mainly due to the high rate of unemployment and churches and their members are digging deep into their pockets for projects uplifting the community.

OIKOS is `n begeleidingsprogram vir hawelose mense met die doel om hulle deur middel van `n multi-professionale span-ingryping, so te begelei dat hulle weer suksesvol in die samelewing kan funksioneer.