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Oasis International is helping this "explosion" with
affordable, Christian literature to this and other needy countries
By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries
GENEVA, IL (ANS) -- Nigeria is a strategic West African nation of over 120,000,000 people
living in some 37 states. The church there is "not growing, but exploding" says
Matthew Elliott, the Executive Vice-President of the Chicago-based Oasis International, a
literature ministry that serves in "difficult places" and operates under the Oak
Foundation.
"In 1999, following many years of military rule, a Christian president was
elected," Elliott said. "The majority of Nigerians in the more populous south
are Christian, while northern Nigeria is predominately Muslim. This provides a unique door
to Islam, the world's largest group of unevangelized people.
"Oasis manages two wholesale distribution centers and the Challenge Bookshops chain,
owned by ECWA (Evangelical Church West Africa). We provide bookseller training and have
distributed over a million books and Bibles. Over 20 publishers partner with Oasis
International to continue to offer affordable, Christian literature to a needy country.
"Since Oasis began working in Nigeria, the availability of quality Bibles and
Christian books has increased in several key areas of the country. Yet, almost daily
requests are received from retailers, missions groups, public schools and individuals for
more!"
Elliott said that in one day alone last Spring (2002), 4,000 Bibles were distributed to
students in a pilot Bible distribution program through the public schools.
"Students are required to take Christian Religious Knowledge classes but desperately
need the 'textbook,' Bibles, to be available," he said. "Oasis is working to
meet this need. Over 250,000 books and Bibles were shipped to Nigeria in 2001."
Oasis partnered with SIM and ECWA in 1997 in a Pastor's Book Project, which supplied
15,000 Nigerian pastors with a theological library and training in the use of these
valuable books.
"God has provided in amazing ways for this small, yet vital, ministry to grow,"
said Elliott. "Oasis International needs the continued support of faithful
individuals and organizations. Financial resources are invested directly into Christian
literature."
CHRISTIAN BOOKS FOR ENGLISH-SPEAKING AFRICA, ASIA, AND THE CARIBBEAN
Matthew Elliott said that the Oak Foundation is an operating foundation [501(c)(3)] whose
mission is to provide books and Bibles to under-served regions of the English-speaking
world where poverty is pervasive. Its operating arm, Oasis International Ltd., was founded
25 years ago to help meet the need for Christian literature in countries where it is in
short supply.
"Oasis formed a partnership with Challenge Bookshops (owned by the Evangelical Church
of West Africa) in 1995 to address a literature crisis in Nigeria," he said.
"Oasis provides management, training, and relationships with English language
publishers in the U.S. and the U.K., while Challenge maintains a chain of shops and two
wholesale locations and provides experienced staff.
"Together we have distributed over 700,000 books and Bibles. Oak Foundation is
uniquely positioned to serve other needy areas of the world where it is expanding its
outreach to develop commercially sustainable literature distribution."
PURPOSE
He said that the Oak Foundation exists to make Bibles and relevant Christian literature
available at the lowest possible price consistent with sustainability and marketability in
English speaking Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.
"Our target markets are those countries where English is a national language or an
important trade language, where a growing church is in great need of relevant Christian
literature, and where the majority of the people live in poverty.
UNMET NEEDS
"There is a shortage of affordable Christian literature in English-speaking Africa,
Asia, and the Caribbean. From Oak's own work in Nigeria, we have come to understand the
importance of supplying relevant, quality product at excellent prices. There are two major
keys to success in these markets. The first is content; the book must have broad appeal in
the developing world. The second is price. We have found that the optimum retail price for
successful distribution of a book to the general population is 20-30% of the retail price
in the United States. For most books to meet the necessary price, this means creating a
special edition. Bibles and reference books sell at somewhat higher prices but still must
be an excellent value for the price.
AFRICA
"Oak Foundation works with key partners in the English speaking Caribbean and English
speaking Asia," he said. "For example, we work with Rollins and Associates in
the Caribbean, with OM Books in India, and OMF Literature in the Philippines. Our
organization's prime emphasis, however, is the continent of Africa."
Elliott said that the staff of Oasis works in this context of the extreme poverty of
Africa every day.
"We love Africa," he said. "Caring for the poor of Africa, and providing
them with the resources to grow and succeed is what drives us. At the same time, we are
convinced that it is possible to be successful and produce profits in this climate. One of
our corporate values is that economic success and development, not welfare, is the best
way to help the poor of Africa. Oak's goal is to empower and train nationals to be
successful and build local businesses.
VISION
"The Oak Foundation has created an international publishing/distribution project to
serve indigenous distributors of Christian books in the English speaking markets of
Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. Oak considers Nigeria to be the strategic nation for
accomplishing its objectives. Nigeria, where Oasis manages wholesale book operations and
one of the largest bookstore chains in the developing world, accounts for over 60% of all
English speaking Africans and about 40% of the people who speak English in the target
countries (excluding India).
"With a total population of well over 100 million, it is the third largest Protestant
and 13th largest Catholic country in the world. If India, and Nigeria are considered
together, they may account for well over 80% of all people who speak English in the target
countries."
When asked what this means for book prices, he stated, "Publishing costs are based on
the page count and binding of title that is published and the quantity that is printed.
Whereas the western hardback and most paperback editions are too expensive in any quantity
for the people to afford, with the cornerstone of Nigeria firmly in place, Oak can
generate print run quantities that make books affordable. Assuming that Nigeria can use
50% of each print run, the remaining 50% can be made available at the same low cost in
much smaller quantities divided among the other nations. This can be the difference
between a book whose cost is out of reach for people in these nations and a book that they
can afford.
"Although a book may be printed in Nigeria at low cost, due to the extreme difficulty
in exporting from this region this book will never go beyond the borders of Nigeria. If
the book is printed outside Nigeria (Eastern Europe, South America, Asia, or the U.S.) for
all of the target nations, print run quantities can be increased lowering costs and
greatly increasing distribution. Using the purchasing power of Nigeria as a cornerstone,
smaller nations such as Zambia, Jamaica, and Papua New Guinea can share the lower cost
generated by the quantities needed by Nigeria's huge market. Only in partnership can this
vision be accomplished.
FALSE DOCTRINE
"One of the major areas of struggle for the church in the target nations is
unorthodox teaching. False doctrine, traces of the occult, or new age teaching, can
influence teaching in the church. Seminary students often go without textbooks, ministries
go without evangelism materials, couples go without books on relationships, and children
go without Bible stories. What did Paul do when he saw a struggling church? He wrote them
a letter sharing insight and wisdom. How can the church in these nations grow without the
books from leaders, scholars, and pastors to guide them in their growth? In all areas we
endeavor to provide titles that are evangelical and biblically sound.
DEVELOPING AUTHORS AND TRAINING AND EMPOWERING PUBLISHERS AND DISTRIBUTORS
"Beyond relevant works from the developed world, Oak is working to increase
distribution of the work of indigenous authors. For example, we are working with OMF
literature in the Philippines and OM Books in India to see that the books written by local
Asian authors are made available in Africa. Often some of the cultures' basic needs are
similar, economic hardship is shared, and the church has similar struggles, making these
authors' work relevant in Africa. This principle is proven with the success of such books
as 'Answers for Your Marriage' which was written in southern Africa and sells throughout
Africa and Asia.
"In Africa many books are published locally and their distribution is isolated to a
single nation or to a geographical pocket of a single nation. Most often, these are
published in poor quality, are in need of additional editing, and are printed in a
quantity that will take two to five years to sell and will tie up the author's or
publisher's capital for a long period of time. If these books can be identified, edited,
and distributed on a multinational level there is the opportunity to greatly increase
quality, lower prices, and increase distribution. Oak foundation is working to identify
and publish books from Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean that will meet the needs of these
areas. A two-pronged approach is necessary: relevant titles from both the developing world
and developed world must be made available."
Elliott went on to say, "In addition, distribution and retail channels that are
severely inadequate must be improved in most of these nations. Oak is committed to
providing expert one-on-one training for nationals as we work with individual
distributors. Better supply of affordable and relevant literature must be accompanied by a
more effective distribution system. Most training of nationals for publishing takes place
in group seminars in major cities and concentrates on publishing and editorial. Oak is
committed to a different approach. Our training will take place in their country, in their
building, with their staff. This training will concentrate on managing retail stores and
distribution, solving problems on the ground with the leaders of the organization. In this
way Oak is in the business of empowering nationals to build a successful business.
"It might be argued that this approach harms small local publishers. However, from
our experience this will actually be to their benefit. They are excited about working with
us and Oak is committed to working with them. Let us take an example. We know of a
publisher in Malawi that publishes some of the same titles that we are currently
publishing in Nigeria. They are able to print titles only as they have capital and when
they go to press they must print a large enough quantity to keep the book affordable.
Since their market is small this means printing a quantity that may last them several
years. Their very limited capital is now tied up in books that will spend many months in a
warehouse. They are now unable to print the next book until they have sold sufficient
quantities of what is in their warehouse. This is very inefficient and comes at great
economic cost. This way of working, from our experience, is one of the greatest
impediments to running a successful publisher in Africa. We know of tens of thousands of
books sitting in warehouses that will take many years to sell. This problem must be
solved! Working with Oak, they can now buy hundreds of several titles instead of thousands
of one title. Printing more often and sharing the cost between many nations allows for an
efficient and effective use of each publisher's capital."
DISTINCTIVES
He concluded by saying, "The primary area where Oak has been blessed is in our strong
relationships. These have developed over thirty years with Christian book publishers and
distributors in the west and in the English-speaking developing world. Our associates
trust us. Oak partners with distributors in the target nations that have a proven track
record. Oak's partners must possess integrity, honesty, commitment to the vision, proven
ability to remit funds, proven distribution in the country, a commitment to wholesaling at
low prices, and a record of timely payment of obligations. Our excellent relationships
both with publishers and international distributors makes this project possible.
"A second distinctive of Oak's strategy is its emphasis on self-sustaining indigenous
retail and wholesale development. In our experience, Christian book distribution that
relies on a subsidy or mission support is often short-lived. Oak concentrates on
developing relationships with commercially viable book outlets. This provides jobs, people
development, and financial incentive for growth. A supply of product that is targeted at
the needs of their population fuels the growth of these businesses.
"It may seem extraordinary, but Oak is one of a very few organizations that are
specifically working on an international level to produce affordable English literature
for English speaking Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. Other language groups are being
served but not English. If a book is translated into Romanian or Chinese it will be
printed in a format and at a price that is accessible to its target audience. We have a
wealth of relevant English literature that has been translated into other languages but is
still not accessible in English speaking countries where the majority of the population
lives in great poverty. To try to sell a $12 English book to a pastor in Kenya who makes
$50 a month is practically no better than trying to sell him a book in Romanian. Oak
Foundation is working on an international level to address this issue.
A final distinctive is Oak's approach to production, warehousing, and distribution. This
involves low cost printing, storage, and shipping. Oak cooperates with publishers, using
different production and printing strategies for different types of books to decrease
costs for each product. As possible, we ship directly from the printer to the buyer
eliminating unnecessary shipping, handling, and warehouse costs. We continually work to
find more efficient, cost effective methods of shipping. The focus of all these efforts is
to cut costs and increase the distribution of Christian literature."
PERSONNEL
The key personnel for this project are in place. Edward Elliott (Matthew's father), who
volunteers his time as Director of Oak Foundation, brings 25 years of experience in the
international Christian literature marketplace. This includes, being responsible for
international sales at Tyndale House Publishers, founding Oasis International, and
directing the work of Evangelical Literature Oversees. In addition, Edward Elliott brings
managerial and administrative experience having owned his own business for over 20 years.
He has also served on the boards of National Religious Broadcasters, The Tyndale
Foundation, Questscope, and the Moody Alumni Board.
Craig Ewoldt, who is now Managing Director of Challenge Bookshops in Nigeria, is the key
person for the role of training and development coordinator. Craig was formally Vice
President of Distribution for Spring Arbor Distributors, where he coordinated most of the
physical operations of the market leader. Since 1998, Craig has been serving with Oasis
International in Nigeria. Craig is now equipped, like few people, to bring expertise and
experience in management, sales, retailing, and distribution in both a western and African
context. He is an excellent teacher. Oak Foundation will put this expertise to work in
solving problems and training nationals. Over the next five years, we plan for Craig to
phase out of the day-to-day operations in Nigeria and work into an international training
and development position.
Matthew Elliott, Executive Vice President of Oasis International, and a small part-time
administrative team is also in place in the United States. Dr. Elliott has experience in
both theology (Ph.D. in New Testament) and administration. He has guided Oasis' growth
over the last five years. With this background, he is able to serve in developing titles
and guiding the organization, being a liaison to nationals, publishers, and ministries.
For further information, contact Matthew Elliott Oasis International Ltd., 1770 S Randall
Rd, Suite A217, Geneva, IL 60134-4603, USA. Phone 630-688-4646/Fax 293-9046. General
E-mail: oasisin@attglobal.net.
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