Neighbor News
Fundamental Needs Awarded $50,000 to Support The Oasis Project on Navajo Nation
The Oasis Project addresses the need for running water in remote Navajo homes and creates paid, hands-on training opportunities for students
Mercy Care has awarded Fundamental Needs a 2025 Mercy C.A.R.E.S. Community Reinvestment Grant in the amount of $50,000. The grant will fund The Oasis Project, which addresses the critical need for running water in remote Navajo homes while creating paid, hands-on training opportunities for local students.
“On the Navajo Nation, many families live without the basic comfort of turning on a tap. Showers are a luxury, cooking and cleaning require planning, and water is hauled several times a week. The Oasis Project changes that reality,” said Justice Ramos, executive director of Fundamental Needs.
Fundamental Needs installs solar-powered water systems that provide clean running water to homes for the first time. The systems are designed to be off-grid and self-sustaining, using a 550-gallon tank, solar-powered pump, three-stage filtration system, and tankless water heater.
But the heart of the project is its students.
“At schools like Rock Point Community School, high schoolers learn to build these systems themselves. They study plumbing and solar energy. Then they get paid to install the systems, earning income while delivering reliability and care to their neighbors,” said Ramos.
The result, according to Ramos, is not just running water, but a new generation of skilled workers and passionate youth, proud of what they have built and who they have served. To date, the project has installed 184 systems across the Navajo Nation.
“This work isn’t just about infrastructure, it’s about empowerment. Each system they install, and every student that they mentor is creating lasting change,” said Trisha Stuart, director of community relations at Mercy Care. “Our support not only empowers The Oasis Project to reach more families, but to build healthier homes across the Navajo Nation and create lasting pathways for youth to lead in their communities.”
Mercy Care, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary throughout 2025, partners with organizations across Arizona that advance health equity and address social risk factors to improve health outcomes.
“Through grant funding like this as well as sponsorships, volunteer efforts and board participation, Mercy Care has invested over $38 million in community reinvestment projects that help manage chronic conditions; support mental health and well-being; address housing security; and empower recovery from substance use,” said Stuart.
