Photo of Gideon Byamugisha by Marc Darchinger, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
In the mid-1990s, Gideon Byamugisha’s life was in turmoil. His wife had recently died, leaving him with their infant daughter. Gideon was then diagnosed HIV-positive. As a young priest in the Church of Uganda, he could have tried to keep his HIV-positive status secret. Instead, he embarked upon a remarkable HIV ministry.
Motor mechanics class. Photo by Glen Williams.Cookery class: many students find employment as chefs. Photo by Glen Williams
One of the many fruits of Gideon’s ministry is the Friends of Canon Gideon Foundation (FOCAGIFO) and its subsidiary, the Focagifo Hope Institute in Kampala (http://www.focagifo.net/). Since it began in 2003, the Institute has trained over 3,000 young people in practical vocational skills and HIV/AIDS awareness. Graduates of the Institute are now earning livings as chefs, hair stylists, clothing designers, electricians and motor mechanics. They have also acquired the knowledge and life-skills that help them to avoid becoming infected with HIV or to live positively with the virus.
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed an existential crisis for the Hope Institute. It was closed for 11 months, and re-opened only recently. In a major new development, however, the Government of Uganda is now funding places for 30 students on short courses. Ruth Ninsiima, Principal of the Hope Institute, is optimistic about the future: “Keep holding us in the Light. The future looks bright!”
Donations to the Hope Institute can be made in two ways, via a special account managed by Glen & Alison Williams:
Online bank transfer: G and A Williams Partners, a/c 50323628, Sort Code 607003, Natwest Bank
Cheque: payable to G&A Williams Partners, c/- Glen and Alison Williams, 93 Divinity Road, Oxford OX4 1LN.
This small UK charitable trust was formed in 2015 by volunteers who help with the annual Palestinian olive harvest. The volunteers have witnessed the ever-increasing violence of extremist Israeli settlers towards Palestinian farming , and also noticed the severe under-funding of the local schools.
The village schools in Burin, Madama, and Urif, which benefit from the charity, are themselves often the target of settler attacks. The children live in a permanent climate of harassment and fear, often leading PTSD and vastly impaired education.
Burin School Farm. Cucumbers!
The Trust has raised money for books, scientific equipment, lap-tops, a school farm, a school orchestra, a protective playground wall, and other small but important projects which give the children and teachers much needed practical support as well as boosting morale.
Donations would be much appreciated at this difficult time and can be made
via the website: https://oliveharvesttrust.org
Click the Donate button
by bank transfer: CAF Bank – a/c 00029274
Sort Code: 405240, Ref: Oxford Quakers
by cheque: payable to The Olive Harvest Trust
c/o Maggie Foyer, 18 Oakhill Place,
London SW15 2QN
The Parasol Project offers inclusive activities to children and young people in Oxford who are disabled and/or disadvantaged. This group tends to be excluded from mainstream schemes, and Parasol aims to redress the imbalance of opportunities.
Parasol Project image provided by Mena Remedios
The Parasol Project is unique because it provides trained Enablers who offer the additional support that some of their target group require, so no one is excluded. Equally important, this also means that families and carers get a break.
My youngest son has additional needs and has benefited from Parasol. The project also has given me a break from my caring role.
As we are unable to have collections after Sunday Meeting for the foreseeable future, we are starting a new charity appeal system in 2021.
Each month there will be an appeal in 43 for a charity, with details of how to make a donation. This information will also appear in weekly notices and on general circulation.
Oxford Winter Night Shelter (OWNS)
COVID-19 has meant the Oxford Winter Night Shelter cannot operate as it has in the past. But OWNS wants to continue offering help to homeless people where it is needed.
In partnership with a local charity, OWNS is setting up and will run a small day service which will complement that being offered by The Gatehouse (http://oxfordgatehouse.org/) and The Porch (http://www.theporch.org.uk/), working with extremely vulnerable and hard to reach people.
Guests will be referred to OWNS by The Porch, The Gatehouse, Crisis, and St Mungo’s (the City Council’s outreach team).
Work should be completed by Spring. It is hoped this service will eventually be available seven days a week throughout the year.
Your generosity will enable OWNS to provide a shower, convert the existing toilet to be accessible, install a washing machine/dryer, and fit out a kitchenette, as well as furnish the centre. It will be a sanctuary for the most needy.
A start-up budget of £15/20,000 is anticipated.
Cheques made out to Oxford Winter Night Shelter should be sent to
OWNS
St Michael at the North Gate
Cornmarket, Oxford, OX1 3EY
Bank details: Barclays, Cornmarket, 20-65-20 a/c 83541320
The Hope Institute was founded in 1992 by a charismatic Ugandan priest, Gideon Byamugisha. The Institute trains young women and men from low-income families in skills that will enable them to become economically self-sufficient.
Female students of the Institute outnumber males by about two to one. Graduates now support themselves as chefs, clothing designers, electricians, motor mechanics, and hair stylists. The Institute also educates its students in safe, responsible sexual behaviour. One female student of electrical installation topped her year in national exams, despite having recently been orphaned.
No students have yet tested positive for COVID-19. However, the staff and the students have all been severely affected by the pandemic. Since March 2020, the Institute – along with all other training institutions in Uganda – had to stop teaching activities for a total of 13 months. This severely affected the number of students able to sit for their final exams. It also impacted negatively on re-enrolments after extended lock-downs, since many parents were unable to pay the Institute’s fees. Nevertheless, teaching resumed on 1 November last year.
Winie Nagadya (Left)
With student re-enrolments still at a low level, however, the Institute’s financial position is now extremely precarious. Funds are urgently needed to cover running costs, especially staff salaries, training materials, and meals for students.
To support the work of the Hope Institute, please make a BACS payment to:
G and A Williams Partners, a/c 50323628, Sort Code 607003, Natwest Bank.
Alternatively, please send a cheque to:
G and A Williams Partners, 93 Divinity Road, Oxford OX4 1LN.
Your donation will be acknowledged, and no charges will be made to cover administrative costs. You will also receive a report on the work of the Hope Institute.
Oxford Mutual Aid formed in March 2020 in response to the Covid-19 crisis. We are a grassroots community support group and action network. Our team have significant experience working with at-risk communities and have long standing relationships with many other local organisations, including charities, community groups, food banks, schools and businesses.
Over a thousand volunteers in Oxford are working 7 days a week to get food and medicine to families and individuals in need. We are regularly supplying over 200 households with food and supply parcels, and we distribute over 600 re-heatable meals a week. the OMA base at Richard Benson Hall, 276 Cowley Road, nr SS Mary and John Church.
We use Open Collective to process donations safely and securely. You can also donate by bank transfer or by cheque. Financial donations can be made either by a one off donation, or by a recurring contribution . Which ones are you going to be?
Supporters make £5/monthly donations, Champions make £20/monthly donations, or you could be a Hero and contribute £50/month:
https://opencollective.com/oxford-mutual-aid/
Donations can also be made by bank transfer:
Oxford Mutual Aid Limited
Unity Trust Bank
Sort code 608301
A/c number: 20430854
In addition cheques made payable to Oxford Mutual Aid can be sent to
Britain Yearly Meeting is the central body for all Friends in Britain and serves to keep us in touch with the many and varied things which are happening at different levels of the Society. It covers England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man
The initials BYM refer to both the religious gatherings (BYM Yearly Meeting Gatherings) and to the spirit-led administrative structures which hold us all together.
Staff at BYM work on our behalf on peace, racial justice and sustainability, as well employing Local Development Workers for different regions.
We can still accept cheques ( bank or CAF) but online donations can be processed more easily, safely and reliably. Cheques for posting should be marked Donations and sent to
Friends’ House
173 Euston Road
London, NW1 2BJ
If you follow any of these procedures, please notify the Treasurer (Iain Mclean) so that your donation can be recorded as part of what our Meeting is asked to send.
Otherwise, Friends completing the Schedule can use the form to allocate part of their gift to BYM.
Kennington Memory Club is a Day Care Centre which warmly welcomes people living with Dementia.
It serves an area that includes Abingdon and surrounding villages as well as the south and west of Oxford. Its aims are:
To provide safe and supportive day care for people with dementia.
To allow individual strengths and abilities to flourish.
To provide members with the opportunity to exchange memories and opinions.
To provide members with the opportunity to take part in stimulating activities tailored to their needs and wishes.
To enable members to enjoy the fellowship of shared meals.
To give their families respite and the offer of support and advice. There is a carers’ support group which meets regularly.
Kennington Memory Club meets twice a week, and is run by 3 skilled professionals and a number of volunteers.
A carer’s comment: “Just a big ‘Thank You’ for all you do. My wife is so happy to come to the Club, and the time she is there gives me such a valuable breather”
As a charity, the club receives some grants, but there is always a shortfall between total income and essential costs such as staff salaries and the premises rental, so donations and fund-raising events are vital.
If you would like to donate by cheque, it can be made out to Kennington Memory Club, and sent to the Treasurer:
Oxford Meeting’s Quaker charity for April is Quaker Social Action. Quaker Social Action helps people on low incomes in east London and across the UK to seek solutions to the issues affecting their lives.
It provides practical solutions for people facing the multiple and varied impacts of poverty. It listens and respond to people by creating services wherever they are most needed.
Providing crisis support for those unable to afford funerals.
Supporting people to manage money and improve resilience.
Running the UK’s first dedicated supported housing project for young carers.
A cooking space and mobile library for people affected by homelessness.
They believe that people in poverty are the real poverty experts, and their approach reflects this, working with people in a supportive and holistic way.
How to Donate to Quaker Social Action
Online – You can make a one-off or monthly donation online via JustGiving. Please note that JustGiving asks for a voluntary contribution to help with the cost of maintaining its platform. By clicking on the suggested % contribution, you can choose from a list of amounts or select Other which enables you to enter an amount or leave it blank.
Bank transfer – If you would like to set up a standing order or payment from your bank you can arrange this through online banking or at your branch. Please email QSA (fandc@qsa.org.uk) so they can provide you with their bank account information.
CAF – They are able to receive donations via Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), including through CAF’s Give As You Earn scheme – please contact them for more information.
Post – Cheques can be made payable to Quaker Social Action and posted to
Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel
The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) supports ordinary people to live in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs) witness life under military occupation, accompany local communities and share the real- life stories of the Palestinians and Israelis they meet.
Nonviolent and non-partisan, EAs provide a protective presence, deterring violence towards civilians. They monitor human rights abuses for the UN and other agencies. On their return, EAs share their experiences and advocate for change – an end to the Israeli military occupation and a just and peaceful resolution based on international law.
EAPPI UK & Ireland is an international programme run by the World Council of Churches. In the UK and Ireland it is managed by Quakers in Britain. To find out more about EAPPI, visit the website https://www.quaker.org.uk/our-work/eappi , read the EAPPI blogs https://www.eyewitnessblogs.com and sign up to receive the Action Alerts.
