The Hope Institute, Uganda
Glen Williams
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.
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.
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Forty-Three e-Newsletter • Number 504 • April 2021
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