Church of Uganda Kisiizi Hospital

Our church has growing links with Church of Uganda Kisiizi Hospital – a small hospital with 200 beds in the Kigezi hills of South West Uganda. The hospital serves a poor rural community, many of whom have very little health knowledge, scant funds for healthcare or education, and a background of belief in ‘traditional’ healing practices.

Recently we have had church members visit and work for the hospital, and from a distance we have raised money for the and it's staff buy selling beautifully hand crafted bags which they have made in Uganda for us to sell here.

Micah68 Israel/Palestine

Acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah chapter 6 verse 8, The Bible)

Micah68 is a Christian expression of advocacy, friendship and practical support for the peoples of the Middle East, focussed currently on Israel and Palestine, having also done work in Egypt and Jordan in the past.

Micah68 work is the personal ministry of Ian White, a member of Greenhill Methodist Church, who heads up the organisation and journeys each year to the region to meet friends and partners from across the different communities, and to handover gifts of support to the project partners. He has been running the organisation, raising money for local projects and micro businesses for nearly 15 years, having previously led a volunteering ministry which took 250 different volunteers into the region. He has had links to the Middle East for 30 years.

Micah68 is about speaking up for disadvantaged people, befriending and encouraging individuals and communities living with injustice and supporting vulnerable people in practical ways – all through a programme of targeted and meaningful giving. Currently this includes supporting traumatised children in Gaza, a Galilean church in its youth and family ministry, promoting fair trade goods from Bethlehem and running a food programme for a disadvantaged gypsy community in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

In the past Micah68 supporters have also given to work in a school supporting young people with learning difficulties in Alexandria, supported Sudanese refugees in a business enterprise in Cairo, bought essential equipment for several vocational centres in the Jordan Valley, launched a family jewellery business in Alexandria and supported a prison visitation programme in Cairo.

Ian believes that extending real friendship and practical active support offers the best context to allow the good news of Jesus to be expressed. He has a real concern for the poor and disadvantaged, hates to see injustice, and believes that Christians need to speak up and speak out when they encounter it – as well as do something practical to respond to the issues.

‘The Bible text Micah chapter 6 verse 8 has a special significance for me. A sort of mini gospel, it reminds me that not only should I seek justice for others, but also I am required by God to act justly in my own life. The verse urges me to offer loving, merciful acts towards others, but also keep my life in perspective by living in humility before God in the world. I am a small part of God’s much bigger heart for His world and its peoples – but I can do something the poor, the disadvantaged, and our brothers and sisters in the Middle East, and so I must’ - Ian White

Why not find out more on www.micah6-8.org.uk or on the Micah68 Facebook page where you can hear more about the work, meet some of the Micah68 partners on video and photo. Donations are always welcome, and of course you can support the work by buying some fair trade goods from Bethlehem!

RNV Nepal

As a Church, we support the RNV Nepal Charity. In fact the Rev Jonathan Haigh and Rob keen are trustees. Several of the church members have made trips to Nepal to help with the work that the charity delivers.

The aim of the charity is to promote the educational opportunities of young people in the Khokana district in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, and to aid the access to medical care to those of school age who otherwise could not afford it.

The Charity directs it effort through three schools. The Peace Garden School, the Tri Ratner Co-operative School and the Nobel Institute.

The government of Nepal struggles to provide even a basic education system for their children. 60% of the population is illiterate and there is a critical shortage of school teachers. Only half of the existing teachers actually have a formal training! Many parents choose not to educate their children because of the cost of tuition fees, uniforms and books. Instead these children often remain at home helping with washing, cooking or caring for their siblings. As a consequence they remain trapped in poverty.

Since 2000, we have helped some of Nepal’s poorest children in the Kathmandu Valley. We have raised funds for deprived and needy children living in environments and conditions that dictate that education has either ceased to be available, or is simply not an option. We endeavour to change the life and future opportunities for some of these children.

Every year groups from the UK visit the community of Kokhana, a desperately poor village close to Kathmandu. There the group spend time teaching in one of three schools; it has proved to be a life-changing experience for many of them. Through our fundraising activities the village now has a thriving and successful school called the Peace Garden English School with nearly 300 pupils. We have also seen a significant improvement in the level of achievement at the other schools.

As well as education the charity also aims to alleviate poverty in Nepal more widely through the support of home grown charitable efforts.

This will be achieved particularly but not exclusively by providing grants to support our partner individuals, institutions and organisations in Nepal.

Their efforts include:

emergency relief where necessary (earthquake, landslide or flooding)
micro-loan support
training in small scale business start-ups
the alleviation of drug dependency
the support of young people in education and training
the support of leprosy sufferers
the care of orphans
the promotion of girls education and opportunities
the provision of medical care to those who would not normally be able to afford it etc.

In 2023, our trip to Nepal was exceptionally successful, with 16 dedicated adults engaging in medical work within the schools. Through our efforts, we examined nearly 500 children from two schools and identified 52 in need of various treatments, primarily related to dental and eyesight issues.

Thanks to the support of our charity, we were able to send these 52 children to local dentists and opticians for necessary fillings and new glasses.

In one particular instance, we encountered a young girl named Kritika at the Noble School. She had experienced a rapid decline in her hearing, which had led to depression and a decline in her school performance. We immediately arranged for Kritika to undergo a comprehensive hospital examination, including a CT scan, which thankfully revealed no sinister underlying causes. Subsequently, we provided her with hearing aids to improve her quality of life.

We were also able to sponsor the education of seven children who live in the most squalid conditions in the local brick factory.

During the trip, Rob Keen discovered a severely deteriorated roof at the Noble School. In response, we promptly funded the replacement of the roof, and we are delighted to report that this task has recently been completed.
Looking ahead, we have identified a pressing need at the Peace Garden School; after the earthquake in 2015, we constructed several "temporary" classrooms, which are still in use and now require replacement. To address this, we have committed to assisting in paying for the construction of a two-story classroom block and are in the process of raising funds for this vital project.