Hoima, Uganda

Help Hoima is a charity that works to improve the lives of children and the quality of healthcare, education and agriculture in Hoima, Uganda.

The Odiham Deanery in North Hampshire has a strong and long-standing link with the Bunyoro-Kitara Diocese in Uganda (based in Hoima) dating back to the 1980s when a former Bishop of Winchester, John Taylor, established one-to-one connections between the various Deaneries in the Winchester Diocese and the various Dioceses in Uganda. Bishop Taylor had been Warden of Bishop Tucker College in Mukono, Uganda, and was later General Secretary of the Church Missionary Society.

The link between North Hampshire and Hoima advanced considerably from 2003 onwards following the enthronement of Bishop Nathan Kyamanywa as Bishop of Bunyoro-Kitara in 2002.

When Peter Dyson was installed as Vicar of Upton Grey in 2004, he became aware of a Hoima link in his benefice (through the United Parish of Newnham with Greywell with Mapledurwell with Nately Scures with Up Nately) and encouraged a broadening of that link within the benefice as part of the national Make Poverty History campaign in 2005.

Following this, William Wallis in Long Sutton encouraged the establishment of a formal charity, and the registration of Help Hoima with the Charity Commission was completed in March 2008. William Wallis was briefly a founding Trustee until his sudden death later that month, after which his widow Sarah took his place on the Trustee Board and a tree planting programme in Hoima was set up in his memory. Peter Dyson chaired the charity for several years until Sarah Wallis replaced him as Chairman in 2011.

For more information on the charity’s work, please visit the Help Hoima website, and see the Hoima Newsletter which appears quarterly in the Parish Magazine or contact Victoria Mitford on 01256 862812.