Children at the two schools in the Batwa communities of Rwamahano and Muribindi can now enjoy lessons sitting at new wooden desks thanks to generous gifts from donors . Recent news from Timothy , AICM director, and George, the financial manager, currently visiting UK, told of the delivery of 30 desks to the two schools. Also of school equipment such as exercise books, pens, pencils and chalk--hardly luxuries for us , but welcomed as great gifts by children and staff at the schools. As a result of this, and the regular posho breakfasts now provided and stable staffing, recruitment and maintaining pupil attendance is improving.Gifts totalling just over £10,000 into the Friends of AICM Batwa fund in the year 2009 to 2010, which includes gifts received through Global Giving, are ensuring that for the present AICM can offer these children the primary education they deserve.In order to preserve this for years to come we need folk to continue their generous giving to this very needy cause. For the present please continue to use our Global Giving Pgygmy project. We are shortly going to replace the Pygmy project on the site with another equally needy project which we hope that Global Giving donors will feel they can give to, but giving to the Batwa fund which we hope will continue to fund these childrens` education will still be possible through the Friends of AICM website which we would urge you to look at:- www.aicm.org.uk .You can also read our latest newsletter through the website which contains a moving account of how three friends from AICM UK spent a night with the Batwa community at Rwamahano back in October, the first white people to do so.Thank you for your interest and support which we pray will continue.

Batwa school children queue for posho breakfast

On a recent visit to AICM projects, two trustees, Lawrance and Monica Titterton, and another supporter, Rupert Davis, all from Kent, spent a night in the Batwa community at Rwamahano. They were the first UK supporters ever to do so.Their welcome included singing all night long by the Batwa as a means of warning others that friends were staying in their midst,and no one was to harm them!Little sleep possible , but their warmth and gratitude was overwhelming.

This community is the one that Nichodemus,salaried by AICM, lives and ministers in, and he teaches the children in the primary school by day, along with two government techers.Benches for the class rooms are now on order, and meals, in the form of posho breakfast, are given daily. Furniture is also on order for the school at Muribindi, and breakfasts also given.

The furniture provision is a one off cost, and it is thanks to fuding received through Global giving, that this has been possible.However to maintain the provision of posho breakfasts and salaries for the AICM teacher/workers is an ongoing challenge.If we can get nearer to our stated total these needs can be assured for the forseeable future.

AICM is beginning to see promising Batwa students coming through into secondary education. We run a sponsorship scheme whereby friends in UK help these students. One or two also attend the AICM Vocational Training College in Kabale. One secondary student talking to a friend visiting in July, said he wished to become a doctor and return to minister to his people.What a wonderful reward for our generosity that would be!

"Thank you so much for coming to see us and for all you are doing to help us!" This was Nichodemus, the extension worker and teacher ,who lives among the Batwa in the community at Rwamahano, greeting my wife Sue and myself and 3 other trustees plus 8 new visitors on our recent trip to visit AICM projects in South West Uganda. Our three vehicles made the dusty and somewhat treacherous journey way up the hills above Lake Bunyoni to be greeted first by children who led us to the two small school buildings , outside whuch we were delighted to find it was lunch time and ,as a result of funding generously received,plates of posho and beans were being handed out and hungrily eaten.What an improvement from the last time we visited, where "cold and hungry " would have been a good description.This time there were smiles.Richard, the AICM field coordinator, introduced us to Nichodemus, whom we already knew, and to two government teachers, Edward and Grace, who have recently been attached to the school, as it now has sufficient numbers to qualify for them. Because of the inaccessibility of the village ,AICM , thanks to funding received through Global Giving, can top up these two teachers salaries to encourage them to keep making the daily journey up to the school. AICM fully funds Nichodemus, who lives in the village Monday to Fridays, despite having a wife and family living nearer to Kabale town.What a lovely man! We looked inthe school rooms--still almost bare, but evidence ,on a black board of sorts and one or two posters, of studies under way. Richard told us that Global Giving funds received will now mean the rooms can be furnished with benches and desks. He will also be able to make the very barelooking staff room, apart from a load of books ready for marking, a little more comfortable for the staff. The school now goes up to Primary 4 and the good news is that children then transfer down the hill to the local primary school--and AICM already have at secondary school, or at their Vocational Training College in Kabale, two or three students from one of the Batwa settlements. Progress indeed for these marginalised communities. We were visited by other representatives from other Batwa communities, two of which have schools attached which AICM seeks to fund--your funds have a lot to do, but they are making a difference, for which we thank God. Do please continue to give to these needy and very thankful people. You can make such a difference. Thank you.

Greetings form African International Christian Ministry (AICM) in Kabale, South West Uganda.The director, Timothy Twikerize, wishes to thank generous friends in the UK for the funds raised on the recent Global Giving UK challenge.£1500 has now gone from the treasurer of the Friends of AICM here in UK to George, the AICM treasurer. This funding will mean that our friends in Kabale can immediately begin to address the needs of the two primary schools they run in the remote Batwa (pygmy) villges of Rwamahano and Muribindi. AICM provides two teachers at each of these schools. Nichodemus and Gad are at Rwamahano, and Fred and John are at Muribindi. These funds will immediately address arrears in their salaries and ensure their future salaries for a few months. It will also mean that the students can be provided with a daily meal of posho and beans---much needed by these undernourished children. Finally the teachers can hopefull purchase some much neede basic stationery and school equipment. A group of trustees and friends from UK is travelling to Kabale on 4th July, for two weeks, to visit AICM projects.We will visit these schools and will bring back pictures and up to the minute progress reports---so watch this space! This funding will help for the next 10 months . PLEASE help us to REACH OUR ULTIMATE TARGET to ensure the future of primary education amongst these needy people.