Samaritan's Purse volunteers are revitalizing a missionary medical facility in Nigeria, helping it carry out its mission of offering quality health care and telling people that "Christ Heals"
Joshua Lichty was shocked by the poor state of the Egbe Hospital compound when he arrived at the facility in Kogi State, Nigeria. His grandparents, George and Esther Campion, founded the hospital. They had shown him pictures of the place when it was a modern facility.
But now, Lichty saw outdated equipment, dilapidated buildings, and eroded roads.
He also saw hope, as he joined a team of Samaritan’s Purse volunteers roofing buildings, constructing walls, repairing equipment, and upgrading roads.
“Over the short two weeks I stayed on the Egbe Hospital compound, it was more and more evident that this hospital is on its way to becoming a state-of-the-art hospital once again,” Lichty said. “But it is not going to happen without thousands of hours of hard work and focused direction.”
Egbe Hospital was founded in 1952. It quickly became a vital place for medical care and education. But after almost six decades, the facility in the harsh, unforgiving bush climate of Nigeria desperately needed to be upgraded.
In the spring of 2011, Samaritan’s Purse began playing a major role in the revitalization project, providing staff and volunteers to help transform the hospital back into a first-class hospital that provides superior medicine to the region and spreads the Gospel.
“My experience at Egbe Hospital was eye opening,” said Matt Sosna, one of the volunteers. “It really highlighted the things we take for granted in our day-to-day life, like good roads, supplies and clean water. The trip definitely had a positive impact on the residents of Egbe and myself.”
The goal is to remodel the hospital, update buildings, enhance the water and power supply, update the medical equipment, and train staff to result in a self-sustaining hospital serving thousands for many years into the future.
The project is important because without the hospital, the people of Egbe and surrounding areas will not have easy access to advanced medical care. It is a long, arduous, and costly journey to get to another facility.
The hospital also plays a vital role in educating the next generation of Nigerian health care workers. It is the only facility within a 100-mile radius that offers nurse training, a midwifery school, and a doctor’s postgraduate residency program.
Samaritan’s Purse staff members Mark and Abby Anderson came to Egbe to help manage the construction and incoming volunteer teams. Abby has seen firsthand the importance of these medical needs.
“In Nigeria, when you tell people, ‘see you tomorrow’ they reply ‘God willing’ and they mean it with all their hearts,” she said. “They literally live day to day, counting it a blessing to make it to the next morning, to the next week, to the next month and the next birthday! This is why Egbe Hospital is in desperate need of revitalizing—to offer health care to a desperate continent and a desperate people. “
Alongside the medical care, Samaritan’s Purse is encouraging the spread of the truth of God’s Word.
“The motto of the hospital states it perfectly: ‘Christ Heals,’” Abby said. “That is why we are here, to share the hope of Jesus, that he can heal wounds, no matter how deep, and that He can provide in ways we cannot imagine.”
In the last eight months, doctors at Egbe Hospital treated over 11,500 patients, performed close to 300 surgeries, delivered 275 babies, and the pastors shared the Gospel with over 8,000 people.
Samaritan’s Purse wants to further this work by restoring the facility and recruiting an exceptional medical staff.
“God has been teaching us how to not rely on our own strength but His,” Abby said. “This project is immense, bigger that anything the two of us could ever do on our own, and He is teaching us to slow down, trust Him and let go of our own expectations and standards.”
