Project Midigo: West Nile, East Africa
Safe Harbor International has been active in North West Uganda since the mid-90's, when the migration of Southern Sudan refugees resulted in a cholera outbreak. Beginning with a doctor and a nurse, we have seen a growing church, health care program, school, and agricultural project develop. Calvary Chapel Midigo has since become an independent NGO in Uganda, and is taking on the responsibility to fund and implement the ministry, education, and health programs. We are grateful to the Lord for the fruitful years of ministry and for contribution of many, many partners. God has truly performed this wonderful work.
Model of Relief-to-Development
Until 2012, Project Midigo has been the core focus of Safe Harbor’s current activities. During the Southern Sudan civil war in the mid 1990’s, Safe Harbor sent a team to Midigo (West Nile, Uganda) to identify this region as a potential sending base into Sudan due to its location only miles from the border. However, Safe Harbor saw that there was no evangelical Christian church, no international organizations, and very little public services. Recent rebel warfare contributed to poor medical care, low income levels, poor infrastructure, and education that were well below national standard. A one room health clinic existed, but with little medicine or staff for service to a population of nearly 70,000 people. As told by one of the community elders, this region’s fellow countrymen refused to help and spoke lowly of the local people. While an abundance of international and government bodies were focusing on Gulu on the other side of the Nile, North West Uganda was being neglected during a time of crisis.
In 1998, a cholera epidemic erupted as a direct result of South Sudan’s civil war and displacement of Sudanese refugees. Safe Harbor responded and hired one surgical doctor and one nurse from Kampala to begin serving the local people with the love and gospel of Jesus Christ. In over 15 years, God has used Safe Harbor to transform this community through:
Vibrant church plant with over 200 members who are committed to growing in the truth of the gospel. This growth led to two more church plants and is now considered a ministry hub for training, discipleship, and sending. These churches now operate as independent Calvary Chapels.
Clinic health services expanded into a fully operational hospital focusing on women, children and other vulnerable persons, serving nearly 30,000 patients per year. We specialized in maternal and infant care, HIV / AIDS, mobile medical care to remote areas, and surgical operations.
Education program offering high quality, Christian academics to over 100 Primary school students in 2011 from nearby church, non-Christian, and Sudanese families. Calvary School doubled in enrollment in one year, and is working towards expanding educational services through secondary school. The school has since become independent under the guidance of Calvary Chapel Midigo.
Agricultural project contributing to Project Midigo’s local sustainability while providing jobs, training, services, and further outreach to the local communities. The community gave us 117 acres for this project.
Project Midigo in the News
Back in 2000, a journalist from Sojourner's magazine was prevented from entering Southern Sudan, and instead spent some time with our staff in Midigo. He tells a wonderful story from the beginning days before we would go on to see the abundance of fruit from our Lord's hand over the people of West Nile. This article requires a free registration without obligations in order to read the article. It is well worth it.
How You Can Get Involved
We encourage you to read about the ongoing work through the Project Menu project links to the right. There are numerous ways of getting involved with the work in the West Nile region, including prayer, supporting projects financially, church short term mission teams, longer term assignments, short term trips for specialized care. To financially support Calvary Chapel Midigo's projects, please visit Promise Child's website for contact and donation information at promisechild.com. If you would like to donate through Promise Child, please clearly notate "Calvary Chapel Midigo" with your donation.
Project Midigo
Project Midigo Ministry Partners
