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.