This past Thursday I hosted an event at the home of Duncan and Jen, Redeemer friends, to share the news about what God is doing at Faith Alive, in Jos Nigeria. On Sunday, I hosted a similar event with the Health Care Fellowship Group. Russ McCahan, the Executive Director was visiting from Colorado and he shared the incredible story of how from a gift of $300 to Dr. Chris 12 years ago and a calling on his life to serve the poor, a free HIV/AIDS clinic was started. Now Faith Alive has a staff of 15o, including 10 full-time physicians, 6 accountants, and 4 pastors who care for 15,000 patients a month in a three-story building constructed as a gift from Covenant Baptist Church in California and in 4 satellite sites in outlying villages.
But it’s not just the volume of patients served which is remarkable, but the scope of services that Faith Alive serves as an anchor for. There is counseling and testing, antiretroviral medicines, support groups, surgery, labor and delivery, prevention of HIV from mothers to babies, home-based care, transitional housing, directly observed therapy, nutrition, skills training,and a school for orphans.
And there is a 5 year vision: to create a teaching hospital to train doctors and other health care workers to care for patients in a holistic way. The land has already been purchased and a task force of Nigerian doctors across the world who will help to shape the curriculum is being established.
What a joy and a gift it is for me to be able to be involved in the promotion of an HIV/AIDS clinic in my hometown which serves the poor and the disenfranchised, all in the name of Jesus.
To find out more about Faith Alive, to consider visiting Faith Alive (they welcome visitors!) or to contribute to its long-term vision, contact russellmccahan@gmail.com.
