Mission Direct
| Successor | Alan McCormick |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2004 |
| Founder | Nigel Hyde |
| Type | Christian charity |
| Headquarters | 27 Bury Mead Rd, Hitchin, Hertfordshire SG5 1RT |
| Location | |
| Website | www |
Mission Direct is an international Christian charity based in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.[2]
The charity enables volunteers to travel and work alongside some of the world's poorest people to build homes, schools, clinics, etc., and works in over 12 countries.[3][4]
History[edit]
Nigel Hyde founded Mission Direct with three of his friends, Lawrence Jones, Tim Martindale and Ronnie Fleming. The four had a clear vision: to enable thousands of people to serve poor people during two-week trips.[5]
In 1997 Hyde was standing outside an ancient church on Mokattam Mountain in Egypt. He said that, "My eyes were transfixed by an old lady rummaging through manure. She wanted something to eat or sell...anything to help her survive. I sensed God calling me to dedicate my life to people like her, trapped by the curse of terrible material poverty. Looking back, this was the catalyst that led to the start of Mission Direct…”.[2]
Mission Direct's patron is the Rt. Rev Dr. Alan Smith, Bishop of St Albans. Lord Bill McKenzie of Luton was a previous patron of the charity. .[6][7] The CEO was Alan McCormick, and as of 2021, is now Wilhelm Horwood.[8]
Mission Direct was registered as a charity on 26 January 2005.[9]
Work[edit]
Mission Direct first sent teams overseas in 2005 when they built a home for ladies with polio in Sierra Leone. In that first year, they also built homes in the Dominican Republic and a school in the tsunami-hit north of Sri Lanka.
Mission Direct works with locally owned and managed schools, hospitals and organisations, using local tradesmen to build facilities for health, education and housing.[10] They do not own or operate anything in the partner country, which enables them to support sustainable project.[11][12] Their overseas staff covers their own costs and will host relays of teams to the same communities for several years.[13][14]
In 2021 teams supported projects in Brazil, Cambodia, Dominican Republic, India, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia (Kumi and Rukungiri) and Zimbabwe. The organisation also worked with a UK-based project partnering with Phoenix Community Care Trust - an organization that provides safe housing for children and young asylum seekers arriving in London. Previous teams have also travelled to China, Malawi, Moldova and Guyana.[15] Previous work has included building Vision of Hope in Lusaka, Zambia, providing a safe home for street girls.[16]
Most teams are open to all with the age range so far from 7-89.[17] They run projects in the areas of school, medical, teacher training and youth. They also work with schools to help set up IT and science classrooms.[18][19] The support of corporate teams in the Dominican Republic has enabled Mission Direct to support the ongoing work of local volunteers within their own community.[20] They also run teams for youth from difficult backgrounds.[21]
- Mission Direct's work
-
Massikonde School Classroom.jpg Pupils in Massikonde Primary School Kenya ( Teaching mission trip 2016) -
Bazaar School overcrowded class.jpg Children in an overcrowded classroom in Bazaar School, Kumi, Uganda (April 2017) -
Dormitory for boys with disabilities.jpg An example of a building project - an accessible dormitory for children with disabilities in rural Kenya (April 2016) -
Village children.jpg Volunteers rebuilt this family's home in Kumi, Uganda in July 2015. -
Children living near Kumi.jpg Helping to build a village home is a highlight for many volunteers (April 2017) -
Helping House of Hope become self sufficient.jpg Helping House of Hope to develop a viable farm and thus become more self sufficient.
Literature[edit]
The charity produces literature about their trips, fundraising for volunteers and legacy giving.
References[edit]
- ^ "Contact". Hitchin: Mission Direct. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ^ a b "Who we are | Mission Direct". Mission Direct. Retrieved 2017-08-05.
- ^ "Teacher to build refuge". Guardian-series. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ^ "Missiond Direct Charity Commission". UK Charity Commission. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ^ "History of Mission Direct". Mission Direct. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ^ "List of Ministers Interests DOD" (PDF). UK Cabinet office. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ^ "Report and Financial Statements 2011" (PDF). Mission Direct. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ^ UK Charity Commission, Retrieved 2023-04-19
- ^ "UK Charity Commission". UK Charity Commission. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ^ "Mission Direct, GodManchester Baptist Church". GodManchester Baptist Church. 15 November 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
- ^ "Stratford couple's three-year charity trip". Stratford-Herald. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ^ "Sierra Foundation". Sierra Foundation. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
- ^ "About Mission Direct". Mission Direct. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ^ "Horley grandmother spends spare time helping Zambia's street children". BBC News. 18 September 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
- ^ UK Charity Commission, Retrieved 2023-04-19
- ^ "Stories of street-girls in Zambia with Mission Direct". Clarity Magazine. Retrieved 2017-08-05.
- ^ "Volunteer | Mission Direct". Mission Direct. Retrieved 2017-08-05.
- ^ "Queen Anne's Fundraise For Mission Direct". Queens Anne School. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
- ^ "Christian medical Fellowship". Christian Medical Fellowship. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
- ^ "Turley continues to support Mission Direct and Transform Salone in 2017 | Turley". www.turley.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-08-05.
- ^ "Knights Youth Mission Direct Trip". Knights Youth Centre. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
Further reading[edit]
- Walsh, Peter (January 2, 2012). "Former Norwich policeman returns from Brazilian charity mission". Norwich Evening News 24. Retrieved 26 November 2013.