COVER STORY 30 JULY 2023 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition strategic plans for growth and the future for our students in the school of nursing,” said King. While travel has been a concern, King said Don’s current construction of an airfield where they can fly right into the Egbe center is going to be a very positive aspect for mission teams to go there. Dr. Ojurongbe and her students had to travel eight hours over very rough roads from the capital city to get to Egbe, so having the airstrip will facilitate making it an ongoing project.” Missionary Aviation Fellowship The endeavor to bring planes directly into Egbe, Nigeria, is being spearheaded by Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF), the largest missionary flight organization in the world, under the direction of Ken McKenzie, who serves on the board at MAF as well as Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, has years of aviation experience and was formerly CEO of the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. McKenzie and Campion recently traveled with MAF representatives to Jos in northern Nigeria to connect with Christian leaders at several missionary headquarters to discuss their needs, then on to the capital city of Abuja to meet with government officials. In the nation that is half Christian and half Muslim, McKenzie said the response was overwhelmingly positive. The MAF is recommending a Cessna Caravan be headquartered in Abuja to make scheduled flights twice a week to Egbe, reducing the travel time from up to nine hours of justling roads to about 45 minutes by air. The plane would serve the Christian and secular communities focusing on evangelism and medical emergency support with plans for a second plane in the future that could provide reliable transport for mission work in neighboring countries. Traveling with Don was an inspiring experience, said McKenzie. “Don is definitely the right man at the right time to do this job.” Since he and his sisters were raised in Nigeria and went to boarding school there, “we kept meeting with really successful businessmen and powerful government leaders who were all folks Don went to school with. We found favor everywhere we went because he's known as such a great guy who has been a part of that community and has given back so much over the last 13 years with the revitalization project that people just want to help. They know that if he gets involved, it's going to be a quality job.” McKenzie took his entire family on a short-termmission trip during the early stages of the hospital revitalization and upon arrival on this trip to Egbe, Ken was amazed to witness the magnitude of progress and development 10 years later. “Don's such a humble guy and does such a great job of making people feel like you really matter, and as you walk around the different hospital wings and support structures, you see the names of people and companies from all over South Florida who have come alongside the project.” Social entrepreneurship Campion’s enthusiasm for the Egbe Medical Mission is contagious. When Don Campion was inducted into the Nova Southeastern University Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame two years ago, Andrew Rosman, Ph.D., dean of the college, reached out to Campion to get acquainted. That meeting sparked a unique collaborative project. “Our students in a social entrepreneurship class are working with Don to take agriculture from the region and make products that could be sold here in the US to return the profits to the town of Egbe. The students hope to develop a trail mix or protein bar incorporating a popular crunchy spiced Nigerian snack made from peanuts called Kuli Kuli. While the students are learning how to start a business and about import export, it’s a way to commercialize on a bigger scale than they could do in Egbe where the wage rate is something like $8 per day,” Rosman explained. And since Nova Southeastern University has a strong focus in the health sciences, Rosman said there is a plan underway for Dr. Elaine Wallace, D.O., dean of NSU’s Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, to take students and faculty on a mission trip to Egbe next year, potentially creating an ongoing relationship. Rosman said he initiated the social entrepreneurship project with Campion because he wanted to find a way to give back to him. “You think of businesspeople as cutthroat and profit driven, so when you find people like Don who are known for the quality and friendliness of the service they provide to all their clientele who come through the airport and then to find that he's got this whole other aspect of his life. It’s refreshing.” Looking forward “The combination of Banyan and the team in Egbe has really gone gangbusters,” recognizes Campion. Now the big goal is making it all sustainable. “Being entrepreneurial and always trying to work better, faster, cheaper here at Banyan, we’re always incorporating technology… So we are bringing the love of Christ to a very rural setting, but bringing excellence in medical care and in training through technology.” And in October, Campion established Egbe Medical Mission, a nonprofit organization that will manage the day-to-day support of the ECWAHospital and Nursing School in Egbe. Betsie Campion Smith, Don’s sister is a vital member of this dedicated staff capable of vetting and developing new ideas, raising funds and recruiting missionaries to sustain the project long term. Despite all this progress, Campion is constantly making improvements at the facility. They are currently constructing new classrooms, adding a dorm at the college of nursing, building a new surgical ward and adding a housing duplex for hospital staff. Future projects Campion hopes to undertake include: • Developing a surgical residency program at the hospital with support from Samaritan’s Purse. • Making improvements to the George Campion High School adjacent to the compound, including bringing technology into the classrooms, establishing a solar computer lab, giving them a nicer playground and adding a sports field. • Revitalizing Titcombe College that has fallen into disrepair, making that a vocational school teaching plumbing, electrical and welding, including maintenance of the generators that power the cellular stations in the area, as well as agricultural skills. • Establishing a summer mission program for youth at Egbe that would involve adventure, fun, hard work and service to develop discipline and Christian values. • Advocating for the development of hydro power in the region. After discovering a large reservoir of water just eight miles from Egbe left from an abandoned project, Don has been dreaming of harnessing that hydroelectric power and begun pulling together the stakeholders to bring that project to fruition. The ideas keep flowing! Asked when he feels they will have done enough, Campion replied, “There is definitely no end in sight.” It’s no wonder he has earned the title, “Restorer of Our Village.” n Want to help? You can participate in themedical mission in the followingways: • Serve: Short-term and long-term missionaries are needed in medical, construction, mechanical, administration and hospitality roles. They are currently seeking a construction manager, a maintenance manager, a family medicinedoctor toassist intheresidencyprogramandanursingeducator. Learn howyou can serve at Egbehospital.org/missionary-consultant-opportunities/ • Give: towardongoingdevelopment of themedical complex, sponsorshipof a resident doctor or nurse training, or to the hospital benevolent fund for patients who cannot afford care. Give securely online at EgbeHopsital.org/g2r To learn more, visit egbehospital.org and banyanair.com or call Lisette Ruiz, EgbeMedical Mission Administrator at 954-492-3554 An aerial view of the ECWA Hospital complex that spans 50 acres and includes 70 buildings.
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