Meeting Holistic Needs in Nigeria
Haggai leader Dr. Christian Isichei is the founding coordinator and CEO of Faith Alive Foundation, a “medical and social services center that meets the needs of humanity in a holistic way.” Its three-floor hospital cares for about 10,000 patients a month and “provides ongoing care for HIV/AIDS patients, as well as care for emergencies, opportunistic infections such as TB and Malaria, and surgery and birthing services.”
On the holistic care side, Faith Alive provides education, transitional housing, recovery counseling, and more than 40 other practical services (click here to view them all). Christian shared two stories of hope with us from Faith Alive’s social programs, where they teach men and women trades to give them a sustainable future.
Sherry
Twenty-seven-year-old Sherry* was estranged from her family at a young age. She was a Christian in a Muslim family and they were furious with her, going so far as to plot to have her assaulted so that she’d have a baby, her reputation marred, and be tied down to them for as long as possible. They hoped it would dampen her Christian resolve and bring her back to the Muslim faith. Their plan worked — the first part, at least — and she gave birth to a baby boy in 2013.
“This did not make her turn from her faith, which enraged her family members to the point that they treated her very badly. For Sherry, that led to depression and feelings of worthlessness, and being hated. She also knew she and her son were not safe,” Dr. Isichei says.
Sherry met a missionary and told her the story of her life and how unsafe she was with her son in her village. That missionary brought her to Faith Alive.
Sherry and her son lived in Faith Alive’s transitional housing while Sherry enrolled in Faith Alive’s sewing school. She attended discipleship classes there, where she was able to grow in her faith and make Christian friends. She found peace with God and the care she and her son needed. For the first time, she felt like she was treated like a human. Faith Alive gave her son a scholarship to go to school and gifted Sherry a sewing machine upon her graduation to begin her own business.
Nina
Eighteen-year-old Nina* was raised in a family of three children by her widowed mother. Because of financial hardships, Nina had to withdraw from school at an early age and help her mother provide for the family. As a result, self-esteem issues plagued her throughout her childhood as her family struggled. It got so bad that Nina’s mother sought help, enrolling her in Faith Alive’s sewing school. Nina gained the assistance and skillsets she needed and ended up graduating at the top of her class. She was gifted a sewing machine and a space to start her own business. Today, she is an instructor at Faith Alive, teaching other women to sew and experience God’s love in new ways.
“Through Faith Alive Foundation, we’re able to carry out medical, social, and spiritual interventions in the communities we find ourselves in at no cost to our clients,” says Dr. Isichei, who also is a professor of Chemical Pathology at The University of Jos, and consultant chemical pathologist at the Jos University Teaching Hospital. “We genuinely seek to make the lives of those around us better, and we do this by providing medical and social services as well as spiritual education and support in various communities. They are free to all who require them.”
Faith Alive’s social programs teach skills like sewing, knitting, computer proficiency, and more, to empower students and prepare them for life beyond the organization. In addition, they provide discipleship programs throughout each student’s enrollment, sharing the Gospel as often as they can.
“All would be wasted if we worked only on the physical aspect of the people we meet, and neglected the spiritual,” Dr. Isichei says. “But through this, and despite the many hurdles we face in sharing the Gospel in Nigeria, we have reached out to millions since 1996, and no doubt my equipping through Haggai redefined so many things in my life and ministry.”
*Names changed for protection of privacy.
Written by Jennifer Colosimo
Meeting Holistic Needs in Nigeria
Haggai leader Dr. Christian Isichei is the founding coordinator and CEO of Faith Alive Foundation, a “medical and social services center that meets the needs of humanity in a holistic way.” Its three-floor hospital cares for about 10,000 patients a month and “provides ongoing care for HIV/AIDS patients, as well as care for emergencies, opportunistic infections such as TB and Malaria, and surgery and birthing services.”
On the holistic care side, Faith Alive provides education, transitional housing, recovery counseling, and more than 40 other practical services (click here to view them all). Christian shared two stories of hope with us from Faith Alive’s social programs, where they teach men and women trades to give them a sustainable future.
Sherry
Twenty-seven-year-old Sherry* was estranged from her family at a young age. She was a Christian in a Muslim family and they were furious with her, going so far as to plot to have her assaulted so that she’d have a baby, her reputation marred, and be tied down to them for as long as possible. They hoped it would dampen her Christian resolve and bring her back to the Muslim faith. Their plan worked — the first part, at least — and she gave birth to a baby boy in 2013.
“This did not make her turn from her faith, which enraged her family members to the point that they treated her very badly. For Sherry, that led to depression and feelings of worthlessness, and being hated. She also knew she and her son were not safe,” Dr. Isichei says.
Sherry met a missionary and told her the story of her life and how unsafe she was with her son in her village. That missionary brought her to Faith Alive.
Sherry and her son lived in Faith Alive’s transitional housing while Sherry enrolled in Faith Alive’s sewing school. She attended discipleship classes there, where she was able to grow in her faith and make Christian friends. She found peace with God and the care she and her son needed. For the first time, she felt like she was treated like a human. Faith Alive gave her son a scholarship to go to school and gifted Sherry a sewing machine upon her graduation to begin her own business.
Nina
Eighteen-year-old Nina* was raised in a family of three children by her widowed mother. Because of financial hardships, Nina had to withdraw from school at an early age and help her mother provide for the family. As a result, self-esteem issues plagued her throughout her childhood as her family struggled. It got so bad that Nina’s mother sought help, enrolling her in Faith Alive’s sewing school. Nina gained the assistance and skillsets she needed and ended up graduating at the top of her class. She was gifted a sewing machine and a space to start her own business. Today, she is an instructor at Faith Alive, teaching other women to sew and experience God’s love in new ways.
“Through Faith Alive Foundation, we’re able to carry out medical, social, and spiritual interventions in the communities we find ourselves in at no cost to our clients,” says Dr. Isichei, who also is a professor of Chemical Pathology at The University of Jos, and consultant chemical pathologist at the Jos University Teaching Hospital. “We genuinely seek to make the lives of those around us better, and we do this by providing medical and social services as well as spiritual education and support in various communities. They are free to all who require them.”
Faith Alive’s social programs teach skills like sewing, knitting, computer proficiency, and more, to empower students and prepare them for life beyond the organization. In addition, they provide discipleship programs throughout each student’s enrollment, sharing the Gospel as often as they can.
“All would be wasted if we worked only on the physical aspect of the people we meet, and neglected the spiritual,” Dr. Isichei says. “But through this, and despite the many hurdles we face in sharing the Gospel in Nigeria, we have reached out to millions since 1996, and no doubt my equipping through Haggai redefined so many things in my life and ministry.”
*Names changed for protection of privacy.
Written by Jennifer Colosimo
Meeting Holistic Needs in Nigeria
Haggai leader Dr. Christian Isichei is the founding coordinator and CEO of Faith Alive Foundation, a “medical and social services center that meets the needs of humanity in a holistic way.” Its three-floor hospital cares for about 10,000 patients a month and “provides ongoing care for HIV/AIDS patients, as well as care for emergencies, opportunistic infections such as TB and Malaria, and surgery and birthing services.”
On the holistic care side, Faith Alive provides education, transitional housing, recovery counseling, and more than 40 other practical services (click here to view them all). Christian shared two stories of hope with us from Faith Alive’s social programs, where they teach men and women trades to give them a sustainable future.
Sherry
Twenty-seven-year-old Sherry* was estranged from her family at a young age. She was a Christian in a Muslim family and they were furious with her, going so far as to plot to have her assaulted so that she’d have a baby, her reputation marred, and be tied down to them for as long as possible. They hoped it would dampen her Christian resolve and bring her back to the Muslim faith. Their plan worked — the first part, at least — and she gave birth to a baby boy in 2013.
“This did not make her turn from her faith, which enraged her family members to the point that they treated her very badly. For Sherry, that led to depression and feelings of worthlessness, and being hated. She also knew she and her son were not safe,” Dr. Isichei says.
Sherry met a missionary and told her the story of her life and how unsafe she was with her son in her village. That missionary brought her to Faith Alive.
Sherry and her son lived in Faith Alive’s transitional housing while Sherry enrolled in Faith Alive’s sewing school. She attended discipleship classes there, where she was able to grow in her faith and make Christian friends. She found peace with God and the care she and her son needed. For the first time, she felt like she was treated like a human. Faith Alive gave her son a scholarship to go to school and gifted Sherry a sewing machine upon her graduation to begin her own business.
Nina
Eighteen-year-old Nina* was raised in a family of three children by her widowed mother. Because of financial hardships, Nina had to withdraw from school at an early age and help her mother provide for the family. As a result, self-esteem issues plagued her throughout her childhood as her family struggled. It got so bad that Nina’s mother sought help, enrolling her in Faith Alive’s sewing school. Nina gained the assistance and skillsets she needed and ended up graduating at the top of her class. She was gifted a sewing machine and a space to start her own business. Today, she is an instructor at Faith Alive, teaching other women to sew and experience God’s love in new ways.
“Through Faith Alive Foundation, we’re able to carry out medical, social, and spiritual interventions in the communities we find ourselves in at no cost to our clients,” says Dr. Isichei, who also is a professor of Chemical Pathology at The University of Jos, and consultant chemical pathologist at the Jos University Teaching Hospital. “We genuinely seek to make the lives of those around us better, and we do this by providing medical and social services as well as spiritual education and support in various communities. They are free to all who require them.”
Faith Alive’s social programs teach skills like sewing, knitting, computer proficiency, and more, to empower students and prepare them for life beyond the organization. In addition, they provide discipleship programs throughout each student’s enrollment, sharing the Gospel as often as they can.
“All would be wasted if we worked only on the physical aspect of the people we meet, and neglected the spiritual,” Dr. Isichei says. “But through this, and despite the many hurdles we face in sharing the Gospel in Nigeria, we have reached out to millions since 1996, and no doubt my equipping through Haggai redefined so many things in my life and ministry.”
*Names changed for protection of privacy.
Written by Jennifer Colosimo
