By Joshua Lichty, nephew of Don Campion

It was a fantastic experience to finally get to the bush of Egbe, Nigeria. I had heard so many stories of the land where my mother’s family had grown up and the influential work my grandparents, Dr. George and Esther Campion, had accomplished.

The ECWA hospital is a keystone in the Egbe community, you learn that as soon as you arrive on the compound. But the state of the compound was somewhat shocking.  I had seen pictures from the past of a top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art facility.

Today, what you now see is outdated equipment, retro style facilities and, most notably, eroded roads. But there was a promising feeling in the air as locals took to mowing the lawns, roofing buildings and the stories about doctors saving lives and babies being born. The compound is being revitalized!

Over the short two weeks I stayed on the Egbe Hospital compound, it was more and more evident that this hospital is on its way to becoming a state-of-the-art hospital once again.

But it is not going to happen without thousands of hours of hard work and focused direction. Although I went to help a hospital and a community on a much needed project, it was the community that gave back to me.

All the experiences with locals from: chapel with the nurses, to meeting key figures involved with the hospital, to interacting with people and children from town, all left a positive impact on me. The respect, love and genuine interest for the hospital and the people that are revitalizing ECWA Hospital is astonishing.

It was a positive experience that I am certain I will do again and would absolutely recommend for anyone.