Formation 2004 Type Christian charity Website www.missiondirect.org | Founder Nigel Hyde Location Hitchin, England, UK | |
Purpose Freeing people from physical and spiritual poverty, enabling the organization's volunteers to join local people in projects. | ||
Mission Direct is a Christian charity based in the United Kingdom that enables volunteers to travel and work alongside some of the world’s poorest, to build homes, schools clinics etc, working in over 12 countries.
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History
Nigel Hyde founded Mission Direct from a clear vision: to enable thousands of people to serve the poor on two week trips. With three friends, Lawrence Jones, Tim Martindale and Ronnie Fleming, they found that people wanted to go overseas and help the world’s poorest. Now, thousands of self-funding volunteers have built schools, clinics and homes among countless other small and personal projects.
Mission Directs patrons are Rt Hon Theresa May MP, The Lord Bill Mckenzie of Luton and Rt. Rev Dr Alan Smith, Bishop of St Albans.
Mission Direct was registered as a charity on the 26th of January 2005.
Work
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 looks for local partners who are already doing something well. They do not own or operate things in country enabling them to support sustainable projects. Their overseas staff cover their own costs and host relays of teams to the same communities year after year.
In 2014, they will send teams to Brazil, Cambodia, China, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, India, Kenya, Moldova, Sierra Leone, Uganda (Kumi and Rukungiri) Zambia and Zimbabwe. Most teams are open to all with the age range so far from 7-89. They offer school, medical, teacher training, youth, IT in Schools and corporate teams. They also run teams for youth from difficult backgrounds.
Literature
The charity produces literature about their trips, fundraising for volunteers and legacy giving.