HISTORY
Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) was founded as Sudan Interior Mission (SIM) in 1893, and was registered as ECWA in Nigeria in 1956. It had engaged in the healing ministry for over a century. The contribution of SIM medical work in Northern Nigeria was quite substantial and were the largest of all Christian missions. SIM was also the largest contributor towards leprosy work and the fight against eye diseases and blindness. The early medical activities of SIM were concentrated in the provinces of: Kano, Katsina, Bauchi, Niger, Zaria, Benue, Ilorin, Kabba and Plateau.The medical work of SIM played a significant role in the propagation of the gospel of Christ especially in the opening up of the Muslim emirates. Dispensaries (Primary health facilities) were the first institutions to be built by the mission. Some of these dispensaries began operation as far back as 1902 in Patigi, 1904 in Wushishi, 1908 in Egbe, 1909 in Paiko and Karu and 1910 in Kwoi (Turaki Y. 1993).
The pioneering SIM Missionaries started their simple medical work by focusing on the treatment of various diseases and physical ailments in their homes.
BATURE MAI MAGANI (The White Doctor)
(1865 – 1948)
- Andrew Stirrett was a pharmacist, doctor, linguist and administrator.
- Born in Canada in 1865, he was a successful businessman.
The sheer need for healthcare by both the natives and missionaries necessitated that missionaries were either trained or specifically recruited to meet this need.
Early Medical Work in Nigeria
At age of 37, God burdened Dr. Stirrett for those who had never heard the Gospel. So he sold his businesses and left for Africa, after studying tropical medicine in Liverpool. He helped establish the first SIM Mission station at Patigi on the Niger River in 1902, alongside the Dispensary, which was one of the first medical institutions built by the missionaries. Stirrett compounded his own medicines and wrote an authoritative book on West African Diseases. He was a key member in the translation work of the Hausa Bible and a man of prayer who made it his habit to rise early to intercede on behalf of his beloved Africans.
He was a small, gentle but determined man, whose passion was preaching in villages throughout Northern Nigeria.In 1914 he started a medical clinic in Jos, located where Good News Church is today.
A large rock at the nearby market was the “pulpit” where he preached daily.
EXPANSION
As the mission expanded, the medical ministry also expanded to meet the health needs of the new frontiers. This explains why mission medical work had great impact upon Africans and their societies. The establishment of hospitals to deal with more complex physical ailments and diseases dates back as far as 1920 in Egbe, when the first Maternity hospital was built.On the whole the Mission had over 110 clinics, 3 hospital and 61 Leprosy Centers from 1902 to 1960. (Rev. Dr. Turaki; 1993).The early design of the medical ministry was to be an outlet from the church to the communities.The church completely funded the ministry therefore, services were offered free of charge.
With time the different health stations that were formed with the expansion were centralized for administration and policy formulation giving birth to the ECWA Medical Department.
Currently the medical department is made up of the following units:
- ECWA Hospital, situated in Egbe , Kogi State
- ECWA Eye Hospital, situated in Kano, Kano state
- ECWA Hospital, situated in Okegbala, Kwara state
- ECWA school of Nursing, situated in Egbe, Kogi state
- ECWA school of Midwifery, situated in Egbe Kogi state
- ECWA College of Health Technology, situated in Kagoro, Kaduna state
- ECWA Community Health Programme with its Headquarters located in Jos, Plateau State
- The ECWA AIDS Ministry with its headquarters in Jos, Plateau State.
- ECWA Health Insurance Scheme (EHIS)