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A pilgrim is on a journey, but doesn’t wander. A pilgrim has a destination in mind. As pilgrims, we know this world is not our final home; we travel towards heaven. As Christians, we are buoyed by the hope of the kingdom of God in our midst. For Pilgrim Africa, this means working to end malaria and other diseases of poverty, offering communities the chance to prosper economically. It means providing children in Uganda with the freedom to pursue their studies without falling sick, and access to education that empowers them to be global leaders.
“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.”
- Psalm 84:5
“’Greater than the death of flesh is the death of hope…the death of dreams.’
-Book of G' Quan, Babylon 5
That is what I see in my village in Africa. Poverty is much more than the lack of money. It is also a lack of vision and direction – an absence of courage and faith to challenge the obstacles to community progress.
"How do you save a lost village like mine? How do you rebuild their sacred hopes and rekindle the lost dreams hidden deep and unstirred for many years?”
- Calvin Echodu, Pilgrim Africa’s founder
Our catch-phrase is: “Hope is the work.”
We believe that those who seek, find.
Malaria-- which is both preventable and treatable-- is a leading cause of illness and death in Uganda. Malaria is strongly linked to poverty in a reinforcing cycle. If the nation is divided into 5 wealth levels, the poorest members of society are 10x as likely to be infected as the wealthiest.
We look towards the day when malaria and neglected tropical diseases no longer make anyone sick and no longer trap communities in poverty. Until then, we commit to work in the most highly burdened communities, finding faster, cheaper, safer ways to end disease, and leveraging the skills and resources of ordinary people to bring elimination closer.
We imagine a future where the control of disease-bearing insects is local, innovative and effective, and rural families have the means to protect themselves from illness.
We steward resources wisely, spend finances on intended purposes, and account transparently.
We employ the golden rule, and treat others as we wish to be treated.
Just because disease challenges or the development landscape seem daunting is no reason to give up.
We don’t take or give bribes, lie about finances, fudge scientific data or exaggerate impact.
We are committed to the protection of populations living in vulnerable circumstances.
The more fully and creatively a community owns an intervention, the more effective it is.