“Standing outside an ancient church on Mokattam Mountain in Egypt, my eyes were transfixed by an old lady rummaging through manure. She wanted something to eat or sell...anything to help her survive. I sensed God calling me to dedicate my life to people like her – trapped by the curse of terrible material poverty. Looking back, this was the catalyst that led to the start of Mission Direct…” Nigel Hyde, Founder, 1997
Nigel spent several years with an existing mission organisation, but continued to feel the need for a different kind of ‘mission opportunity’. If you couldn’t put your life on hold for years - you had nothing to offer. However, Nigel sensed that lots of people wanted to help the vulnerable in a practical way that didn’t spell giving up their homes and jobs. A profound win-win developed that is now Mission Direct.
Nigel founded Mission Direct with three friends - Lawrence Jones, Tim Martindale and Ronnie Fleming - in late 2004. Each founder had previous experiences of overseas mission work and strong relationships with deserving partners. Initially, it was mostly friends and colleagues that tried out these two week trips, but word spread about the impact being made and the incredible, life-changing experience on offer.
Mission Direct now works in 7 countries supported by an amazing team. CEO, Nigel left Mission Direct in 2014 when he moved to start a charity in Sierra Leone, appointing Alan McCormick as his successor. Alan spent 5 years with Mission Direct, retiring in 2019 and handed the reins over to Wil Horwood who joined after having spent 12 years as CEO for Hope Worldwide.
Mission Direct will continue to work overseas with long-term commitments that allow volunteers to assist for 2-week stints. Keep your eye on the news pages and our social media accounts for any of the latest news and events.
Mission Direct is a small UK Christian charity, based in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. Through short-term mission, we aim to enable everyday people to make a practical and lasting difference to some of the world's most vulnerable people. We do this by making long-term commitments to our carefully-chosen partners in-country and equipping volunteers to join us for a two-week overseas trip to build homes, schools/classrooms, hospitals and rescue centres etc.
The impact you have and how much your time means to the local people, will change you forever!
Our vision is to demonstrate Christian faith through service to the materially poor and most vulnerable around the world.
Our mission is to take volunteers overseas to work in partnership with local communities, building hope and bringing change through practical and sustainable development.
All that Mission Direct does is underpinned by our values. They shape our culture and ethos and impact every activity.
Passionate to serve the vulnerable, based on biblical principles.
We put the highest priority on recruiting, developing, valuing and retaining outstanding staff, donors, volunteers and in-country partners.
We join local people in what they already do well, bringing the resources, hope and encouragement that yields a significant legacy.
We do what we say we’ll do – we strive to deliver tangible, high quality outcomes and provide outstanding value for money.
“Mission Direct is founded on Christian principles and adopted the Nicene Creed as its statement of faith. We are fully inter-denominational and international in our approach. We recognise everyone is on a faith journey, some are clear on what they believe, others exploring. Our teams bring those journeys together, growing individuals in faith and insight through the remarkable people they meet, the experiences they encounter and the perspective they receive.”
We take our Governance responsibilities seriously. Our Trustees provide significant expertise covering all the commercial, missional and operational skills we believe vital for effective oversight.
