"Healthcare is more than treating illness—it is restoring hope and demonstrating God's love through service."
In the late 1980s, while serving as a Medical Officer at a Government General Hospital in Nigeria, our founder, Dr. Damaris Onwuka, received a deep conviction to bring quality healthcare to medically underserved rural communities. Although the vision was clear, the resources to fulfill it were not. Yet, trusting God's guidance, she stepped forward in faith.
Through the generosity of friends, colleagues, and volunteers, the first medical outreach was organized in Umuakwu, Abia State. For three consecutive days, a dedicated team of doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists, and other healthcare professionals worked tirelessly, providing medical care to hundreds of villagers. Despite the physical exhaustion and personal financial sacrifice, the gratitude and renewed hope reflected in the faces of those they served became the greatest reward.
That first outreach marked the beginning of a mission that continues to this day.
The medical missions soon expanded to Umugolo in Imo State and Mallam Ada Ward in Gagarawa Local Government Area of Jigawa State. During one memorable outreach, community engagement and health education helped build trust that led families to embrace childhood immunization programs that had previously been rejected.
As the years passed, these outreach programs became an annual tradition, reaching more communities across Imo and Abia States. Beyond medical treatment, the team distributed clothing and food to widows, vulnerable families, and those in need. In one community, the growing impact of the outreach inspired local leaders to establish a community health facility.
With time, this medical mission for rural dwellers became a yearly occasion — and it remains the heartbeat of everything Damaris Care Network does today.
As a medical officer at the Government General Hospital, Damaris Onwuka received what she describes as a divine mandate to serve rural communities — and stepped forward in faith, even without the resources to do so.
A team of doctors, nurses, and lab scientists worked three days non-stop to serve the underserved community of Umuakwu — a turning point that proved fulfillment doesn't require a full pocket.
The mission extended to Umugolo village in Imo State and Mallam Ada Ward in Jigawa State, where the community agreed to immunize their children after previously rejecting it.
Outreaches repeated across Imo and Abia States, with clothing and food distributed to widows and the needy — eventually leading a community to build its own health facility, later adopted by the LGA and State.
What began as a single outreach grew into a recurring tradition — a mission the community could count on, year after year.
What began as one outreach in one village remains the heartbeat of everything Damaris Care Network does — a yearly commitment to communities still waiting to be reached.
