Have you ever been to the Miango Rest Home? If you have not, then you don’t know what you have missed.
Tucked in the serene and quiet town of Miango in Irigwe land, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, about 20 minutes drive from Jos city, Miango Rest Home is one of the few hospitality homes in Nigeria with a unique and long history that spans over 100 years.
Founded in 1893 by three English young men in their teens and early twenties namely Walter Gowans, Thomas Kent and Roland Bingham, the rest home has evolved into one of the best venues for relaxation and quiet get-away.
An history of the rest home has it that the young founders received a call from God to serve as missionaries in the Sudan Interior Mission (SIM) West Africa region of Africa.
Sadly, within a short period of time, Walter Gowans and Thomas Kent paid the supreme sacrifice as a consequence of malaria. Roland Bingham was advised by doctors not to return to the mosquito infested mission field sarcastically called “the white man’s grave”, if he did, he would surely die.
But in spite this serious warning, Roland Bingham kept faith and moved on as he would rather die in the course of soul-winning like his colleagues than remain home.
Through Bingham’s vision and resilience, the Miango Rest Home trudged on and in 2013, celebrated 100 years of existence and still counting.
MRH could not have sustained Bingham’s vision if not for managers and workers who sacrificed, were committed and keyed in the vision and foresight.
Over the years, MRH has hosted millions of guests from all over the world and the guests and visitors have always gone away with lasting and happy memories.
The Miango Rest Home is a withdraw and meeting focus which was set up by ministers Serving In Mission, SIM, Nigeria, at the foot of a little slope now famously called Mount Sanderson, which gives excellent perspectives of the encompassing region.
It is situated alongside Kent Academy, a non-denominational school where visitors come and rest here, the rest house is an old house or called a historic place.
The rest house furnishes guests with a lot of chances to climb in the encompassing region. The property additionally includes a dam and a ranch.
MRH however, does not exist in a vacuum but within a community. In the last couple of years, MRH-Host community relationship greatly improved as a result of increased communication, community relationship building strategies, corporate social responsibility and other support MRH renders to the community even as the community also provides an efficient workforce and assist in securing the facility.
Evidently, Miango and indeed Rigwe Chiefdom being the host community to Miango Rest Home, have benefited immensely from MRH particular in the area employment opportunities as the majority of its workforce come from Rigwe Chiefdom, partial scholarship for theological students within Rigwe Chiefdom, financial and non-financial support towards community programs.
One of which is the multi-dimensional support provided towards Miango Youth Development Association’s self-help projects of rebuilding and resettling IDPs in Miango, palliative farm for IDPs and many more. MRH has received many awards for its immense contribution to humanity and community development.
MRH has protected the environment by planting thousands of trees and preserving wild life, keeping its environment very natural and green with its attendant health benefits for guests and workers.
An artificial dam which supports watering of plants and grass to keep them green even in dry season has contributed to the needs of the community.
In addition, MRH has invested in solar energy thereby taping into the huge benefits that clean energy provides.
Furthermore, waste management is one of the top priorities of MRH management. A large amount of its waste is used to make compost for agricultural purposes.
