Our Founders

A History of Following God

Dr. Scott Harrison was a successful orthopedic surgeon with a thriving Pennsylvania private practice. Yet, he and his wife, Sally (a former nurse), felt a restlessness in their hearts that led them to pray together daily about what God might have in store. 

Before long, an invitation arrived. Scott and Sally said yes to a month-long stint serving at a hospital in desperate need of qualified surgeons in Malawi, one of the world’s poorest countries. Scott was so overwhelmed by the physical needs he saw that when they had the opportunity to return the following year, he said yes. It was becoming clear that God could use them in Africa.

From the Operating Room to the Board Room

And then the Harrisons received another unexpected invitation. Scott was asked to become CEO of a large but struggling orthopedics company. He was about to decline the offer, preferring to be in the operating room in Malawi, not a boardroom in the US. As they prayed over the decision, the Harrisons sensed God telling Scott to take the job. He successfully led the company for four years until he sold it—working himself out of a job but providing the couple with the financial resources and time to once again return to Africa.

A God-Given Vision

Praying about their next move, they felt God calling them to something bigger than serving as medical missionaries in a hospital. Instead of serving in one hospital, they would build a network of hospitals in the world’s most impoverished countries. The hospitals would be stocked with necessary equipment, staffed with world-class surgeons, and ready to serve children with disabilities. They officially established CURE International in 1996.

A Foundation Laid

Scott and Sally opened CURE’s first hospital in Kijabe, Kenya, in 1998. Recognizing that no charitable organization had the resources on its own to reach the world’s millions and millions of children with treatable disabilities, the Harrisons committed that every CURE hospital would be a teaching hospital, equipped to train locals to be the next generation of national surgeons and healthcare professionals in their countries.

And because training disciples of Jesus was equally important as providing surgeries and equipping surgeons, the Harrisons established that CURE’s emphasis on spiritual care would be just as important as the emphasis on medical care. (Learn about CURE’s approach to ministry.)

A Mission That Multiplies

The Harrisons gave a lifetime of love, care, and even personal finances to growing CURE. Friends joined in supporting the mission, and the network of charitable children’s hospitals expanded to Uganda. Hospitals then opened every few years across Africa and Asia, providing life-changing surgeries and sharing the love of Jesus with children in need. (Explore CURE’s hospitals.)

In 2012, as CURE approached 2 million patients treated, Scott and Sally passed the torch to new leadership. Reflecting on their journey, Scott said, “During my years with CURE, I’ve witnessed 140,000 children changed by reconstructive surgery that corrected their disabilities. Even better, I’ve seen nearly the same number of people make confessions of faith, begin to regularly attend church, and spread the good news of what they experienced to hundreds of thousands of friends, family members, and even a few enemies.”

A Legacy That Lasts

Scott and Sally’s decision to say yes to God’s call to devote their lives to helping kids heal has had an eternal impact on generations of children, families, and communities. (See our impact.) That impact continues today. While CURE International has grown into a global network of eight hospitals across Africa and Asia, the mission is unchanging: to heal the sick and proclaim the kingdom of God.