Mercy Ships Goes To West Africa
My wife’s sister Marlene leaves shortly to volunteer with Mercy Ships to the Republic of the Congo. We are very excited for her. She is a highly skilled senior citizen ready to ‘give back’ in a new and exciting way. Her background includes banking, computer programming, real estate and construction. However, for the next 2 1/2 months, she will be working in the ship’s shop where the crew and volunteers on board get their daily supplies.
In her words, ‘when I first communicated with Africa Mercy, I told them I would volunteer wherever they needed me. As it turns out, I’m needed in the ship’s shop.’ Marlene will leave this coming Thursday, August 15th for Pointe Noire. She is excited and just a little nervous about her new adventure.
While Marlene will spend 2 1/2 months on her first mission trip, this family from Utah will spend two years volunteering and with their three children. Probably easier when both husband and wife are MDs. Now and then you’ll find young people who make this their life as a full-time volunteer like Catherine Murphy.
What ‘Mercy Ships’ Looks Like
Since 1978, Mercy Ships has served millions of people in some of the poorest nations in Africa, Asia, Central America and the Caribbean. The focus now for Mercy Ships is West Africa. Mercy Ships provides health care services as well as community development services free of charge to those in desperate need. Highly skilled surgeons remove tumors and cataracts, straighten crossed eyes, repair cleft lip and palates, correct fistulas, and provide a wide range of orthopedic procedures.
Life onboard Africa Mercy is interesting, challenging, fun and multicultural… it is a city in itself. With a crew of more than 400 from 35 nations, close relationships are built, in close quarters, while everyone works hard. Curious seniors can read all about how the ship is financed and FAQs on the medical and technical professionals onboard, on their website, mercyships.org.
So what happens on the ship? Mercy Ships program will address requests by the authorities in Congo-Brazzaville to support continuing education opportunities for practicing professionals. Those may include mentoring in specialized maxillofacial surgery techniques, orthopedic trauma, nursing, pediatric anesthesiology, and infection control.
Partnership with local hospital infrastructures to help improve quality of care, teamwork and communication will be interwoven into the program design. The 16,500 ton Africa Mercy, operated by Mercy Ships, is the world’s largest non-governmental hospital ship.
Dana Perino, former White House Press Secretary and current co-host of FOX News ’ The Five’, will board Africa Mercy, on August 28 for its first visit to Republic of the Congo. Perino will be onboard the ship for several days during initial patient screening and startup of medical operations. The ship will dock in the Port of Pointe Noire, Congo, for its 10-month visit. Check out this short video with a few highlights of what is accomplished on ‘Mercy Ships’.
Je te souhaite un Bon Voyage Marlene! jeb