|PIC1|"We need another two ships, each of the same class as the new Africa Mercy, for each of two major regions of need. One of them will be the Asia Mercy, to serve people in the needy nations of the Asia-Pacific region."
Don and Deyon Stephens visited the Queensland Sunshine Coast, Newcastle and Sydney to meet Mercy Ships supporters and volunteers, past and present. They also visited the Australian support office located at Caloundra.
Stephens said the current focus of work was among communities in West African nations, most of which remain in the lowest third of ranking on the United Nations Human Development Index. "Countries like Liberia and Sierra Leone still have insufficient infrastructure and services following more than 14 years of civil war to yet reach the bottom of the list. We are just starting to see Liberia begin the long road to something close to where it will be able to provide such services. Until recently, Liberia had only two dentists to serve a population of just under 4 million."
"Our purpose in all that we do is to follow the example of Jesus to bring hope and healing to the poor. The Africa Mercy allows us to negotiate with a nation's government for a ten-month field service assignment which follows several years of advance work in determining the needs of local communities. Then when the volunteers from around the world arrive onboard the state-of-the art hospital ship we embark on a health related program with three aspects.
"The first is preventative, where volunteers serving onshore touch the lives of the most people. Our efforts are concentrated on providing education in primary health care, construction of water wells, improving sanitation, education, agriculture and a range of community development programs. More than 80 per cent of diseases in such places are related water-borne. We work in cooperation with local communities to build such things as health clinics.
"Secondly, our medical programs onboard provide the curative aspect of the work. Free surgery concentrates on cataract removal to restore sight to the blind. 37 million people around the world could see if they had access to a 20 minute cataract surgery. Surgeons remove tumours and carry out other procedures to correct disfigurement such as cleft lip and palate; some of the several million women in Africa living as outcasts because of fistula problems arising from childbirth injuries receive surgery to give them a fresh start in life; and those with disabilities including those arising from war injury receive help. The third aspect of bringing hope and healing relates to the spiritual dimension, working with local churches and other organisations on such things as dealing with the trauma of war, forgiveness and looking to the future."
Stephens paid tribute to the nearly 1500 volunteers a year serving onboard the hospital ship, at land-based centres and the 14 national support offices. "It has been a record year for Australian volunteers, with nearly 40 serving during 2008 in West Africa, in addition to those working with the Caloundra office."
"I am sure that within each of us there is a desire to do something that makes a difference in the life of someone else, and that is why so many seek to serve with Mercy Ships. That is so significant when you consider that each volunteer has to pay his or her way to get to Africa and then pay crew fees to be there. There can be nothing more satisfying than helping a blind child who would not have otherwise been able to see, or helping a woman who had been an outcast for years because of an obstetric fistula to receive a new start to life. Lives of countless thousands are changed for the better because of the efforts of our volunteers," he concluded.
More about Mercy Ships on www.mercyships.org.au