"A friend suggested I investigate offering to serve with Mercy Ships. I looked at the website and made contact with the laboratory manager who responded immediately 'I'm recruiting. When can you come?' I am sure that was the very direct push I needed to make my decision."
Naomi is just back from two months service as a volunteer on the Africa Mercy, the world's largest non-governmental hospital ship, currently on assignment in the West African nation of Benin, one of the world's poorest countries. After majoring for her Bachelor of Science in pathology, she has worked in Tamworth and Armidale, currently as supervising medical scientist with a multi-disciplinary private pathology laboratory specialising in haematology, transfusion medicine, biochemistry and coagulation.
"There was positive response to my decision to go from those around me," she says. "I had talked about doing something like this for a number of years and I think everyone was glad to see me stop talking and start doing."
"Onboard, it was difficult sometimes to remember I was in Africa providing pathology services as part of what was being done to provide specialist surgery for people with such great needs. The first class laboratory made me feel like I was working in a lab at home. But when I went out into the wards it became very clear that without such laboratory facilities many of the surgeries could simply not take place safely. For me, it was very much working behind the scenes."
"It seemed the list of surgical needs for the people of Benin was endless. Obstetric fistula is a huge problem for women, leaving them completely debilitated physically, socially and emotionally. Affected women often suffer for years and are abandoned by family and the community. Large tumours of many sizes, body locations and natures are common. Hernias seem prevalent among people of all ages. Many children have cleft lip and palate problems, or club feet. Thyroid goiters are left to grow to huge proportions. Then there are so many problems related just to living conditions and lack of nourishment."
Naomi says there were many highlights. "I had the privilege of attending what is known as a dress ceremony for women following surgery to correct obstetric fistulas. As a symbol of their new start to life each woman is given a new set of colourful clothes. One of the women was fortunate that her baby lived and her husband stuck by her, a rare occurrence. Most lose their babies and are abandoned by husbands and families. Another woman had suffered 13 years, and had spent those years crawling around in the belief that such actions would heal her. She needed rehabilitation following surgery to learn to walk again. It was wonderful to watch her dancing around the ward. These women broke into singing and dancing, giving praise to God for their healing. There was hope in the eyes of women healed, and a longing in their hearts for success of surgery for other women still waiting to become 'dry'."
"My eight weeks away brought home again the vast differences between living standards in the developed and the developing world, and how material we have become in our part of the world. One thing struck me about the people of Benin. Despite their lack of material things, the people who have so little and struggle so much are happy. They smile as they go about their work. It was a great experience working with volunteers from around the world serving with Mercy Ships, all seeking to follow the example of Jesus in bringing hope and healing to the poor," she concludes.
Mercy Ships is a global charity that has operated hospital ships in developing nations since 1978. The emphasis is on the needs of the world's poorest nations in West Africa, where the hospital ship Africa Mercy provides the platform for services extending up to ten months at a time. Mercy Ships works on land-based projects in Sierra Leone in partnership with other organisations, while teams also work in several nations of Central America and the Caribbean. Mercy Ships Australia, one of 14 international support offices, is based on the Queensland Sunshine Coast. www.mercyships.org.au