Hi there. I have created this site so that you my friends, family and sponsors can keep in the loop during my year on the Anastasis - in Ghana and Liberia. I will update it as often as I am able, and hope that you can get the feel of life on board a volunteer hospital ship!

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Greater Things He Will Do

Well it has been roughly 8 years in the making, but the Africa Mercy has finally arrived in Liberia. In what was a very emotional day for everyone involved, the Anastasis crew welcomed the newest Mercy Ship into the Freeport to take over the remainder of the Liberia field service.


We were up and out on the dock at 6am for what we thought was a 7am arrival of the ship, however due to the tug boats schedule, the Africa Mercy was not able to be tugged into the harbour until around 10am. It was pretty cool to see her coming in from to the dock, having last time been on the ship as it arrived to the same location!



As she drew closer to her berth, we were able to sing some great west African praise songs, and slowly start to recognise people on board. My ward supervisor and old boss was one of the crew members, and many others who had left the Anastasis to go and set up the Africa Mercy. It was great to see so many faces of people we knew!



Once she had docked propperly and the gangway had been lowered, the Arfica Mercy let off her horn, and the Anastasis did in return. However the Ana's horn became stuck - so we got to listen to the noise of the ships horn for about 5 minutes before she ran out of compressed air. I think it was the Anastasis having her final say!

My favourite part of the day was running around the dock carrying the New Zealand flag! What fun. It was especially fitting as there were a few Kiwis on board the AFM, and they felt welcome hopefully as a result of my flag waving antics!


Well the view from my porthole is now a little different! Instead of a nice view accross the harbour, I have a large white Mercy Ship blocking it! It is not the most beautiful ship but with her projected surgical capacity of approximately 7,000 operations per year including cataract removal/lens implant, tumor removal, cleft lip and palate reconstruction, orthopaedics and obstetric fistula repair, The Africa Mercy effectively doubles Mercy Ships capacity to provide free health care and community development services.



Now for my final week and a half in west Africa, I will be carrying hundreds of boxes from one ship to the other and setting up the new ward. A lot of hard work, and a pity I do not get to live on board the AFM - I think I might just have to come back! Great things God has done through the Anastasis, and greater things he will do through the Africa Mercy!

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

The Final Countdown

Well it is nearing that time when the Anastasis ceases to be a hospital ship. The Liberia field service is officially over for the beautiful vessel who has been sailing as a Mercy Ship since 1978. As you can imagine there have been lots of 'final' things. Final church services, final patients, final surgeries, final this and final that.

My favourite final thing was the final lifeboat race from one end of Monrovia harbour back to the ship (an annual occurence) - which of course my lifeboat won! Thats us out in front on the right!



A very sad day for all crew, especially our Chief Medical Officer Dr Gary Parker, was the final surgery on board.



Here are all the final operating room staff of the ship - just after finishing their last case ever, a cleft lip repair on 13 year old Sarah.




Not suprisingly the last surgery also means the last patients! We had four patients who left us on our last day of the Anastasis ward, 2 small children and 2 men. It was an emotional day for all of the ward nurses. I finished my time as a ward nurse on the ANA by doing the final night shift - hence I am not in this photo!



We comemorated the closing of the Anastasis ward by having a 'ward celebration'. we had a time of worship and praise, and testemonies from staff, crew and translators about old patients, miracles and sad times. It was a great way to end the era.


With the closing down of all the off ship activities, including the dental clinic, eye clinics, community health teaching, as well as non health related off ship projects to prepare for the arrival and change over to the new ship the Africa Mercy, the final health care department members posed for a photo. Dr Gary Parker is sitting in the front of me and to the left - a very bittersweet time for him as he and his family have lived on board this ship for 21 years!


We now await the arrival of the newest Mercy Ship - the Anastasis' replacement, The Africa Mercy. She is due to arrive Wednesday May 23rd. With twice the hospital capacity of the Anastasis, she is a great tool to continue bringing hope and healing to the forgotten poor of West Africa.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Screening day

Well as promised, here is a little bit about the Liberia screening day we had last Thursday 3rd of May. It was my second screening since arriving on the Anastasis, and it could not have been more different than Ghana!

The day started early for me - with a 4.45am wake up to be ready to leave for a sports stadium in central Monrovia at 5.30am. I was assigned a different job from last year, instead of taking patient histories, they decided to use those of us with Max-Fax and Plastic surgical skills for another purpose.


When we arrived the line of patients stretched down the road. Three of my colleagues had been at the stadium all night turning away those people who we couldn't help, but there was still a significant line of people.

Although Mercy ships has been to Liberia twice before, this was the first screening the UN has allowed us to do. There is a risk of rioting when large crowds get together, so the UN and us were very carefull to make the day pass calmly! We were allocated a contingent of UN soldiers from India, and another allocation of UNMIL police. There were more machine guns present than nurses, but I guess it is the way things are when you are living in a fragile peace.


As we have already been operating for seven weeks, we were screening for the remainder of the operating slots. The Africa Mercy has 6 operating rooms to our 3, so we were able to book almost twice as many operations in than before.

Back to my job - I was one of 4 nurses who 'walked the line', with the basic instruction of pulling people out of the line who had conditions that we could not treat and giving them the bad news that we were unable to help them. It also thankfully involved pulling people out who we could help and sending them further up the line to the doctors and specialist nurses.


What a job. How many Liberians did I say no to that day? Countless numbers. Although only about 500 people turned up (after 3000 in Ghana), we filled only about 200 surgery slots, so the rest of those people we were unable to help.

Many had come with stomach pains and back pain, which as a surgical hospital, we do not manage. Others we were able to send away to the dental or the eye clinics for free Mercy Ship treatment.


Some however were just surgeries that we, and many of the other NGO's here, cannot do. A little baby with Hydrocephalis (water on the brain) we had to turn away as we have no Neurosurgical capabilities, and some large tumours that were malignant (cancerous), we also had to turn away. Those that are turned away we offer to pray for, and many agree to this.

There were of course many that we are able to help, and who were scheduled for surgery when the Africa Mercy Arrives at the end of May.


Less people attended screening than when we were in Ghana, but that can be attributed to the difference in population (4 mil in Liberia, 20 mil in Ghana), the fact the ship has been here three years in a row now, and that many people may live too far away from Monrovia. We have a number of slots left, which is great because we are able to offer surgery to those who simply turn up at the port.

It was a very humbling day, and a difficult one. I was glad to be challenged a bit more with my nursing role, but at the same time was nervous about the responsibility I had to tell hopefull and desperate people that we were unable to help them. The second half of my day entailed taking patient histories - a welcome job as these people were most likely getting surgery - a much more positive job to end the day!


You just have to focus on those we were able to offer help to, and there are a lot of them. We just have to pray that Liberia can put all the pieces together and be able to offer its population the medical care that we so very often take for granted in the west.

Friday, May 04, 2007

Abraham and Sarah

As the women’s empowerment project begins in Liberia, rabbits are essential aspects of the teaching and training. The aim of Empowering Women: Liberia is to improve food security and income generation without adding significantly to the heavy workload most African women already carry.


In addition to the skills training, each woman will receive the equipment and stock required to launch a micro-enterprise venture. At least two students per course will be trained as trainers to continue the program after Mercy Ships leaves.

After the recent success of the women’s empowerment projects during the Ghana field service, Kate Beck and Jutta Meyer, are excited to be heading up the project again.

"Ghana was an experiment, but hugely successful," explains Kate. "Although we were not the teachers there, we sat through so many sessions that we feel we can now run with the project and expand it."


Bumping and rocking over the uneven roads, Kate and Jutta travel out to one of their Liberian women’s groups. Tucked away in a box on the back seat sits Abraham, a male rabbit. Oblivious to his importance, Kate explains the reason behind his name.

"Due to the years of war, it has been almost impossible to locate any rabbits. Therefore Abraham needs to be a father of many," laughs Kate, "The plan is to breed the pair and be able to distribute their bunnies amongst the women."

Tina Gayek, 19, is a participant in the project. Sitting in the classroom and waiting for the session to begin, Tina explains how, due to the war, she was unable to go to school, but now she is attending grade 7 and has fresh hopes for the future.


"I knew people who raised rabbits before the war, so when I heard about this project I thought it sounded really interesting. It is so important for each one of us sitting here to empower ourselves to do something. I’m so excited about this opportunity."

Because of the immense need in Liberia, Mercy Ships has partnered with a number of organizations. Daniel Dalton, head of local NGO Paracom, explains his vision for the women and the future of Liberia.

"The poverty rate is huge. It is essential now to help empower communities to get back on their feet again. One aspect of my organization is to provide skills training to women. Joining with Mercy Ships has been excellent and an answer to prayer. The rabbit project is unusual but there’s definitely a market for it."


Back on the dockside, Abraham and Sarah reside in their hutches alongside the Mercy Ship. Contently munching pieces of carrot and cabbage, little do they know the hope they bring as they are used to empower Liberian women.