The Blog of Grace Berry, 26 year old nurse from Birmingham, working onboard a mercy ship in Liberia
Friday, 1 August 2008
Kossi pictures
This is Kossi before his operation. This developed over quite a short period of time because he came to the ship for eye surgery a few years ago. He was surprisingly still just about walking.
Mercy ships is a Christian organization which has been close to my heart for many years. Their focus is on the 'forgotten poor' and on providing health care and surgery, that in the western world is readily available, but in the places they serve is a luxury that the people cannot afford.
The main way help is given is through the use of ships which have been converted into hospitals.
Volunteer staff (like me!) live and work on board to keep the ship running, and to run theatres where people who come to the ship receive vtal surgical equipment. Procedures range from minor surgery such as cataract surgery to more major surgery; cleft pallet repair, tumour removal and and repairal of damage caued in childbirth.
Communities are served, often from hundres of miles around, bringing those served back from isolation, and, in many cases prevent early and unnecessary deaths.
Since 1978 Mercy ships have:
- performed more than 32,500 surgeries. - treated more than 212,000 people - performed more than 183,00 dental treatments - taught over 14,500 local health care and professional workers - taught 95,000 local people in primary health care
I serve with Mercy Ships. Everything here, however, is my personal opinion and is not read or approved before it is posted. Opinions, conclusions and other information expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of Mercy Ships.
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