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Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Mercy Ships Concludes Benin Field Service with Record Results

Dramatic Increase in Lives Impacted



By Peter Wooding
Special to ASSIST News Service

Mercy Ships founder Don Stephens honored by Benin’s President

TENERIFE, SPAIN
(ANS) – The world’s largest non-governmental hospital ship the Africa Mercy just concluded a record amount of treatments during their ten month field service in Benin, West Africa.

Due to the combined efforts of 454 crew members from over 40 nations and the support of Mercy Ships state-of-the-art hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, 97,625 total procedures were performed and 67,219 lives were impacted.

 

As the Africa Mercy prepares for its 2010 Field Service in Togo, it leaves behind permanent footprints in Benin – footprints in the form of trained eye surgeons that are now fully trained in eye screening, cataract removal, and eye health.

According to a Mercy Ships press release not only can these physicians treat their communities but they are trained to teach other physicians long after the Africa Mercy is gone. The country of Benin will have healthier children, due to the Mercy Ships partnerships with the IMCI (Integrated Management of Childhood Illness) program that educates families on wound tending and cleaning. 

OSAREH Orthopedic Clinic

The Biomedical Training Program trained individuals to keep equipment fine-tuned and updated in each hospital so it runs as efficiently as it can.  More access to health care was provided thanks to the opening of the OSAREH Orthopedic Clinic and thanks to the Food For Life Program, the community will be better prepared to grow crops and the dormitory constructed in the Hévié area outside of Cotonou that will now be the base for agricultural trainers trained by Mercy Ships that will continue training others well into the future.

“Although President YAYI Boni has brought great change to the West African nation of Benin, living in a nation where a worker earns less than 2 dollars a day, explains why life in Benin continues to be very difficult,” reflects Don Stephens, Founder and President of Mercy Ships.

He added: “When you have limited means, it is hard to feed, educate, and care for the health of your family.  The 10 month Field Service conducted by our hospital ship, Africa Mercy, brought hope and healing to a nation where there is one hospital for every 1,000,000 people.

“I could not be more pleased with the service of our multinational crew as they followed the 2,000 year old model of Jesus on a daily basis.  The ship has departed, but our hearts will always have room for the wonderful people of Benin and their President who extended Mercy Ships an invitation to come and help.”

 

 

ABOUT MERCY SHIPS:  Mercy Ships uses hospital ships to deliver free, world-class health care services to those without access in the developing world. Founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens, Mercy Ships has worked in more than 70 countries providing services valued at more than $ 748 million, impacting more than 2.16 million direct beneficiaries.  More than 1200 crew worldwide, representing more than 40 nations, are joined each year by 2000 short-term volunteers. Professionals including surgeons, dentists, nurses, health care trainers, teachers, cooks, seamen, engineers, and agriculturalists donate their time and skills to the effort. Mercy Ships seeks to become the face of love in action, bringing hope and healing to the poor. For more information click on www.mercyships.org

 

Peter Wooding is a TV, radio and print journalist and media consultant having spent 10 years as news editor with UCB Radio in the UK. He has traveled extensively reporting from countries including Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, Dubai, South Korea, Zambia, Gambia, Mozambique, Croatia, Israel and India. He reports regularly for CBN News, KCBI radio, ASSIST News and Sorted Magazine. Peter and wife Sharon live in North Wales, UK with their three children. Passionate to see God’s Justice and Mercy impact lives, Peter is director of a new UK ministry Mercy Project International (www.mercyproject.org.uk) to help at-risk young people in Ukraine, Russia, Armenia, Kosovo, the Middle East and beyond. Contact Peter for consultation at woodingpeter@hotmail.com or tel. +44 1244 549167/+44 7500 903067.

<!–BYLINE:By Peter Wooding
Special to ASSIST News Service–>