Mercy Ships Returns to Post-Ebola West Africa

Mercy Ships Returns to Post-Ebola West Africa

The Africa Mercy, the world’s largest private hospital ship, has just docked in Cotonou, Benin, with volunteer crew who will provide surgeries and healthcare training for the next ten months

By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST News Service

COTONOU, BENIN (ANS – August 28, 2016) -- Mercy Ships, in the form of the Africa Mercy, the world’s largest private hospital ship, has returned to Benin for a 10-month field service that had been delayed since 2014 due to the deadly Ebola outbreak.

The hospital ship, and its crew, were warmly greeted by welcome festivities including national music and dances. A brief tour of the ship was provided for the heads of state and dignitaries.

A spokesperson for Mercy Ships said, “The all-volunteer crew is eager to fulfill plans that were postponed for two years. During the Africa Mercy’s 10-month stay in the port of Cotonou, Mercy Ships plans to meet immediate medical needs by providing over 1,700 life-changing surgeries for adult and pediatric patients onboard and by treating over 8,000 at a land-based dental clinic.

“To improve Benin’s healthcare delivery system, Mercy Ships will also provide medical training to Beninese healthcare professionals.”

Don Stephens, Mercy Ships President and Founder, “Mercy Ships has been serving West Africa for 25 years. We are pleased to be back in Benin for our fifth visit providing specialized surgeries and healthcare training to the Beninese, who hold such a warm place in our hearts.”

During the arrival ceremony, Madame Claudine Gbenagnon Talon, First Lady of the Republic of Benin, addressed the crew, saying, “Behind all statistics, there is a story, a life, a person who needs a new hope, a treatment, or a cure. I wish that this enriching collaboration of Benin with Mercy Ships will continue to grow year after year for the well-being of the population.”

Benin ranks 166 out of 187 countries according to the United Nations Humanitarian Development index, which indicates the great need that exists in this West African nation. The free surgeries provided by Mercy Ships will include removing life-threatening tumors, repair of cleft lips and palates, obstetric fistulas, hernias, severe burn-related injuries and correction of pediatric orthopedic deformities. A dental clinic will offer treatment to patients for the duration of the 10-month stay, and an ophthalmology program will start in January 2017.

Each year, Mercy Ships has an average of 900 volunteer crew serving onboard its hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, with about 400 crew from over 45 nations serving at any given time. In total, Mercy Ships has more than 1,600 volunteers helping in its various locations around the world.

“The Mercy Ships crew is anxious to start serving the Beninese, and the screening process for patients will begin right away to select those who have conditions that can be treated by Mercy Ships. The delivery of hope and healing to Benin has begun,” added the spokesperson.

About Mercy Ships:

Mercy Ships uses hospital ships to deliver free, world-class healthcare services, capacity building and sustainable development 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 $1.2 billion, treating more than 2.54 million direct beneficiaries.

Each year Mercy Ships has more than 1,600 volunteers from 45 nations. Professionals including surgeons, dentists, nurses, healthcare trainers, teachers, cooks, seamen, engineers, and agriculturalists donate their time and skills to the effort. Mercy Ships seeks to transform individuals and serve nations one at a time. For more information, please go to: www.mercyships.org.

For more information in the US, please contact: Pauline Rick, US Public Relations Coordinator, Mercy Ships, Office Tel: (903) 939-7000, Mob: (972) 922-5442, and by e-mail at us.media@mercyships.org . For international, please e-mail Diane Rickard, International Media Manager, Mercy Ships, at Diane.rickard@mercyships.org .

Photo captions: 1) The Africa Mercy, the world’s largest private hospital ship. 2) Madam Claudine Gbenagnon Talon, First Lady of Benin, addresses guests at the arrival ceremony of Mercy Ships in Cotonou, Benin. (© 2016 Mercy Ships -- Credit Timmy Baskerville). 3) Beninese crew member Emmanuel Essah, Biomedical Technician, presents the flag of Benin to Madam Claudine Gbenagnon Talon, First Lady of Benin. (© 2016 Mercy Ships -- Credit Timmy Baskerville.) 4) Beninese dancers perform at the Arrival Ceremony dockside to celebrate the return of Mercy Ships to Benin. (©2016 Mercy Ships -- Credit Katie Keegan). 5) Deyon and Don Stephens, founders of Mercy Ships. 6) Dan Wooding (right) interviewing Don Stephens at an event at Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, California.

About the writer: Dan Wooding, 75, is an award-winning winning author, broadcaster and journalist who was born in Nigeria, West Africa, of British missionary parents, Alfred and Anne Wooding, who then worked with the Sudan Interior Mission, now known as SIM. He now lives in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for some 53 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. Dan is the founder and international director of the ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS), and is also the author of some 45 books. He also has one weekly radio show and two TV shows all based in Southern California.

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