The Africa Mercy has been in the port of Douala, Cameroon since August, and is well underway doing mission by providing free surgeries, training, and many other ways of blessing the people of Cameroon.
But why Cameroon? Cameroon is a country of over 275 ethnic groups and languages. It has many climate zones and great biodiversity. There are rainforests, savannas, active volcanoes, and many reserves to protect animals. Cameroon has one of the best economies in that part of Africa, with oil a primary export.
But Cameroon is also rated 153/188 on the UN Human Development Index. For every 100,000 people in Cameroon, there is 1.15 surgical specialists. Do you need a C-section? Or hernia surgery? How about orthopedic care? Care for burn victims? In our world of 7.6 billion, over 5 billion lack access to timely, safe and affordable surgical care.
That's a lot of suffering, and the statistics seem overwhelming. What I love is Mercy Ships response to global surgical need. This quote is from Ann Voskamp.
"For such a time as now, we eradicate divisions and incarnate passion.
For such a time as now, we show up even when it seems small because this is how we love large.
For such a time as now, we love just one, like we'd absolutely love to love everyone. Like we would love to be loved.
For such a time as now, we live shaped like a cross, reaching right out, because this is how He begins to shape the world."
Wow.
God willing, we join the ship on January 7.
Debbie
Chuck and Debbie Vogt
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Get ready for Cameroon
We've been accepted by Mercy Ships to serve in Cameroon! We are looking forwarded to returning to the Africa Mercy community in January 2018.
Here is some information we received about this years field service.
The Africa Mercy has arrived in Cameroon
The world’s largest civilian hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, operated by Mercy Ships, has docked in the port city of Douala, Cameroon, to begin a season of service to this Central African nation. Over the next ten months, Mercy Ships will provide free specialized surgeries and healthcare services to the people of Cameroon.
During our stay in the port of Douala, Mercy Ships plans to provide more than 3,000 life-changing surgeries for adult and child patients onboard, to treat over 8,000 at a land-based dental clinic, and provide holistic healthcare training to Cameroonian healthcare professionals.
Mercy Ships Medical Capacity Building Programs foster transformational development within the healthcare structure of our host nation. After collaborating with our hosts, these projects were specifically developed to impart knowledge and skills, while modeling and encouraging compassion and a professional work ethic. We incorporate one-on-one mentoring opportunities and a large number of local doctors, nurses and other medical staff so that, together, we will be able to impact and bolster the Cameroonian healthcare system long after the ship has departed.
Warrie Blackburn, Managing Director of the Africa Mercy said “With the ship’s arrival in Douala, we celebrate the commencement of a field service that has been years in the making. This historic event has been made possible through a unique partnership between Mercy Ships and the government of Cameroon, supported by the commitment and dedication of the Mercy Ships family and partners in Cameroon. It is a great honor to be here, to love and to serve the people of Cameroon in the model of Jesus. We look forward with great anticipation to all that will take place here in the next 10 months.”
Monday, June 2, 2014
Packing Up Is Hard to Do
The last few weeks of a field service is a change of activity and intensity. The Hope Center, Dental and Eye Clinics have to be closed down and packed into containers. The Hospital and all supporting operation have to be made ready to sail.
In the supply department, every shelf had to be packed tight to prevent movement while on the sail. Every shelf was bolted in place. Others were taken apart and stored in the hold containers.
Each of these containers had to be packed to prevent movement of materials during the sail.
We used a lot of straps, plastic fencing and wire ties to secure everything.
In Central supply, all the movable shelving were bolted in place. Each shelf was secured. Once we completed this task, no more supplies could be taken.
All computers and equipment were taken down, boxed and stored in a secure place.
Two of the normal storage containers had to be emptied and contents stored in other containers so that the equipment from the eye clinic and the dental clinic could be packed up.
The entire hold area was cleared out and secured prior to the sail.
All the equipment and facilities on the dock have to be packed up. This includes the admission, outpatient, and physio therapy tents as well as fork trucks and Land Rovers. In preparation for all this work, teams of volunteers from all over the world come up just to help with the packup. It's an amazing act of selfless service. Imagine traveling to Africa, for the purpose of packing boxes, cleaning and taking down tents, moving a lot of heavy equipment around. Well, these volunteers do it with lots of energy and enthusiasm.
In the last week, there are patients who are not quite ready to go home. They have to be transferred to a local hospital in the care of doctors who have worked alongside Mercy Ship doctors. Mercy Ships provides things like food, dressings, irrigation fluids. One patient needed to stay on a liquid diet for six weeks, so we provided cases of Ensure for this patient. In Africa, hospitals do not provide meals for their patients. That is the job of families. Some of our patients come from Brazzaville or up country and do not have any family in Pointe Noire, so Mercy ships provides for these needs.
The docks look very different when the tents are down. It's not just tents, it's electrical systems, air conditioners, flooring (from pallets and treated lumber). Everything has to be organizes so that it ca be set up again in the next country.
The next country was going to be a return to Guinea, however there has been an outbreak of Ebola in that country. Mercy Ships determined the risk was too high to go into Guinea and will now be going to Benin in August.
Sometimes not everything goes according to plan. This container was being moved by Port Authority when the dock sunk under the front wheel of the T-Rex lift. No one was injured and the Port Operations brought in a crane to upright the equipment and then repaired the dock.
One of the hard parts of the packup is saying goodbye to so many friends. We have learned that a good send off is healthy and we wave to people as they leave for the airport.
Eventually the sun set on our time in Pointe Noire, Republic of Congo. We're thankful the experiences, the friendships, and opportunity to serve in a wonderful community who brings hope and healing to the world's forgotten poor.
Chuck and Debbie
In the supply department, every shelf had to be packed tight to prevent movement while on the sail. Every shelf was bolted in place. Others were taken apart and stored in the hold containers.
Each of these containers had to be packed to prevent movement of materials during the sail.
We used a lot of straps, plastic fencing and wire ties to secure everything.
All computers and equipment were taken down, boxed and stored in a secure place.
Two of the normal storage containers had to be emptied and contents stored in other containers so that the equipment from the eye clinic and the dental clinic could be packed up.
The entire hold area was cleared out and secured prior to the sail.All the equipment and facilities on the dock have to be packed up. This includes the admission, outpatient, and physio therapy tents as well as fork trucks and Land Rovers. In preparation for all this work, teams of volunteers from all over the world come up just to help with the packup. It's an amazing act of selfless service. Imagine traveling to Africa, for the purpose of packing boxes, cleaning and taking down tents, moving a lot of heavy equipment around. Well, these volunteers do it with lots of energy and enthusiasm.
In the last week, there are patients who are not quite ready to go home. They have to be transferred to a local hospital in the care of doctors who have worked alongside Mercy Ship doctors. Mercy Ships provides things like food, dressings, irrigation fluids. One patient needed to stay on a liquid diet for six weeks, so we provided cases of Ensure for this patient. In Africa, hospitals do not provide meals for their patients. That is the job of families. Some of our patients come from Brazzaville or up country and do not have any family in Pointe Noire, so Mercy ships provides for these needs.
The next country was going to be a return to Guinea, however there has been an outbreak of Ebola in that country. Mercy Ships determined the risk was too high to go into Guinea and will now be going to Benin in August.
One of the hard parts of the packup is saying goodbye to so many friends. We have learned that a good send off is healthy and we wave to people as they leave for the airport.
Eventually the sun set on our time in Pointe Noire, Republic of Congo. We're thankful the experiences, the friendships, and opportunity to serve in a wonderful community who brings hope and healing to the world's forgotten poor.
Chuck and Debbie
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
The numbers
The Africa Mercy has been in the port of Pointe Noire, Congo since August. As this field service starts to wind down, I thought it would be interesting to see some of the numbers.
These statistics are the number of procedures done from August 2013-April 2014
Maxillofacial : 823
Reconstructive plastic surgery: 524
Orthopedic surgery: 373
General surgery: 495
Total surgical procedures: 4,902
:
Dental: 18,123 procedures
Ophthalmology procedures: 1,931, including 907 cataract surgeries.
The more extensive surgeries have ended. The ship will be leaving Congo soon, so the surgeries are for patients that will need little follow-up care. So they've been doing general surgeries like cleft palate and hernia surgery. I talked to one surgeon who had just finished her first day operating on the ship. She told me that she had never seen a large hernia. Small problems become big problems when access to health care is so difficult.
Debbie
These statistics are the number of procedures done from August 2013-April 2014
Maxillofacial : 823
Reconstructive plastic surgery: 524
Orthopedic surgery: 373
General surgery: 495
Total surgical procedures: 4,902
Dental: 18,123 procedures
Ophthalmology procedures: 1,931, including 907 cataract surgeries.
The more extensive surgeries have ended. The ship will be leaving Congo soon, so the surgeries are for patients that will need little follow-up care. So they've been doing general surgeries like cleft palate and hernia surgery. I talked to one surgeon who had just finished her first day operating on the ship. She told me that she had never seen a large hernia. Small problems become big problems when access to health care is so difficult.
Debbie
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Health training in Congo
Do you believe that basic medical care is a human right? Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone had access to health care? Wouldn't it be a blessing if the Africa Mercy wasn't needed? That is why Mercy Ships provides a lot of education. I want to tell you some of what I've learned about the training here in Congo.
Keith Thomson came from the UK with ten anesthesiologists. This is significant. That's more anesthesiologists than are in the country of Congo.
Congo has operating rooms with equipment, unlike most of West Africa.
This is a great way that Mercy Ships partners with the area hospitals. They sponsor training for nurses who work in operating rooms in the local hospitals. They work with small groups to give hands-on training. They use training dummies to show how to use tubes for airways. They show techniques for spinal blocks. They talk about hard cases, and discuss how to lessen blood loss.
Other health related training takes place in the admission tent on the dock. The day crew that the ship hires has 4 days of classes each week to learn about patient care, disease treatment and prevention. Two nurses teach and give tests in English. My friend Chris says they are excited to learn, and ask lots of questions.
There are classes in the wards on the ship. Twelve nurses from Congo have completed training. Hannah, one of the nurses involved in this training, tells how the women here are so eager to learn. Some of them who live in Point Noire take a two-hour taxi ride to get here in the morning. They go to class and learn on the ward before going home to their families, and then off to work a night shift at the local hospital. They are excited to put in practice some of the techniques they have learned from the nurses on board.
They learn that good nutrition makes a huge difference in healing. Mercy Ships also runs the Food for Life program in Dolsie, which is about a 4 hour drive from the ship.
Twenty-five students have recently graduated and have gone back to their villages to train others.
It's a very comprehensive program. They learn everything from planting, mulching and composting to how to market and sell what they've produced.
I was impressed to learn that they make soy milk, yogurt, and mango preserves. The trainers from the food for life program now go to the villages to help the graduates pass on what they have learned. The center in Dolsie will continue to be used for training after the ship leaves Congo.
It really is amazing how much education there has been in this field service. The hospital closes soon, and this week they are finishing a course in trauma care. Even after the ship leaves, they will sponsor a course for biomedical engineering training.
Debbie
Keith Thomson came from the UK with ten anesthesiologists. This is significant. That's more anesthesiologists than are in the country of Congo.
Congo has operating rooms with equipment, unlike most of West Africa.
This is a great way that Mercy Ships partners with the area hospitals. They sponsor training for nurses who work in operating rooms in the local hospitals. They work with small groups to give hands-on training. They use training dummies to show how to use tubes for airways. They show techniques for spinal blocks. They talk about hard cases, and discuss how to lessen blood loss.
 |
| some on-board training |
There are classes in the wards on the ship. Twelve nurses from Congo have completed training. Hannah, one of the nurses involved in this training, tells how the women here are so eager to learn. Some of them who live in Point Noire take a two-hour taxi ride to get here in the morning. They go to class and learn on the ward before going home to their families, and then off to work a night shift at the local hospital. They are excited to put in practice some of the techniques they have learned from the nurses on board.
 |
| local nurses training in the hospital |
 |
| Food for life class |
It's a very comprehensive program. They learn everything from planting, mulching and composting to how to market and sell what they've produced.
I was impressed to learn that they make soy milk, yogurt, and mango preserves. The trainers from the food for life program now go to the villages to help the graduates pass on what they have learned. The center in Dolsie will continue to be used for training after the ship leaves Congo.
 |
| The tall guy in the back graduated from Cornell |
Debbie
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
On The Dock
I've recently been considering how we've adjusted to life here. Things we thought were unusual when we came last year are, well, normal.
Last week's Thursday night community meeting was a dock party. That's when we have a picnic dinner on the dock, followed by music and speakers. So we enjoyed our hot dogs while talking to a newly arrived dentist from Switzerland. The African band started playing and people are up and dancing! Kids join in the conga line and some of the nurses bring patients down the gangway from the hospital ward. There are women in hospital gowns dancing- and yes- I saw one women dancing while holding her catheter bag. We then listened to two speakers- one from New Zealand and the other from Holland. They both had French translators for the African day crew. It was a great evening.
On Friday night we had fun at a barn dance. No barn- just the dock, and led by an Australian nurse with music from a CD. Actually, in Australia it's sometimes called a bush dance. We had line dances and circle dances with adult crew, teens and kids. We danced in the hot evening air- yes, it's hot here even when the sun goes down. We were so sweaty that our hands stuck together when we clapped. We took a break from the dancing to go up the gangway, check in with the Gurkha guards, and grab something to drink from the dining hall. Then we were all back out on the dock for some more dancing.
Debbie
Last week's Thursday night community meeting was a dock party. That's when we have a picnic dinner on the dock, followed by music and speakers. So we enjoyed our hot dogs while talking to a newly arrived dentist from Switzerland. The African band started playing and people are up and dancing! Kids join in the conga line and some of the nurses bring patients down the gangway from the hospital ward. There are women in hospital gowns dancing- and yes- I saw one women dancing while holding her catheter bag. We then listened to two speakers- one from New Zealand and the other from Holland. They both had French translators for the African day crew. It was a great evening.
 |
| dock party |
Debbie
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Celebrating Easter on the Africa Mercy
The preparation for Easter is done so well on the Africa Mercy, that some people even plan their times of service with Mercy Ships so that they can participate in the Easter season. We missed Easter last year in Guinea, and looked forward to this experience in the Congo.
On the Africa Mercy, preparations started back on Ash Wednesday which included an Ash Wednesday service before work. Each week we were reminded to make this season of Lent a meaningful time in preparation for Easter.
Beginning with Palm Sunday, there were daily events to help the crew prepare for Easter. The Sunday Community meeting and worship service included some excellent teaching about Palm Sunday with a study of the Gospel texts about Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The International lounge was filled with palms which were collected from local palm trees. The entire room smelled of palms.
Monday and Tuesday nights showed the movie The Greatest Story Ever Told. This 1960 era movie never really caught on, and there are much better movies produced since then.
On Wednesday night, we watched a DVD showing of J.S.Bach's St Matthew's Passion. This beautiful work was performed in Holland, and is sung in German. Fortunately, we had English sub titles. Our German speakers on board even appreciated the English subtitles. The performance was wonderful. The emotion and musical arrangements were beautifully performed and it provided the audience with three hours of time to reflect on Matthew's text. Apparently, this is a tradition in some parts of Europe. One of our crew mates from Holland said he grew up listening to this. It was a subject of conversation for much of the week. It was certainly a highlight for me.
Thursday was Maundy Thursday. There were three main activities. The first was a foot washing taking place on one of the upper decks. This was followed by a time in the upper room. This was the Queen's lounge set up with the stations of the cross. It provided an atmosphere to reflect and pray. It culminated with the Lord's supper.
The third area was the Garden of Gethsemane. The international lounge was transformed into a garden setting where we were encourage to pray and reflect. This area was open for this purpose all night long until Good Friday.
Good Friday was a ship holiday, so we had a morning service in the Garden of Gethsemane.
In the Evening, the movie The Passion of the Christ was shown. (This was the Mel Gibson movie from 10 years ago.) It was a sober reflection on the depth of Christ's suffering.
Saturday had some events for children including Easter Egg coloring and an animated movie.
With all this preparation, we could not wait for Easter.
At 5:45AM we gathered on the top deck for a Sunrise service. It was cool and windy on deck 8 which was very pleasant. Later at 8:30 we celebrate in the International lounge (no longer a Garden) for a worship service including a bell choir from the school academy, children's choir, and interpretive dance as well as joyful singing and a message. During communion, I joined with six other men in a small ensemble to sing three wonderful songs we had been practicing.
At 10:30 a spectacular brunch was offered. This was a choice of either breakfast or dinner (or both for some) with a lot of homemade breads and deserts. We chose breakfast omelets and enjoyed the dinner leftovers in the evening.
In the afternoon, there was an Easter Story for children with Resurrection eggs and an egg hunt.
Debbie reported back that the children were told how many eggs they could collect for themselves and then they had to help others find their quota. They had a great time helping each other find those chocolate eggs!
Easter Monday was a ship holiday, and while there were some hospital functions requiring attention, the day was mostly a holiday. In the evening several crew families opened their cabins for open houses (or as one crew member called it a cabin crawl).
Certainly, this type of extensive Easter celebration is unique. For me it was the most time I've ever spent in reflection and preparation for Easter and one I feel privileged to have experienced.
We hope that wherever you are in the world, you had time to reflect and enjoy the celebration of Christ's Resurrection.
Chuck
This was the entrance to the Upper Room.
The picture on the right was taken the following afternoon, so there is a lot of light coming through the windows. The evening was much darker with only candle light (although we used electric candles on the ship) We would move from one station to the next at an individual pace and at the end take communion.
This is the garden as it was modified for Good Friday.
On the Africa Mercy, preparations started back on Ash Wednesday which included an Ash Wednesday service before work. Each week we were reminded to make this season of Lent a meaningful time in preparation for Easter.
Beginning with Palm Sunday, there were daily events to help the crew prepare for Easter. The Sunday Community meeting and worship service included some excellent teaching about Palm Sunday with a study of the Gospel texts about Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The International lounge was filled with palms which were collected from local palm trees. The entire room smelled of palms.
Monday and Tuesday nights showed the movie The Greatest Story Ever Told. This 1960 era movie never really caught on, and there are much better movies produced since then.
On Wednesday night, we watched a DVD showing of J.S.Bach's St Matthew's Passion. This beautiful work was performed in Holland, and is sung in German. Fortunately, we had English sub titles. Our German speakers on board even appreciated the English subtitles. The performance was wonderful. The emotion and musical arrangements were beautifully performed and it provided the audience with three hours of time to reflect on Matthew's text. Apparently, this is a tradition in some parts of Europe. One of our crew mates from Holland said he grew up listening to this. It was a subject of conversation for much of the week. It was certainly a highlight for me.
Thursday was Maundy Thursday. There were three main activities. The first was a foot washing taking place on one of the upper decks. This was followed by a time in the upper room. This was the Queen's lounge set up with the stations of the cross. It provided an atmosphere to reflect and pray. It culminated with the Lord's supper.
The third area was the Garden of Gethsemane. The international lounge was transformed into a garden setting where we were encourage to pray and reflect. This area was open for this purpose all night long until Good Friday.
Good Friday was a ship holiday, so we had a morning service in the Garden of Gethsemane.
In the Evening, the movie The Passion of the Christ was shown. (This was the Mel Gibson movie from 10 years ago.) It was a sober reflection on the depth of Christ's suffering.
Saturday had some events for children including Easter Egg coloring and an animated movie.
With all this preparation, we could not wait for Easter.
At 5:45AM we gathered on the top deck for a Sunrise service. It was cool and windy on deck 8 which was very pleasant. Later at 8:30 we celebrate in the International lounge (no longer a Garden) for a worship service including a bell choir from the school academy, children's choir, and interpretive dance as well as joyful singing and a message. During communion, I joined with six other men in a small ensemble to sing three wonderful songs we had been practicing.
At 10:30 a spectacular brunch was offered. This was a choice of either breakfast or dinner (or both for some) with a lot of homemade breads and deserts. We chose breakfast omelets and enjoyed the dinner leftovers in the evening.
In the afternoon, there was an Easter Story for children with Resurrection eggs and an egg hunt.
Debbie reported back that the children were told how many eggs they could collect for themselves and then they had to help others find their quota. They had a great time helping each other find those chocolate eggs!
Easter Monday was a ship holiday, and while there were some hospital functions requiring attention, the day was mostly a holiday. In the evening several crew families opened their cabins for open houses (or as one crew member called it a cabin crawl).
Certainly, this type of extensive Easter celebration is unique. For me it was the most time I've ever spent in reflection and preparation for Easter and one I feel privileged to have experienced.
We hope that wherever you are in the world, you had time to reflect and enjoy the celebration of Christ's Resurrection.
Chuck
The picture on the right was taken the following afternoon, so there is a lot of light coming through the windows. The evening was much darker with only candle light (although we used electric candles on the ship) We would move from one station to the next at an individual pace and at the end take communion.
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