We all do at this time of year because there does seem to be enough misery to go round the world several times. Even so, I'm back again this year rattling my tin but I'm only looking for - hoping for - begging for - a fiver. Less than the price of two pints. Well, obviously more if you can afford it but just a fiver will do because this year Mercy Ships have a deal with a large sponsor who will match every contribution received before December 31st up to $1,000,000!
I have told you before about Mercy Ships, staffed by doctors and nurses and other experts all of whom work without pay, giving up their holidays and paying for their own air fares to reach the ship. The ship spends approxiamtely six months at each location and this picture shows the sort of reception they receive.
People walk in , or sometimes are carried in, by family or friends, from all over the country, this was in Sierra Leone. They often sleep on the quayside to reserve their place in the queue:
Since arriving in Sierra Leone in February, 2011, the eye team has performed over 1,000 cataract surgeries, nearly 200 pterygium surgeries, 8,794 eye evaluations and treatments, 1,084 YAG Laser capsulotomies and 3,308 basic eye exams. In the same period, they have also distributed 2,261 pairs of sunglasses, 2,962 pairs of reading glasses and 1,254 pairs of prescription glasses.
The other huge factor which makes this such a worthwhile activity is that it avoids the inherent waste of money in building clinics in the interior which then gradualy break down through lack of relevant experience and parts. However, they do have on board agricultural experts who go inland to provide help and advice. In some of the war-torn countries they have visited, the decimation of the population has been such that all the old farming skills have been lost and this is where the Mercy Ship experts are absolutely essential.
This, the African Mercy, is the latest Mercy Ship to join the fleet. You can imagine that it takes an enormous amount of money to keep it going particularly now that that the price of oil has rocketed up. So please help. As I say, just a fiver will do (but more if you can manage) and all you have do is click here and have your credit card handy:
https://www.mercyshipsdonations.org.uk/
And they're not all top flight surgeons and nurses. Here is my little tribute to the unsung heroes, the housekeepers:
In their own words:
Meet the team responsible for maintaining a clean and healthy environment throughout the six decks, 26 public toilets, 37 offices . . . and every publicly-used floor, window, carpet and railing on the largest non-governmental hospital ship in the world.
“It’s not easy,” says Maree Innes, a crewmember from Scotland. “But it’s very satisfying. You feel you’re making a difference, even though you’re not working directly with patients.”
The Housekeeping Team on the Mercy Ship floating hospital, the Africa Mercy, works tirelessly to keep the ship not only clean, but healthy – because if the crew isn’t healthy, the patients won’t get the life-changing surgeries they need.
“I never appreciated housekeeping before I started this job,” says Maree. “I used to walk on freshly-mopped floors without thinking about it, and I feel so bad because now I know how hard they work!”
Every crewmember on the Housekeeping Team is partnered with a local day-worker, and the two remain a team as long as they are both serving. “I have so much respect for the West Africans on my team,” says Crew Services Manager Roseann Farinacci. “They have all lived through a civil war, and the testimonies they share are heartbreaking, yet they are so faithful, so hard-working – they still have such hope that things are going to get better.”
Come on, you can spare a fiver and just think how much better your turkey will taste knowing that you have helped these good people doing such a good job.
https://www.mercyshipsdonations.org.uk/
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