Mercy Ships UK Onboard Magazine | Autumn 2021

mercyships.org.uk | Summer 2021 | Issue 14

News and stories from the Mercy Ships Community

Because of Gamai now has a future

Emergency Appeal – Help beat COVID in every nation in Africa

Onboard magazine Contents Welcome

A lasting legacy of restored sight in Cameroon Page 5

A legacy of hope and joy for children like Gamai Pages 6 and 7 Your legacy of hope and healing through the years Pages 8 and 9

Vaccines appeal – Your legacy to Africa Page 9

Thank you for your incredible legacy of support Pages 10 and 11

Vaccines Appeal – Your legacy to Africa Page 4

Founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens, Mercy Ships is a faith-based organisation that follows the 2,000-year old model of Jesus. Bringing hope and healing through hospital ships and in-country training has been the mission of Mercy Ships for more than 40 years. Thanks to your support, those suffering from painful and preventable diseases can find the care they desperately need.

Mercy Ships seeks to transform individuals and strengthen healthcare systems, leaving a lasting legacy in every nation we partner with. The global impact of COVID-19 has touched everyone and only deepened the surgery crisis.

EMERGENC Y APPEAL We are all in this together, and if we work together with Africa, we can beat COVID-19 everywhere.

Mercy Ships UK, The Lighthouse, 12 Meadway Court, Stevenage SG1 2EF mercyships.org.uk 01438 727800 info@mercyships.org.uk

Registered Charity No: 1053055. Registered Charity in Scotland No. SC039743.

02 Company No: 3147724 (England and Wales)

Follow us on social media /mercyshipsuk

Onboard magazine Reflection

Ubuntu “I am, because we are.”

Above: Don Stephens with a young patient onboard the Africa Mercy.

Ubuntu is a simple but profound African idea. It is often translated: “I am, because we are.”

Ubuntu recognises and celebrates every person’s worth and our interdependence on one another. Nelson Mandela championed Ubuntu, when saying: “A traveller through a country would stop at a village and he didn’t have to ask for food or water. Once he stops, the people give him food and attend to him. That is one aspect of Ubuntu . . . The question therefore is: [what] are you going to do [for] the community around you?”

Mercy Ships supporter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, also wrote about Ubuntu: “We think of ourselves far too frequently just as individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the world.”

This is a sobering and empowering thought, that we are more powerful than we imagine; that our actions and voice can affect the world, like ripples from a stone thrown into a lake, that eventually lap the shore.

“I am, because we are” – is a simple idea, but one that speaks to the very heart of Mercy Ships vision: to send skilled volunteers to transform patients’ lives and to train healthcare workers in poor nations.

LinkedIn /mercy-ships-uk

Together, we are creating a lasting legacy, that we hope will one day mean there’s no need for hospital ships like ours. Until that time, we are grateful for your partnership with us in saving and changing countless lives.

As our founder, Don Stephens said recently, quoting another African proverb, “If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go together.”

Your commitment and partnership with us on the journey are the reason that Ubuntu is alive and well! Especially over the last year, with its challenges and opportunities to help others in great need.

Thank you so much for your unwavering commitment to bring hope and healing to those who need it the most.

Chief Executive Officer

mercyships.org.uk 03

Emergency COVID Vaccines Appeal

Your donation will send vaccines to medical professionals like Amadou

Your legacy to Africa Your opportunity to help beat COVID in every nation in Africa.

Above: Amadou, a key health worker in Guinea, is waiting for vaccines to arrive.

Recently, more than 30 African countries reported a surge in COVID-19 infections.

Although four billion COVID vaccine doses have been administered globally, over 80% have gone to rich countries. Less than 2% of Africans are fully vaccinated.

At Mercy Ships we believe we are all together in the fight against COVID-19.

This is why a few weeks ago we launched our Emergency COVID-19 Vaccines Appeal to help provide doses in Africa for the most vulnerable and most frail people, such as those awaiting surgery, as well as for hard-working local medical professionals and key workers.

We must act now, to stop this highly contagious wave of the virus from spreading and sweeping through the very poorest communities. The COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) are undertaking the vaccine roll-out in developing nations, but funds are desperately needed to administer doses to people in rural areas. So, we are turning to caring

04

supporters like you to ask for your help in this emergency.

Your donation will send vaccines to medical professionals like Amadou (above), and it will pay for training so others like him can administer free doses to the world’s poorest. It will also spread the news to remote areas, that vaccinations are coming and they’re free.

By acting quickly, we can protect the frail, the elderly and those with health conditions.

Healthcare systems in Africa are under pressure like never before.

Even before COVID-19, many African

countries had a shortage of medical workers. Now these medics are on the frontline fighting the pandemic day after day.

This is what Dr Pierre M’Pelé, a leading expert on epidemics, who leads our African Bureau in Benin, says: “A vaccinated population will put Africa in the best position to help those in need of medical care for decades to come. We are committed to African nations for the long-haul, together with Africa against the pandemic.”

Thank you, for caring and for standing with the world’s poorest in this critical moment.

URGENT APPEAL If you have already donated your urgent gift to this appeal – thank you so much for your generosity and kindness.

If you haven’t had a chance to give yet, you can still give online now at

www.mercyships.org.uk/together Follow us on social media /mercyshipsuk

Onboard magazine Dr Patricia Eyoup

Dr Patricia Eyoup’s story: A lasting legacy of restored sight in Cameroon When Dr Patricia Eyoup Sen first stepped onboard the Africa Mercy, she had never performed an operation. Now she is a leading ophthalmic surgeon in Cameroon! Her story shows how your investment in one medical professional can impact a whole nation.

Young and hopeful In 2017, a young Dr Patricia joined our ophthalmic mentoring programme.

She had spent years studying ophthalmology hoping to become a surgeon but had never been given the opportunity.

During her three months onboard, Dr Patricia participated in over 300 operations, and was the lead surgeon in more than half of these. This gave

her vital experience to serve as an ophthalmic surgeon long after our hospital ship had sailed away.

Dr Glenn Strauss, then the leading volunteer ophthalmic surgeon onboard the Africa Mercy, praised her saying: “Patricia was one of those young surgeons who had great talent. Our eye team provided her with a supportive, encouraging environment to find and develop her gifting as a surgeon.”

Treating thousands of patients each year Dr Patricia has since returned to the port city of Douala, Cameroon, where she works with patients suffering from medical eye pathologies and provides referrals for the surgeries they desperately need. She offers life-changing care to more than 2,000 patients each year.

“ The lasting impact of Mercy Ships goes far beyond me. All the doctors and nurses that have been trained can go on to help the whole country.”

YOUR IMPAC T

Be inspired by stories you have made possible everyday. Follow us on Instagram @mercyshipsuk

LinkedIn /mercy-ships-uk

Because of you, Mercy Ships has trained and mentored countless talented medical professionals who are leaving a lasting legacy in their communities and nations.

mercyships.org.uk 05

Onboard magazine Gamai Welcome

A legacy of hope and joy for children like Gamai If you saw Gamai today, laughing and playing with her friends, helping her mother by sweeping the path, or doing the dishes, you would think this seven-year-old has always been a happy, joyful girl.

However, this couldn’t be further from the truth, because just a few years ago Gamai was living in terrible pain and she hid away from others.

An accident nearly destroyed Gamai’s life It all started one morning when Gamai’s mother, Confort, put a pot of water on to boil some rice for breakfast. Moments later, one-year-old Gamai, who had just started to walk, toddled past the pot and fell over, pulling the boiling hot water over herself.

As Gamai’s screams filled the house, Confort’s world fell silent. “My imagination took me to places a mother dare not go,” she recalls. “I fell to the floor crying and clutching my baby.”

Confort and her husband, Lamine, rushed Gamai to the local hospital but were only able to afford a tube of ointment for the pain. The operation little

06

Above: Gamai was full of energy and mischief during her recovery process on the Africa Mercy.

Follow us on social media /mercyshipsuk

Onboard magazine Gamai

Be inspired by stories you have made possible everyday. Follow us on Instagram @mercyshipsuk

Gamai needed was out of her family’s reach financially, and they had nowhere to turn for help.

So, with broken hearts they watched their little girl grow with contracted hands and arms, as her untreated, scarred skin tightened, severely limiting her movement. To make matters worse, other children and adults in their village began to scorn Gamai because of how she looked. “If we went out and she was mocked, she would become shy and cry,” Confort said.

Hidden from the world when a ray of hope appears Her parents decided to keep Gamai at home to spare her enduring the mockery of others. Confort shared her daughter’s pain saying, “I became very sad and angry that this was the way my daughter was going to grow up — hidden from the world.”

Then one day, in the midst of Confort’s despair, she heard that a hospital ship was coming to their country to help people with injuries like her daughter’s. When the ship arrived in Guinea, Confort bravely made the journey with four-year-old Gamai in her arms.

Onboard the Africa Mercy, Confort met other mothers who had gone through similar accidents with their children, and she began to feel more at ease. This grew into hope, and deep relief, as Gamai was selected to receive surgery onboard the Africa Mercy.

Stepping into a new life with joy and confidence After weeks of rehabilitation, Gamai and her mother were able to leave the ship and return to their home. Full of life, Gamai leapt for joy as she greeted her family and neighbours, who were outside waiting for her.

Gamai’s transformation was made possible by the generosity and love of caring Mercy Ships supporters, like you.

You helped this little girl, who once was unable to lift her hands above her head, to reach higher in life than she ever could before.

Above: Gamai, laughing and playing with her father Lamine, and her friends after her successful operation.

LinkedIn /mercy-ships-uk

YOUR LEGAC Y This story is just one example of your legacy of changed lives in Africa. Together, we will continue to offer healing to more children like Gamai in the months and years to come!

mercyships.org.uk 07

Onboard magazine Your Legacy

THE JOURNEY

Your legacy of hope and healing through the years Delivering vital, free healthcare to people in desperate need.

1983 – 2001 Island Mercy

She sailed for 11 years as Good Samaritan, serving the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. In 1994, she was renamed Island Mercy and underwent extensive renovations, including the addition of an onboard operating theatre. To her volunteer crew, she was affectionately known as “Little Giant.”

1978 – 2007 Anastasis The 1953-built Italian cruise-liner, originally

Island Mercy

Anastasis

called the Victoria, was the flagship of our fleet for over three decades. In 1978, this 159-metre vessel was converted into a mobile hospital, housing three operating theatres, a 40-bed hospital ward, a dental clinic, a laboratory, an X-ray unit, and three cargo holds.

Renamed Anastasis, which is Greek for ‘resurrection’, this pioneering ship sailed for 29 years, during which time an estimated 25,000

volunteers served onboard.

08

Follow us on social media /mercyshipsuk

Onboard magazine Your Legacy

1994 – 2006 Caribbean Mercy Formerly a Norwegian ferry called the Polarlys, joining Mercy Ships she served for 12 busy years changing lives in more than 13 countries.

While in port, Caribbean Mercy housed an average crew of 120 volunteers from more than 20 nations. She boasted an eye surgery unit, cargo capacity, and medical training facilities.

Global Mercy

Caribbean Mercy

The Global Mercy The Global Mercy is the world’s largest purpose-built teaching hospital on a ship. The length of two football pitches, she will host 900 people once in service. Having passed sea trials, the Global Mercy is now being fitted with her onboard hospital and state-of-theart training suites.

2007 –

present Africa Mercy

The Africa Mercy

The Africa Mercy was acquired as a Danish rail ferry in 1999 and refurbished specifically for Mercy Ships mission. Where trains once rolled on and off, now lives are transformed in the operating theatres onboard. Thousands of volunteers from over 50 nations have served onboard the Africa Mercy.

O N

S U P E R

S H I P S

To us Alison Briggs is a superhero.

She first volunteered with Mercy Ships in 2004 and has since served on the Anastasis and the Africa Mercy and has been a volunteer speaker since 2007.

“I was once told I’m like a stick of rock with Mercy Ships running all the way through me!”

We are so grateful for the impact that each of our volunteers makes on our ships.

THANK YOU These amazing hospital ships are your legacy as well as ours. Through your kindness and generosity, our ships have brought hope and healing to millions of people across the world.

LinkedIn /mercy-ships-uk

mercyships.org.uk 09

Onboard magazine Thank you

ONBOARD NEWS

A heartfelt THANK YOU to all our amazing fundraisers!

David ties himself in knots for Mercy Ships

Paul Denton (right) receiving his award

An 84-year-old retired teacher challenged himself to wear 100 ties, while singing 100 hymns to help bring life-changing surgery to the world’s poorest nations.

Inspired by Captain Sir Tom Moore, David Pepin from Alston in Cumbria decided that donning his burgeoning tie collection was a perfect way to fundraise for Mercy Ships. His late wife June was a concert pianist and composer, so David also decided to sing and play 100 hymns on his piano.

David’s unique fundraising challenge has helped to raise nearly £700 for Mercy Ships.

Thank you!

Da v

id

P

Rotarian wins global accolade for Mercy Ships fundraising

How a visit to the Anastasis inspired a 100-mile bike ride decades later Grandad Steve Finney, (above), 70, with his children son Mark and daughter Laura, cycled 100 miles to Bristol and back and through villages in the Gloucester area, raising over £1,500 for Mercy Ships.

ep

in

Steve said he felt inspired to support Mercy Ships because he and his wife Sue had visited the Anastasis in the 1980s when it came to the UK. The 100-mile bike ride was just a warm-up for the Finney family – later this year they plan to pedal the entire length of Great Britain - from John O’Groats to Land’s End.

10

Rotarian Paul Denton has been commended with the Distinguished Service Award for Services to Rotary Foundation by the Rotary’s HQ in America.

Paul, of Luton North Rotary Club, has been presented with the award for his tireless fundraising efforts and support of Mercy Ships and Rotary record Global Grant to help equip the Global Mercy.

It is the first time a Rotarian in Great Britain and Ireland has been awarded this honour in six years and he is the first in his District to ever be awarded it!

Thank you for all you’re doing, Paul!

Follow us on social media /mercyshipsuk

Onboard magazine Thank you

Former volunteers put their best foot forward for our floating hospital Former volunteer crew mates of the Africa Mercy hospital ship organised a sponsored walk to fundraise for Mercy Ships. Christine and Peter Brown, Sandrine Gamaury, Tim Farquhar, Holly Summers and Emily Stowe, pictured left, made the most of the rule of six and the great outdoors to raise vital funds for Mercy Ships.

Share your fundraising stories with us!

Follow us on Instagram @mercyshipsuk

Church unanimously agrees to support Mercy Ships

Between them they walked 100 miles to provide free medical care and surgery to those who would otherwise go without.

The congregation of St John Chrysostom with St Andrew, in Peckham, South London have committed to supporting Mercy Ships over the next three years.

Christine, Peter, Sandrine, Tim and Holly have all served as crew on the floating hospital ship the Africa Mercy while it was in Senegal or Cameroon.

Father Emmanuel Adeloye, vicar of the church, recalls that he heard about Mercy Ships at a regional clergy study day, where he heard a talk about the life-changing operations that take place onboard.

“I put it before the PCC of our church and we decided that Mercy Ships should be one of the charities that we will support. We are so inspired by your work, you are giving sight to the blind, those with bowed legs can walk again, you treat people with cleft lips and disabilities. The pictures and stories you share are so moving.

Unanimously we said let us help this charity.”

The congregation of St John Chrysostom with St Andrew, Peckham

Christine, who is also our Community Partnership Manager at Mercy Ships, said: “We all work for Mercy Ships, except my husband, and we are all avid walkers. We love the work that Mercy Ships does, so, we were delighted to volunteer onboard as well as to help raise much needed funds!”

GET IN TOUCH We are always amazed by the incredible and creative ways you support and fundraise for Mercy Ships. Because of you, lives are being changed!

If you would like to book a talk for your church or group, or you want to know more about how to fundraise for us, please contact Christine Brown, our Community Partnerships Manager at christine.brown@ mercyships.org.uk

LinkedIn /mercy-ships-uk

mercyships.org.uk 11

By remembering Mercy Ships with a gift in your will you will provide life-changing surgeries to patients like Gamai and her family, who have no one to turn to for help.

Your gift will put smiles on the faces of patients, remove crippling tumours and heal limbs for years and even decades to come.

Discover how you can leave a truly lasting legacy of mercy, healing and hope at

legacy@mercyships.org.uk

Registered Charity No: 1053055. Registered Charity in Scotland No. SC039743. Company No: 3147724 (England and Wales)