A Change of Scenery

I am happy to report that the Africa Mercy has sailed out of the ASTICAN shipyard in Las Palmas! Don't get too excited though, we've only moved to the neighbouring island of Tenerife. We are back in almost the exact spot where we spent those 2 joyous months of quarantine/lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic. That does mean that we are now technically - geographically - further away from Senegal. But in the grand scheme of things, we are closer to our return now than we have been since that all started. Real, tangible progress is happening to facilitate 'Senegal 2.0' - the second phase of our field service during which we will complete our planned surgeries, continue to support & train local professionals, and reconnect & follow-up with some of our previous patients. 

Speaking of training, take a minute to watch this update from an Ophthalmic surgeon from Togo. He is a shining example of the ripple effect that these partnerships can have. THIS is the most important outcome of the work that we do. Not the individual lives impacted (although each one is precious), but the exponential impact of equipping someone to serve and train others...who can in turn train even more! Emigration of skilled professionals away from low income countries is part of the reason that doctor-patient ratios there remain such a huge barrier to care. It is so heartwarming and encouraging to see someone who nearly followed that path, where he could have had a very comfortable life, but chose instead to stay and fight to better his own country.

Meanwhile, on the AFM...

I am still helping fill the Assistant Purser role for a little while longer before starting to shift towards Hospital prep. Preparation for the sail was a little stressful. Our sail day, however, was glorious weather and a much needed respite. I asked the Captain if we could just circle around for a few more days, but my request was, sadly, not approved. ;)

...our last sight in Gran Canaria!

Early start meant a beautiful sunrise...

Bye, bye, ASTICAN!

We still did *quite* a few circles to calibrate the compass. I'm sure some stomachs did not appreciate it.

We managed to squeeze in some worship on the bow - a Mercy Ships tradition!

The first (of many) Tenerife sunsets - just as the tug was nudging us in to port.

We have a few hurdles now here on a new island, but fortunately, in part because of high vaccination rates on the island (and within our crew), we have a fair bit of freedom to move around and explore - within a limited radius of the ship. Granadilla is a tiny, brand new port which is just beginning to be developed, so there is not a whole lot within walking distance except for construction sites, rocky desert and rocky shorelines. Which, to be honest, is fine by me. It's a nice change from the crowded streets of Las Palmas.

Lookin' pretty good in her shiny new paint job. As you can see...not much else around her!

Some veritably post-apocalyptic landscapes in the surrounding area.

So, here we will sit. And wait. A little while longer. 

Just a few more months.

Senegal is on the horizon! Next time I'll try to share some stories from our Advance team who are already there, preparing the way for us to return. 

Well, I'd better get back to my online course work for tonight. Learning about nearly every kind of wormy-parasite-type thing that can I could come across in my travels. What fun! Sorry for leaving you with that wonderful thought! ;D

 

À la prochaine. 

        -D

Back to the Starting Blocks

Well, I am finally back.

Back on the ship, but not back to Africa. And things are not exactly back to normal, either.

How it started (when I arrived)

How it's going (progress from the last week!)

She looks much more herself now. 

Right now the Africa Mercy is in drydock - pulled completely out of the water so that extensive repairs, upgrades and maintenance can be performed. There are, at last count, about 20 holes in the hull! That number has already gone down 50% from when I arrived, so progress is certainly being made. This work (plus more that will take place next year) should extend the life of the vessel by 15 years. 

It is a strange time to be here, and a little bit difficult to feel settled-in. Because many systems are offline and being worked on (including the all-important air conditioning), only essential crew are living on board, the rest in a hotel. We commute to the ship every day to work, go 'home' at night, and must wear PPE anytime we are outside. It's akin to working on an active construction site - there is constant hammering, grinding, welding, painting and sand-blasting. 

I am here to fill holes in the staffing schedule, which means I'll be bouncing around for a while before getting back to hospital projects. I'm starting out back at the reception desk, where we're temporarily sporting these lovely banana-yellow polos. 

Me & friend/crew nurse Susy - with our extra PPE as we navigate the shipyard.

Reception may sound like a rather hum-drum job, but on the AFM it can be stressful at times, as it's a critical part of the safety & emergency response systems. Looking back at my posts from last year when I joined reception, I guess I never explained what goes on! The reception desk is manned 24/7 - emergency calls come to our desk, and we monitor the fire detection system. We are essentially the switchboard, the emergency dispatch, and the record-keepers for the Purser. What is a Purser, you ask? 

Not this guy.

Glad you asked, since, as it turns out, I will also be filling in as Acting Assistant Purser for a couple of months. The Purser is responsible for a number of things: the ship's Articles (a contract between the captain and all crew under the laws of our flag state of Malta), facilitating the immigration process for all crew (both those flying in and out, and those on board when we sail in or out of a country), and, in essence, knowing where all crew are at all times in case of an emergency. 

Eventually, I'm going to be transitioning into gradual hospital start-up projects; a handful of nurses are here and another good friend will be joining us in November. I'm also using this down time for some professional development that has sat on the backburner for a while: next week I'm starting an online diploma program on nursing in tropical settings which I'm quite looking forward too. It'll be a good challenge doing something academic again - dust off the ol' essay-writing skills - and hopefully help to keep my nurse brain firing on all cylinders! 

Chugging along

That's a lot of updates from me, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention some of the other exciting Mercy Ships news. Our new (big) baby sister ship, the Global Mercy, has made its way halfway across the globe from the shipyard in China towards Belgium, where it will get the final bells & whistles it needs to be both a functional vessel and a functional hospital. She's quite the sight to behold, and I can't wait to see her in person sometime next year! For now, enjoy these views from the Suez Canal passage. The Senegalese & Egyptian governments collaborated to accommodate the crossing completely free of charge. Check it out!

There's also some very exciting work happening back in Africa on several fronts! 

In Senegal, our Medical Capacity Building teams have worked to organize more palliative care training - taught by graduates of our earlier programs! The course was at full capacity, and among the students were Cardiologists, Oncology nurses, and even an Imam. 

Palliative Care training participants

Also in Senegal, we are working to facilitate surgery for over 100 patients on our waiting list through our local hospital partners. Health infrastructure & nutrition programs are ongoing, and our advance team on the ground is beginning to work out all the fine details required to bring the ship back in to port. The country just weathered out their biggest wave of COVID yet, and accelerated vaccination programs are still desperately needed. Only 7% of the population is fully vaccinated. Global supply is a major hindrance to the efforts to control this disease, and it is frustrating to see so much talk being talked but so little walk being walked on this point. The wealthy countries of the world had to get their lion's share of the pie before sharing the crumbs with anyone else. 

Senegal daily new COVID cases

Bloomberg Covid Vaccine Global Distribution

As discouraging as the world's response is, it is still reassuring that overall case numbers have not climbed out of control in most of Africa, and though some hospitals are stretched, most are coping with these occasional spikes. This article does a good job detailing some of the whys, hows, and exceptions to these trends in Africa. 

Sorry if I got a little bit preachy there. I have strong feelings. 

Back to some good news: Mercy Ships was able to provide local hospitals in Liberia with portable oxygen concentrators - a crucial backup when conventional oxygen supplies are running low. Also in Liberia, Dr. Doug, an EENT surgeon, has been providing free surgeries and mentoring 3 local surgeons at one of the hospitals in Monrovia. 

Dr. Doug receiving his Liberian license to practice!

Doug and his wife Darcey were part of my On Boarding class, and were desperately eager to return after the ship was delayed once more. A way was made for that to happen!

There is more going on on the continent, but I think if I go on, I might bore you! Suffice to say, although the ship isn't back just yet, folks are working hard to support our partners across Africa through this strange season. For myself, for now, I'm sittin' here sweating, answering phones, collating passports, & reporting alarms...looking forward to floating again, but much more to the day we sail back into the sandy streets of Dakar.

Thanks for reading, and for walking this road with me.

À la prochaine,
                         -D