Say Cheese!

It was picture day in the academy a few weeks ago.

My busy bees. Love them so much!

What is the collective noun for a group of teachers?

A pride of teachers?

Mercy Ships Academy (Nursery - Grade 10)

Work Experience

Last month the junior high and high school students completed a work experience assigment on the ship. Each year the students apply for a position that they would like on the ship. This year students worked in the post office, the academy, in sales, at reception, in the hospital, in the dental clinic, as photographers and writers and even as officers.

On the ward, nursing the patients

Dental sterilizer

On the bridge with the officers

Keeping the crew happy with crepes in the snack bar

A friendly face at reception

Working in the lab as a phlebotomist



Teaching young minds in nursery and preschool

Emmanuel Konteh

Five-year-old Emmanuel loves football, Ninja turtles, playing games with his buddies and all the other things little boys like to do. He is also a member of the children's choir at his church. "He's a boy who likes to sing," said his father, Daniel, with obvious pride.

Three years ago, Emmanuel's face suddenly swelled. He was taken to Children's Hospital, but after three weeks they still had no idea what his problem was. The doctor prescribed several kinds of medicine, but Daniel had no money to pay for them.

Emmanuel's pre-op photo of the neck growth

One day, Daniel heard that Mercy Ships was on its way to Sierra Leone. He decided to do everything he could to take his son to the medical screening. When they arrived, they sat on bench in front of the containers on the dock, waiting patiently for Emmanuel's turn to be screened. The little boy's beautiful face was marred by the growth on his left cheek that extended down to his neck. But when he smiled, his dimpled cheeks glowed and his big brown eyes sparkled.

Their patience was rewarded when Emmanuel received the coveted appointment card for a surgery.

When the anxiously awaited day arrived, Emmanuel was admitted to the onboard hospital. Even though he was scared, he was very brave as he was wheeled into the operating room. His father was also nervious. He waited in tears outside the operating room's door, with a nurse holding his hand. "I have never experienced anything like that," he confessed. "I prayed all night. I thought my son would never come out of the surgery."

But Emmanuel did come out - with a bandage on his head and a smile on his face. Daniel heaved a sigh of relief.

Both father and son were delighted with the results of the surgery. "There will be no more taunting now," Daniel said. Emmanuel's friends would no longer be able to laugh at him because of the growth. The little boy could start school with all the confidence a five-year-old should have.

In a few days, the dressing was removed and replaced by thin adhesive strips. "I'm glad they took off the bandage," said Emmanuel. But he wanted to stay on the ship because he was enjoying all the attention from the nurses.

Nurses in the ward taught Emmanuel to wink. He calls it his little trick.

But when Emmanuel was discharged, he left with a brilliant smile. "I thank God to have the operation!" said Emmanuel with an impish grin. "Now, I can play ball!"

Story by Elaine B. Winn

Edited by Nancy Predaina

Photos by Liz Cantu and Tom Bradley

Mercy Ships Connections

Watch this Mercy Ships Connections video to see more of what has been happening over the last few weeks.

Our Arrival in Pictures

It's hard to believe we have been here for almost a month already. Click here to see our arrival in pictures. Thanks to the Mercy Ships Marketing Team for creating this video!

More about screening day

There are so many emotions attached to the Monday's events. I was there but not really. Those of us assisting potential patients inside were unaware of what was taking place outside the gate. We kept hearing that the crowd outside was massive. We had no idea. Please read the events that transpired on Monday from Deb, a nurse and friend who experienced it first hand.

Screening Day

The statement released by Mercy Ships explains the events at screening day on Monday, 7 March. This day usually filled with hope ended sadly.

Mercy Ships is deeply saddened by the tragic events that occurred today during medical screening at the Freetown National Stadium when a crowd stormed the gate resulting in several injuries and one life lost.

Mercy Ships personnel working at the site attended the injured and accompanied them to local hospitals.

"Our hearts and prayers are with the individuals and families of those affected by today's events. The occurrence of this incident in the course of activities intended to restore lives is tragic. We move forward with tremendous sadness, but great determination, to assist as many people as possible in the next ten months," stated Mercy Ships Founder, Don Stephens.

Mercy Ships exists to serve the forgotten poor and has served Sierra Leone five times over the past two decades, also helping establish two land-based health care facilities. For the next ten months, Mercy Ships will be providing surgeries for qualified patients while working alongside the Sierra Leonean Government to support its five-year healthcare plan and strengthen the functions of the national health system.

Revisiting Joseph Fofanah

Looking very sharp in his Boy Scout uniform, nine-year-old Joseph Fofanah stepped up to accept his country's flag. Then he marched crisply to place it in the stand, saluted, and retreated smartly. It was appropriate that this young man participated in the ceremony to welcome the arrival of the Africa Mercy in Sierra Leone.

Former patient Joseph Fofanah presents the flag at arrival ceremonies in Sierra Leone.

Mercy Ships played a very important role in Joseph's life. He was born with a cleft palate and cleft lip. “He was having a problem,” said his mother, Isatu. “Any liquid we fed him would come back out his nose.”

This serious birth defect negatively impacts the lives of many African children. Fortunately, Isatu realized that her son needed a medical procedure to repair the cleft. However, the cost of the surgery was more than she and her husband could afford. “But the pastor and the doctor who delivered Joseph told me not to worry,” said Isatu. “A Mercy Ship is just on the way.”

Joseph had his first surgery in 2002, when he was almost four month s old, and he received a second surgery the following year. He has no memory of his problem or of his Mercy Ships experiences, but the success of these procedures is evident in his brilliant smile.

Dr. Gary Parker greets Joseph Fofanah, one of his former patients, when he returned to participate in arrival ceremonies at Sierra Leone.

Today, Joseph is a happy, active fourth-grader. His favorite subject is mathematics, which may have something to do with his ambition to be a banker one day. An avid football (soccer) enthusiast, he is the goalie on his school team, and enjoys playing w ith his younger brother, Joshua.

Scouting is very popular in Sierra Leone, and Joseph is a five-year member of Boy Scout Team 3. “I really love to march,”he says, and he's looking forward to camping with his troop.

When asked what he thought about being onboard the Africa Mercy , he grinned and exclaimed, “I'm excited, and I really want to stay here!”

Story by Elaine B. Winn
Edited by Nancy Predaina

Power

Last week we experienced a thunderstorm of note. It started during lunch and continued through the rest of the afternoon. This was a conversation in my class:

Student: Miss Estelle, can you please put some music on?

Me: I can't because the power is off.

Student: Is the power off because of the storm?

Me: Yes, it is.

Student: Woah! God is powerful!

How do you respond to that? I just smiled.

Natal Sharks Board

A couple of weeks ago the elementary school visited the Natal Sharks Board for the day.

A skeleton of a great white

'Don't eat us!'

We watched a shark dissection.

Welcome to Appelsbosch...

One of the housing blocks.

We look down into this valley from our rooms.

The amphitheatre. This is where the academy students have their breaktime.

The outside area surrounding the amphitheatre.

The laundry room

The dining room.

My classroom...

...again...

...and again...

...and again...

...and one more time.

I hope you enjoyed the tour!

Blog Alert

I have a new favourite blog. Perhaps I am not the most objective reader but I think it is pretty A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Read MSA Grade One's very first post here. Be sure to become a follower and leave a comment. You will make their day!

Thank you to Miss Elizabeth, the Grade One IT teacher, for your hard work to put this blog together.

Mercy Ships Needs You...yes, YOU!

Yes, I know. It has been a while. Much to catch up on and I will. I promise. But first a little housekeeping...

The Mercy Ships Academy is recruiting teachers for the next school year (August 2011 - June 2012). If you are interested or think you know anybody who could be interested have a look here.

This afternoon...

... the captain announced that we had sailed passed the mouth of the Orange River and are now sailing off the coast of South Africa. Sweet.

Sailing Update

This is one rocking ship. Literally.

We have felt the swells and huge waves over the last two or three days. Fortunately the next few days promise to be more calm.

Huge waves hitting the bow.

It's been a fun week of sailing despite the rocking and rolling. There has been a lot of laughter. Just getting our meals has been an adventure; not to mention trying to balance a cup of tea as you fly across the dining room.

On Sunday we participated in the Sailing Olympics. We made up teams of four and played 16 games. We named our team North and South - two members from South Africa and two from North America.

Team North and South.

Visit Murray's Mercy Ship Adventure for more pictures and information about the sailing olympics.

Pictures taken by Murray Crawford

From Pollywog to Shellback

Yes, it's true.

We crossed the Equator early on Tuesday morning and are in the Southern hemisphere now. (It's good to be back by the way.)



This recent development means that our entire crew are now what the more experienced seafarers among us call shellbacks. Up until Monday those of us who had never crossed the Equator by ship were slimy pollywogs.

All of this maritime madness can be traced back to seagoing practices from earlier years. Sailors who had never crossed the Equator by ship were not considered well-travelled and labelled pollywogs - a horrible stigma for any sailor.

After an initiation and shellback ceremony, the sailors received certificates to verify their new status. This usually involved some form of celebration ... which is the perfect excuse for a chocolate!

Time To-go...

We left Togo over the weekend and are on our way to my homeland...SOUTH AFRICA!

The Africa Mercy departs the port of Lome, Togo (thanks Murray for the picture)

I am yet to spot whales or dolphins although some people have already seen some. I'll keep you posted...

So far the sail has been good to us. This evening we watched Titanic out on Deck 8. A little bit of irony. A lot of fun.

July Newsletter

It's on time. I surprise myself sometimes. Read the latest news here.

Welcome to Grade One

We had our Open House this evening for families and students to view their new classrooms and meet their teachers. Here are some pictures of my new classroom on Deck 6.

The door to my classroom. We are busy Grade One bees this year.

Visit The Farrell Family in Africa for some more pictures.

Romeo Touloulou and the Infant Feeding Program

Baby Romeo Touloulou was born on February 25 th , 2010. He came into this world with a cleft lip and palate, a condition seen more often in West Africa than in the developed world.

Romeo's mother, Badokideou, wanted to know why his lip looked the way it did and how she could fix it. She was told to go to the hospital in Lomé. A kind stranger at the hospital told her about Mercy Ships. This was a place – a ship – where she could go to receive free medical treatment, including cleft lip and palate surgeries.

Romeo arrived on the Africa Mercy when he was one week old.

It was determined that surgery could correct Romeo's condition, but he had to gain weight first. He was enrolled in Mercy Ship's Infant Feeding Program. Because of the cleft lip and palate, it was difficult for Romeo to get the breast milk he needed to grow. The milk went into the hole in the roof of his mouth, causing him to spit up. Thus, he was not getting the nutrition he needed, and he weighed only 2.61kg (5.75 lbs).

Romeo's before picture. When he arrived at Mercy Ships he weighed 2.61kg.

Infant Feeding Program Nurse, Melissa Davey, worked with Badokideou, teaching her an alternative method of feeding. The cup method worked best for Romeo. Mercy Ships provided the formula that Badokideou fed to Romeo through a small plastic cup. Since he was not sucking to get his food, there was less spitting up, and more of the formula went into his stomach.

Time passed and sure enough, Romeo gained weight. He began to look healthy and strong. Romeo and Badokideou came to the ship once a week, and Romeo weighed-in and got measured. Then, they were given enough formula to last them the week, until they came back to the ship. He made steady progress, and Nurse Melissa Davey was confident he would be able to have surgery.

Romeo has gained enough weight to have cleft lip surgery!

She was absolutely right! Romeo reached his goal weight, and a Mercy Ships volunteer surgeon performed surgery, repairing the cleft lip.

Even after the surgery, Badokideou continued feeding Romeo via the cup method, yielding great results. Happily, Romeo has grown to 6.13 kg (13.5 lbs). Romeo still has a cleft palate that will have to be repaired at another time, but the Infant Feeding Program at Mercy Ships has given him a healthy start to life. If Badokideou had not been taught an alternate method of feeding Romeo, he would have suffered from malnutrition, and his health would have declined drastically.

Romeo Touloulou after he has been a part of the Infant Feeding Program at Mercy Ships.

Romeo sitting with his mother, Badokideou, in the Infant Feeding room.

Thanks to Melissa and the rest of the Infant Feeding Program team, Romeo will have a chance at a healthy life. He was lucky to have been born at a time when the Africa Mercy was in port in Lomé, Togo. He had perfect timing, and now he is a healthy and happy five-month-old boy.

Romeo with Infant Feeding Program Nurse, Melissa Davey.

Cute hat, Romeo!

Story by Claire Bufe
Photos by Melissa Davey