The president of one of Africa's poorest countries has asked faith-based Mercy Ships of Garden Valley to continue its relief mission there for another year, said Mercy Ships officials on Monday. The infrastructure of Liberia, nearly destroyed by 14 years of civil war, includes a healthcare system that is currently "in crisis," said Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first elected female head of state.
"The Africa Mercy offers an indispensable bridge by responding to the individual medical crises that have kept too many of our citizens on the sidelines," said the president in a press release Monday. "These citizens want an active role in the reconstruction of Liberia, the fulfillment of their dreams and a strong and stable country."
The Africa Mercy is a 499-foot $62 million state-of-the-art hospital ship operated by the Smith County Christian charity. Vice president of International Health Care Operations for Mercy Ships, Dr. Glenn Strauss of Tyler conservatively estimated that Mercy Ship volunteers could provide more than 7,000 medical procedures during the extended 10-month deployment.
Founder and President of Mercy Ships, Don Stephens said the request was an "answer to prayer."
"For me this invitation from president Sirleaf at such a critical time in that country's history was an answer to prayer," said Stephens to the Tyler Morning Telegraph. "I think it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to help rebuild that nation from ground zero.
The invitation could potentially affect the world, said Stephens.
"This is a tremendously exciting time for Mercy Ships and should be for America and the world," he said. "A stable Liberia means a potentially stable West Africa and affects the lives of not only Liberian citizens but the quality of life for literally millions. We are honored by the President's request and ready to help in the transformation of that nation."
An estimated 200,000 Liberians have died in two recent civil wars. The nation was founded by freed African-American slaves in 1820. Monrovia is the capital city with a population of almost 600,000 and is without running water or electricity. It is named after American President James Monroe, Stephens said. It is the only non-American city in the world to be named after a U.S. President.
"The ties to America are already there," said Stephens. "Liberia is only one of two African nations never colonized by a Western power. Ethiopia is the other."
The opportunity to return to Liberia was discussed between Stephens and Ms. Sirleaf during private meetings at the AFRICARE Conference in Washington D.C. in October. At that conference Ms. Sirleaf received the Bishop T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award, presented to her in part by U.S. First Lady Laura Bush. Stephens said Ms. Sirleaf's invitation was unexpected.
"Months ago we had originally planned to be in Sierra Leone at the close of 2007," said Stephens. "The decision was never finalized by that country's new government and it would seem that their hesitation was to make room for us to commit to Liberia. Our board enthusiastically endorsed our return to Liberia. We will do that after a standard dry-dock procedure for the Africa Mercy in December."
The medical staff of the Africa Mercy is comprised of volunteers from around the world. Strauss, of Tyler's Grace Community Church said the ships's medical service in Liberia will not be interrupted.
"We were planning for Sierra Leone, but we're already in place and up and running in Liberia," he said. "I don't anticipate any interruption of existing services. What we do have is an opportunity to expand those services to be more inclusive of solving some of Liberia's most pressing and ongoing problems."
For more information about Mercy Ships, visit the Web at www.mercyships.org. For information about President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's humanitarian award, visit www.africare.org
Mercy Ships To Continue Liberian Aid
