Marie Whitehead from the Adelaide suburb of Enfield says she has always had a desire to serve the poor for as long as she can remember, and has been actively associated with the St Vincent De Paul Society and as a member of Co Workers of Mother Teresa. "There was also an ambition to serve in some missionary field, but it was that train journey a year ago which provided the opportunity of the short-term service with Mercy Ships in Benin, one of the world's poorest nations," she says.
"I was given a copy of War Cry by a Salvation Army Officer at Gosford in New South Wales. The magazine contained a feature article on the work done by volunteers serving with Mercy Ships, and my mind was made up as I read that story during the trip."
Marie is due home at the end of June after serving two months as an Admissions Nurse on the Africa Mercy, the world's largest non-governmental hospital ship which has six operating theatres, a 78-bed hospital and more than 400 crew. The Christian charity has since 1978 used ships as the platform to provide a range of health care and community development programs at no cost to the forgotten poor, following the example of Jesus. Volunteers pay their own way and pay crew fees to help offset the ship's running costs.
"It was quite a job getting to Benin to join the ship. I needed references, accumulate leave, work in with management to fill my position, ensure other family and community commitments were covered, fill out forms, have vaccinations, book flights via Kuala Lumpur, Amsterdam, Paris and Cotonou, check this was the right thing to do including leaving my husband of 36 years at home, and hand it over to the Lord."
"My work onboard involved meeting people on the dock due for surgery the following day, escorting them and family members onto the ship, interviewing patients through a translator, setting their minds at ease, showing them the hospital routine and then carrying out routine observations and tests needed prior to surgery.
"I did have a few fears leaving home, mostly about having to learn a new job and being forced out of my comfort zone. And I surely was pushed out of that comfort zone. But the experience has surpassed all of my expectations, and words cannot describe how I feel. Each new day has brought a new experience and a learning curve. The quality of workmanship and the level of commitment displayed by all of the volunteers working in the hospital and out in the community of Benin has been outstanding.
"Many different types of surgery are performed, but I have been privileged to be involved in one special type of surgery. A surgeon was carrying out repairs to correct obstetric fistulas on women who had sustained damage during obstructed or delayed childbirth. We saw a lot of women suffering from incontinence. They were women who had been shunned by their families and ostracized by their communities. These women are forced to live outside society, and some had been virtually rounded up from their mountain hideouts where they were forced to live. Following surgery to correct their fistulas, the women get special treatment from the staff. They have their nails painted, hands massaged, and they receive colourful bags for their toiletries. There is a special dress ceremony when each woman is given a new outfit in the fabric of her choice to signify her new start to life … dry. There is much singing and dancing."
Marie sums up her two-month trip away. "I have had a huge awakening. Hopefully, it will stay with me in the future. One would have to be blind not to see this as God's work," she says.
The emphasis is on the needs of the world's poorest nations in West Africa, where the hospital ship Africa Mercy provides the platform for services extending up to ten months at a time. Mercy Ships works on land-based projects in Sierra Leone in partnership with other organisations, while teams also work in several nations of Central America and the Caribbean. There are 14 support offices around the world, including the Australian office on the Queensland Sunshine Coast. www.mercyships.org.au