Here is a photograph that we took last week of our family aboard the MV Africa Mercy in the Freeport of Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. What does our family do on this hospital ship? Well, Olly is Transportation Manager, managing a team of mechanics, cleaners and drivers to keep the ship's fleet of 30 Land Rover and Nissan vehicles always ready to carry patients, doctors, nurses, agriculturists, water engineers and other professionals and technicians around the city and into the bush. As most replacement parts are unobtainable in Liberia and the roads vary from appalling to non-existent,this is a tough job. Sally is a speech and language therapist working with patients who come to the ship for operations to repair or correct cleft palates, hair lips, lock jaw, facial and oral tumours and burns. She helps them to swallow, eat, drink and talk normally again or for the first time if they were born with the defect. And Noah, Anna and Libby go to school on the ship, along with the other crew children - there are about 50 altogether. The Academy has fifteen teachers covering the normal range of subjects (all taught in English) and after school hours, like kids in the UK, our grandchildren have piano, recorder, dancing and French lessons from other crew members.
Labels: October 2008, Our family in Liberia
draft
8:
No comments:
Post a Comment