Hospital Mission Ship Helps Rebuild Schools in Liberia
A hospital mission ship is helping a West African country rebuild its schools and providing school supplies to children in an effort to restore education and curb poverty in the country.
A hospital mission ship is helping Liberia rebuild its schools and providing school supplies to children in an effort to restore education and curb poverty in the war-torn country.
Mercy Ships – the leader in using hospital ships to deliver health care services to the poor – is working in the West African country to install roofs and remodeling the interior of schools, as well as providing supplies to school-aged children. A Liberian educator told Mercy Ships in a statement released on Nov. 28 that he believes that there is a correlation between lack of education and poverty and violence.
“If we look at the war, one of the reasons experts tell us that led to this war [was that] … the combatants were out of school drop outs. So those that were educated used them by enticing them with money,” said Abdulai Serleaf, Vice Principal in Royesville County, Liberia.
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Liberia has suffered from 14 years of civil war and is considered by the U.N. as one of the poorest countries in the world with many school aged children out of education.
Abdulai – who volunteers at a local school previously destroyed and looted by rebels, including the metal roof – believes that an operational school is a key factor in bringing the community back to the area. Many of the children who would attend this school now live in Internally Displaced people Camps.
"Today we look and we see zinc roofs, we see all the improvements…. it's just fantastic…. I say God is working a miracle in our community!" exclaimed Abdulai.
Mercy Ships - founded in 1978 as a global charity by Don and Deyon Stephens - brings hope and healing to the poor in developing nations. The newest ship in the fleet is the Africa Mercy, due to be commissioned from London spring 2006.
Mercy Ships has treated more than 300,000 people in village medical clinics, performed more than 18,000 surgeries, 110,000 dental treatments and completing close to 350 construction and agriculture projects, including schools, clinics, orphanages and water wells. Each year more than 1,600 short-term volunteers serve with Mercy Ships.
