Welcome to Benin

COTONOU, BENIN, WEST AFRICA, 10th February, 2009: Hundreds of well-wishers lined up to welcome the Africa Mercy hospital ship, and her crew into the Port of Cotonou, to begin a 10-month assignment in the nation.

Invited by Benin’s Ministry of Health, the Africa Mercy’s medical and development crew look forward to partnering with officials under the government of President Yayi Boni.

This is the fourth visit by a Mercy Ship to Benin in the past 12 years.  Around 40 African crewmembers are included in the international complement of 35 nations represented by the 400 crew onboard.

Although statistics on health and education suggest improvements over the past decade, nearly 30 per cent of Benin’s population lives below the poverty line.  Often described as one of the most stable countries in West Africa, Benin is still ranked by the United Nations as the 163rd poorest nation among 177 tracked by the Human Development Index.

Surgeries to be offered by Mercy Ships include maxillo-facial, cleft lip and palate, tumours, flesh-eating noma, release of burn contractures, cataracts, obstetric fistula, and orthopaedic issues.

All surgeries are offered at no charge to patients, thanks in part to the many donors who support the ongoing work of the Mercy Ship.

During the hospital ship’s ten-month assignment in port, hundreds of volunteers from around the world will carry out a wide range of other medical and community development services as well, at the invitation of the Ministry of Health.

The Mercy Vision project aims to help reduce the number of blind people in Benin, and will treat those with crossed eyes, pterygium, children under 16 born with cataracts, and older people who can see some light. Of the estimated 48,000 Beninese blind, more than half are blind because of cataracts.

During previous visits, Mercy Ships volunteer surgeons have provided cataract surgeries for more than 1,000 patients. This year, up to 3,000 cataract surgeries will be provided.

Teams will also set up community clinics in Godomey, Ghanhi, Porto-Novo, and Akpakpa, and aim to evaluate and treat 20,000 people for basic eye diseases.

Within the ship’s six state-of-the-art operating theatres, other plans are to offer free services, including more than 200 orthopaedic surgeries, nearly 2,000 reconstructive and tumour surgeries, 140 procedures to correct obstetric fistulas in women.  Health education and training will also be provided.