Saturday, 10th November 2007
Monrovia, Liberia - President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has welcomed Mercy Ship's decision to return to Liberia from February to November 2008 after it ends its first tour in November of this year. She says the stay of the Africa Mercy vessel of Mercy Ship's fleet in the country will be of immense support to Liberia’s health sector.
Mercy Ship's decision to return to the country in February 2008 came out of an invitation extended by the Liberian leader to Mr. Don Stephens, Founder and President of Mercy Ships, during a recent meeting held in Washington D.C., USA. According to Mercy Ship, the volunteers of Africa Mercy will be able to provide over 7000 medical procedures during a standard 10-month deployment in Liberia.
For his part, Mr. Stephens has pledged Mercy Ship's continued support to President Johnson Sirleaf’s goal of rebuilding Liberia’s health care sector. He stressed that part of Mercy Ship's decision to return to Liberia is "to strongly support momentum for Liberia’s national health policy and increase the health care capacity for medical care by using the Africa Mercy as a platform for medical education and mentoring in administration and management infrastructure." He further stressed that the Ship’s volunteer crew will also "deliver small-scale construction and renovation projects alongside the medical training and surgical services the ship provides."
The return of Africa Mercy in February 2008 will be the fourth tour of Mercy Ship to Liberia since its previous vessel, Anastasis, first called in to the Port of Monrovia in 2005.