Guinea, West Africa

  

Mercy Ships is currently in Guinea,
West Africa for a 10 month field service
extending from August 2012-June 2013.

There are 17 countries that reside in
Mercy Ships strategic target area within
West Africa. These countries lie 15

degrees North and South of the equator
and 15 degrees East and West of the
prime Meridian, making a 15 x 15 grid.



Port- Conakry, Guinea

Facts:

Population = 10.5 million (with close to a

quarter of the country's population in Conakry-

port city)

Languages = 34 (8 National Languages)- Official Language is French. Common languages and Ethnic groups seen on the ship include Fula, Susu, and Maninka.

Faith Traditions include- 1) Muslim 2) African Traditional Religion 3) Christian- 5% profess to              

follow Jesus.

                                                                                     

To put things into perspective:                     

If you lived in Guinea instead of the United States you would…..

·         Have 10.3 times higher chance of dying in infancy

·         Be 2.7 times more likely to have HIV/AIDS

·        Have 2.7 times more babies

·         Die 20.64 year sooner

·         Use 99.39% less electricity

·         Consume 98.61% less oil

·         Make 97.84% less money

·         Spend 99.03% less money on health care

Consider and ponder this:

• Mortality under age 5 (in 2010 per 1000 births) - USA = 8 vs. Guinea = 130
• Maternal mortality (in 2010 per 100, 000 births) - USA = 21 vs. Guinea = 610
• Percentage of births attended by skilled personnel - USA= 99% vs. Guinea = 46%
• Health care workers per 10, 000 people (including nurses, midwives and physicians) - USA = 122 vs. Guinea = 1.3.  This is the fewest health workers relative to population of any country in Mercy Ships target area.  Plus it has been determined by the World Health Organization (WHO) that a country needs at least 23 health workers per 10, 000 people to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).  To reach this minimum Guinea would need an additional 23,000 health workers.  How is that for a SHORTAGE!
• Guinea has a mere 3 hospital beds per 10, 000 people- think of their “over capacity alerts”
• Life expectancy at birth- USA = 78 years vs. Guinea = 55 year

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  So.....why Guinea?!?!

The Health Development Index is a list of numbers which rank 187 countries according to their level of “human development” or “quality of life.” Guinea is in the bottom 10 countries with regards to the Human Development Index Rating.  HDI measures a country’s overall health, access to knowledge, and income. This is measured by determining “life expectancy at birth”, “years of schooling” and “adult literacy rates”, and the average income per person. Therefore Guinea's level of development is below 95% of the world's countries! It also falls among the lowest countries in West Africa in terms of health resources (medical workers and hospital facilities), health outcomes (such as maternal and child health), life expectancy and overall human development. One main reason for this has been Guinea’s poor governance and political instability over the last 5 decades.

The work of Mercy Ships has responded to the countries extreme needs by providing health care, training of health care professionals, and strengthening the health care infrastructure by improving health care facilities.  This has been accomplished through Direct Services, Capacity Building, and Partnerships. 

          Direct Services includes various programs such as:

·     Mercy Vision- aimed to reduce the prevalence of blindness and impaired vision due to cataracts and other eye conditions

·     Outlook of Hope-  aimed to reduce the effects of neglected trauma, disease and congenital conditions through maxillofacial surgeries and treatments

·     Reconstructing Hope- aimed to provide life-saving plastic reconstructive surgeries

          ·          Hope Reborn- aimed to reduce the prevalence of VVF and RVF through surgical
                treatment, while providing education to enhance awareness.

·     Specialized Surgical Solutions- aimed to reduce the effects of neglected trauma, disease, and congenital conditions by providing general surgeries.

          ·         Orthopedic Project- aimed to reduce the functional and social effects of orthopedic  
                related diseases and disorders through surgeries, castings, and therapy.

·     Guinea Smiles- aimed to reduce the incidence of dental disease by providing dental treatments such as restorations, extractions and cleaning.

·     Palliative Care- aimed to give practical care and support to individuals suffering from terminal illness and their families.

Capacity Building has incorporated things like:

·     Leadership Conferences- to facilitate leadership training for approximately 1200 local leaders of churches, communities, and government representatives from throughout Guinea

·     Training Local Surgeons- to perform VVF, orthopedic, maxilla-facial and eye surgeries

·     Training local health workers- local hospitals have shown interest in sending nurses to the ship to learn technique and skills.

·     Dental Education- at the dental clinic they hold education sessions in the patient waiting area

·     Food for Life Program- to provide agricultural training to enhance farming outputs and nutrition.

·     Upgrading Medical Facilities- improving medical infrastructure such as the renovations done to one of the wards of a local hospital in Conakry where the Hope Center is located, and to the dental clinic site (new water tower, re-wiring electrical system).

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More to come about the incredible impact Mercy Ships has had the last several months and continues to have on the people of West Africa and on Guinea as a Nation!