Mercy Ships Opens Center in Sierra Leone

Mercy Ships, Freetown, Sierra Leone, recently welcomed approximately 500 guests to celebrate the official opening ceremony of its custom-built center in the Koya Rural District Waterloo, outside of Freetown. Guests attending the ceremony included the Sierra Leonian Minister of Social Welfare, the Minister of Lands, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, and representatives of the Ministry of Health, other government institutions, UNICEF, the European Union (EU), and dignitaries from local communities.

The "New Steps Center" began lifeas a 40-foot shipping container acting as a portable prosthetic/orthotic workshop. It was dropped offat the local port on a Mercy Ships visit to Sierra Leone in 2000.

The original primary target group was the amputees and war-wounded. It was soon discovered that a greater unmet need was among the indirectly war-disabled. During the ten-year civil war, polio vaccinations were interrupted, which resulted in thousands of young people becoming disabled. Other disabilities include people suffering from the affects of cerebral palsy, amputation, vehicular accidents, and birth defects.

Today the Mercy Ships New Steps Center is designed for health and development activities, serving communities of mobility-disabled or resettled persons, the organization noted. The 17,000-sq.-ft. facility is equipped with a rehabilitation wing, including rooms for children's therapy, physiotherapy treatment, and orthotic and prosthetic workshops. The building also houses offices for healthcare, administration, and community development support. Other features include a training and resources center, as well as a farm and agriculture training area.

Through the new center, Mercy Ships facilitates comprehensive community development programs in more than 30 communities in the area, as well as offering extended rehabilitation services to provincial locations.

Mercy Ships is a growing fleet of hospital ships, delivering free healthcare services to the poor in developing nations. Each year, more than 2,400 career and short-term volunteers serve with Mercy Ships, according to the organization. Mercy Ships has three hospital ships and offices in 17 countries and has visited more than 500 ports in over 50 developing nations.

For more information, visit www.mercyships.org

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Mercy Ships Opens Center in Sierra Leone

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