Mercy Ships Help Over 30,000 People in Guinea

By -
During the next ten months after her arrival in Conakry, the Africa Mercy offered direct medical services and capacity building assistance including education, renovations, equipment and donations benefiting over 30,000 individuals and the entire nation of Guinea.

·    1,617 eye surgeries (cataracts, pterygium, strabismus, and other) were performed for adults and children. 13,483 eye evaluations performed at various sites in and around Conakry. In addition, 1,341 UV blocking sunglasses, 2,221 reading glasses and 144 prescription glasses distributed.

·    The ships’ volunteer surgeons performed 666 maxillofacial surgeries including 176 cleft lip and/or palate repairs for children and adults.

·    84 patients (51 adults and 33 children) received 99 specialized plastics reconstructive surgeries. 451 physical therapy sessions, 813 hand therapy sessions and 169 occupational therapy sessions provided.

·    General surgery was provided for 302 patients, including 258 adults and 44 children. Hernia repairs and thyroidectomies made up the majority of the general surgeries.

·    Life changing surgeries were provided to 35 Guinean women suffering with complicated vesico-vaginal fistulas (VVF).

·    Surgeries were provided to 116 pediatric patients from Guinea and Sierra Leone. 51 clubfoot corrections for 33 patients using Ponseti Casting. All received physical therapy (1,807 sessions) and 82 braces were fabricated and distributed to patients as needed.

·    Guinea Smile provided dental care to a total of 12,209 patients received treatments plus 950 patients received dental prophylaxis. Dentures provided after extraction for 577 patients to improve their smile.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Forty Years With Mercy Ships

By -
Image
  Today marks a milestone in my career. Forty years ago, on July 2, 1983, I joined the Organization #MercyShips. Back then, the dream to bring hope and healing to the forgotten poor was mainly work, a lot of hard work. But as my parents used to tell me, work doesn’t kill anyone; I’m here to say that they were right. In those forty years, I sailed the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Visited three continents and ministered in 42 countries. Countless volunteers from around the world worked without ceasing on the first Mercy Ships, the Anastasis, and the other ships that followed her, the Good Samaritan, the Pacific Ruby, the Caribbean Mercy, the #AfricaMercy, and now our newest ship, the #GlobalMercy. #Mercy Ships has delivered services to more than 2.86 million beneficiaries during this time. Provided services and materials in developing countries valued at over $1.77 billion, including the following: Performed more than 108,000 life-changing or life-saving surgical procedures
Read more

A Tribute to Pelé

By -
 I was 15 years old at the time of the buzz about Pelé’s 1000th goal. The countdown began on the 910th. Local, national, and international media followed his team, Santos FC, everywhere. The conversation at the offices, factories, bars, street corners, and the no-grass soccer fields was about when, where, and how the historical feat would happen. At the time, the closer goal scorer was four hundred goals behind. We wanted to know who would go into history by association just for being under the crossbar at the wrong time for them but at the right time for the rest of the world. Our imagination wondered what kind of special magic Pelé would use to score a goal that would be in our memories forever. Would he score with his head after rising a foot above his marker? Or would he score after controlling a crossed ball with his chest, looping it over a defender before kicking it to the back of the net? Would the goal happen after a spectacular run from the mid-field leaving behind counte
Read more

Happy Father's Day!

By -
It is a beautiful East Texas Sunday. A perfect day to celebrate Father’s Day. No matter if he is your biological father, an adopted father, a stepfather, or just someone who has the role of a father figure in your life. Today we celebrate fathers. I can’t resist reflecting on my father, Mr. Manoel Barbosa Dos Santos, a hardworking man who was always there present in my life. He brought me to my first day of school, took me to my first soccer game at Maracanã stadium, was with me when I joined Merchant Marine Academy, and helped me to fix my first house. It is hard to remember an important event in my life when he was not present. He was always there. And he did it without saying anything. He was from an era when it was unnecessary to say to those you love; I love you. I know of his love for me not because he said it but because he demonstrated it. I remember one time when I was playing soccer at the local fire station’s futsal court when I glimpsed my father with a grin on his fa
Read more