Dear friends and family,

SALAMA – a greeting in Madagascar of hello, good morning, good day, good afternoon, and even good evening – so a great word to know often here.

As mentioned in my last update, we closed down Mercy Ships activities in Liberia, I have moved over to serve on the team in Madagascar.

Some of you may remember Mercy Ships served in Madagascar for almost two years (2014 – 2016) when the Ebola disease was in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, West Africa.  I went ahead of the ship and served on the assessment/advance teams there.

In my new role as Port Liaison for Mercy Ships Africa Service Center, I am in Madagascar and am focusing on the arrangements for the ship in the port (I will share more details later), the customs and immigration arrangements which can be a challenge due to the uniqueness of Mercy Ships and our agreements with the host nation’s government, and any other arrangements and activities needed for the team.  Last week, I hosted a team from our Marine Operations department, and so we spent many hours at the Port.  In our big meeting <see first photo>, the port officials remember Mercy Ships, though some of them were in different positions than what they have currently.  The Port Director is the same man as before, and he remembers me from 2014.  They are encouraged to work with us once again.

For Madagascar, I am living in the port city of Toamasina (also known in French as Tamatave) – Mercy Ships has two Team Apartments in the same building.  Apartments with two bedrooms, an open living and kitchen area, and a covered balcony.  The apartment I am in, its balcony looks to the south, but not high enough above the trees to see the port and the ocean.  In the Southern Hemisphere, it is winter, so the temperatures are pleasant now – currently with high temperatures averaging around 80 degrees F (26 degrees C).  

    Photos:  part of the Port of Toamasina and a Group Photo after the Initial Survey

I flew into the capital, Antananarivo which is located in the middle of the country at a higher elevation. I will return to the capital for higher-level government meetings as needed.  Though the journey was difficult when Mercy Ships was here from 2014 – 2016 via the road, it is worse now than then and takes much longer.  The Country Director and Operations Director for Mercy Ships in Madagascar are living in the capital with their families.  Other Mercy Ships team members will join us here in Tamatave.  

The Africa Mercy‘s upcoming field service is scheduled for February 1 to December 14, 2024.  The Africa Mercy is undergoing some major renovation projects in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa (where I spent most of 2010) and will also be in East London – soon to be known as KuGompo in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, and then will travel to Madagascar.

I feel great reconnecting with former local workers, crew, and partners here in town, walking the streets, attending Sunday church service, and visiting the restaurants, barber shop, and grocery and local markets – re-establishing myself now in Madagascar.  I will be sharing more with you about Madagascar and Mercy Ships plans in this beautiful country through these KRB Updates.

As the firstborn son, my Malagasy name is Lahimatao – abbreviated to ‘Lahi’ – so that is the name I use here.

Serving together,

Dear friends and family,
As the outgoing Country Director assigned to Liberia, I wish to celebrate what has happened. Still, only some of what has happened in Liberia can go into this update about Liberia.  I have said my goodbyes to Liberia and the dear people I call friends there with the phrase shared with me from a senior Mercy Ships leader ‘for the time being.’    

Liberia had anticipated hosting the Global Mercy in Monrovia. However, we shared with the Minister of Health in Dakar, Senegal last year in May that a ship deployment would not be possible for various reasons.  In late May of this year, we shared with the same Minister of Health that all of Mercy Ships activities would finish by the end of June 2023.  Mercy Ships wishes to focus more on the countries where the ships will be visiting in the upcoming years.  A meeting followed and even with disappointment, the Minister was thankful and keenly interested in all that was still to take place, especially the strategic donation of eight more anesthesia systems for her hospitals and the user training.    

With this update, I wish to celebrate what has happened and rejoice with this phrase from the hymn ‘To God be the Glory, Great Things He hath done.’ 
I have a heart full of gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of this for the past 33 months of my life. 
The below was also shared with the Minister for her to share with the President George Weah.

Photo Caption:  Final Day of Training – User on the Diamedica Glostavent Anesthesia System at a hospital in Monrovia (I am in the background on the right-hand side)

Mercy Ships Key Achievements 2021 – 2023

Based on assessment visits, the Surgical Care System Needs in Liberia Workshop held in May 2021, and in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Mercy Ships came alongside the healthcare system in Liberia in the following areas:

• Training & Strategic Donations
  • Anesthesia:
    • 24 Diamedica Glostavent Anesthesia Systems with Patient Monitors donated and user training provided for 15 hospitals in 10 counties of Liberia.
    • Anesthesia Training – SAFE Obstetric Anesthesia Courses and Anesthesia Provider Mentoring in two hospitals.
  • Biomedical:
    • Two Training Courses for all Liberian Biomedical Technicians in 2021 – Mentoring conducted in all 15 counties.
    • Equipping the Workshop at the Healthcare Technology Management Unit at the Ministry of Health. Continuous support to biomedical technicians on various equipment.
  • Leadership Development Training & Mentoring
    • Four Hospitals over Two Years – Jackson F. Doe, JJ Dossen, Redemption, and Emirates hospitals.
  • Training Courses
    • Safe Surgery, Neonatal Resuscitation, Primary Trauma Care, Nurses, Nutritional Agriculture, and Mental Health.

                      = 685 training participants in 2022 + 335 training participants in 2023

• Nurse Assessment Kits
  • 3,002 nurses and midwives in all 15 counties received the kit to assist them in caring for their patients at their facilities.
• Donations: 40’ container of PPE, portable oxygen concentrators during Covid, new blue scrubs, 70 Nursing Drug Handbooks, face masks, exam gloves, audiovisual equipment, notebook computers, 120 new hospital beds, and other items
• Surgeries: 216 head and neck surgeries were provided free of charge for 208 Liberians, with Mercy Ships personnel at a partner hospital and mentoring simultaneously.
   

Some kind responses are posted below – they were received after notifying our friends and partners about our departure as I wanted them to hear from me about the closing of our activities and not for people to hear via rumors in the market, workplace, church, or mosque. 

• From Professor Robert M. Kpoto: “Mercy Ships during your tenure have done remarkably very well in Liberia.  It’s sad that Mercy Ships have to end all activities in Liberia.  I pray that in the not too distant future Mercy Ships will return to Liberia because the country and people of Liberia really need the critical humanitarian services they provide.”
   
• From Dr. Ponnie Robertslee Dolo, Medical Director “We are sincerely humbled by your dedication and commitment to helping improve healthcare in Liberia. May your next assignment be fruitful. Thank you from all of us here at the Jackson F Doe Hospital.”
   
• From Dr. Wiyatta Diggs, Physician Anesthesia Provider, shared over WhatsApp, “Mercy Ships have always been there for the people of Liberia. You’ve made a lot of sacrifices ensuring safe health care delivery. You’ve conducted workshops, trainings, and immense donations. Look around the entire country and see how many Glostavent Anesthesia System machines have been donated for safe surgeries.”

Photo Caption:  Convoy of Four Vehicles from Liberia picked up at the border with Sierra Leone and on the road to Freetown for use by the teams there and the soon arrival of the Global Mercy into Sierra Leone in three weeks.

We genuinely hope that with the strategic donations of anesthesia equipment and training, there is now better anesthesia in Liberia and, thus, safer surgery for the population.

I want to thank all the Mercy Shippers worldwide who have participated in what has occurred in Liberia.  From those who came to conduct the trainings, organize the trainings, purchased the specific equipment needed for the healthcare professionals here, shipped 40’ containers with donations. 
Huge thanks to all my friends, family, and church for your prayers and financial support, and encouragement.   

So many good seeds of hope and healing my Team and I have sown in faith in Liberia.

To God Be the Glory

So ‘for the time being’, bye bye to Liberia,

Keith “Kofa” R. Brinkman

PS – I will continue to serve full-time with Mercy Ships with the Africa Service Center on the Country Engagement Teams, next opportunity as Port Liaison, heading to Madagascar in just over a week – more to follow in my next KRB Update.   

Photo Caption:  Day of Departure with Yahyah, who has been on the team since 2021 and ensured that I got to the airport safely.  It may look like I am traveling light, but that is not true. I already checked in my luggage and Mercy Ships luggage at the airline’s office in the city the day before.