KRB Update #2145 October 16, 2009 Programs Reporting Time
With almost 400 people living and serving on board, one of the ways to share with the ship community what is happening in Programs on and off the ship is by conducting our Programs Reporting Times on Friday mornings at 07:45-08:15 in the International Lounge on the Africa Mercy. As Programs Administrator for the Africa Mercy, I am responsible to coordinate and arrange everything for these meetings and to serve as the MC and Audio/Visual guy. Even though this is an optional meeting, we normally have 80 – 100 people in the room to listen and others watch via the video camera system.

Here is a list of projects that have shared or will share before we stop next month:
Hospital
Surgical Screening, Maxillo-facial Surgeries, Plastic Surgeries, Orthopaedic surgeries, VVF surgeries, ICU Nurses, Infant Feeding, Ward Nurses, Hospital Counselors, Dental Team including their counselor, Field Eye Team, Ship Eye Team, Adopt-A-Patient, Hospitality Center and Palliative and Outpatient Care
Health Care Development
Construction of Dormitory/Training Facility with Bethesda, Construction of Pediatric Orthopaedic Clinic with OSAREH, Church Leaders’ Conferences, Agriculture Training, Administrative Personnel Training, Biomedical Technician Training and Mental Health Training
Mercy Ministry
Missionaries of Charity, Maison de l’Exellence, Maison de l’Esperance, Jardin d’Eden Children’s Home, Jesus Film in French and local languages, C.E.O. Boy’s Home, School of the Deaf, Jacquot Psychiatric Clinic, and Fondation Regard d’Amour.

For some projects, I offer the speaker 12-13 minutes and thus we would have two speakers. For other projects including those which may have multiple speakers, I offer them the entire 25 minutes to share. For some, this will be the first time to speak in front of a crowd and for others it may be the first time to give a speech in English. I start with a welcome to the crew and then share the opportunities in Programs that we are inviting them to sign up and join us – these may be going to an orphanage, helping to paint and clean at a construction site, and adopt-a-patient in the hospital. I will also share with the crew on the opportunities to attend a local church where transportation is provided and where English translation is available. Many of our speakers share and use Power Point to help visualize and then I posted them on Navigator (Mercy Ships intranet system) for others elsewhere in the Mercy Ships world to view (hopefully for next year, I will be able to post the audio of the reporting time).