Next School and Introducing m/v Island Reach
Introducing m/v Island Reach
After over 30 years of working to get medical services to the poor in developing nations using various vessels, and more recently focusing on training volunteers to crew those vessels, I thought my days of pioneering new medical ships was over. Then along comes a wonderful opportunity and great little ship, ideal for our work to reach isolated island communities.
SD Melton is a 24 metre ex-naval, two hold, stores tender. See picture below.
With a draft of only 2.2 metres, a strong hull, and good engines, she is well suited for going up rivers and small inlets to reach communities in need.
Vine Trust, who we purchased the vessel from, has already deployed successfully three of these vessels, two on the Peru section of the Amazon and one on Lake Victoria, Africa. They turned the two holds into medical clinics and top deck, with an awning, into a waiting patient area.
To the left is a picture of Jubilee Hope, deployed in Africa. She was formerly SD Dunstan, a sister ship, but older version of SD Melton. Vine Trust extended the accommodation onto the forward deck. We plan to do similar to SD Melton, renaming her Island Reach.
At present, YWAM Ships has vessels of various types and sizes, serving around the world, reaching out to isolated communities, like in Papa New Guinea. The common factor being that delivering much needed medical services is logistically challenging by land. The huge island of Madagascar, with its rain forested centre, fits into this category.
Needs in Madagascar
– Basic Healthcare is a challenge for most people; 80% of the population have to walk a whole day in the bush before they can see any medical facility.
– 60 % children suffer severe malnutrition, which can cause lifelong consequences on the brain of a child if they’re not helped before the age of 6.
How we are trying to meet these needs
1. We started a medical outreach program 15 years ago establishing permanent bush clinics, under supervision of the Malagasy Ministry of Health in remote places and we train local health workers to treat most common sicknesses. We have at present, 30 bush clinics that serve a population of 150.000 people on the east coast of Madagascar.
2. We started a special nutrition program where we produce a highly nutritional feeding powder, made with locally sourced cereals. We use it to feed the malnourished children and it’s making a big difference.
3. Dental care and provision of suitable glasses is much needed, but beyond the reach of most. As are medicines and treatment for tropical diseases.
How we think the vessel’s clinics will be able to help?
There’s still thousands of villages around Madagascar that we can only access with a boat. Villages that we cannot access because they are so remote and only accessible by water. We have a small boat that we have used, but this has obvious illimitations. That’s where having a vessel with an onboard clinic will multiply the impact of our work and give us access to much more people who desperately need help and a precious medical care that they cannot receive otherwise.
To own and support this medical vessel’s work in Madagascar, we have started YWAM Ships Switzerland: https://www.ywamships.ch/
Why Switzerland?
For 15 years, the present medical teams in Madagascar have been supported by the Mercy ministries team based at YWAM Burtigny, Switzerland. They have helped develop the 30 clinics in Madagascar, while their medics struggle with the regularly washed away roads to serve the people. This vessel will be a great addition to their work, and something they have wanted for a long time.
In early December 2021, after reinstating all her safety certification, we sailed SD Melton (renamed m/v Island Reach) to Conwy, Wales for the winter. During this voyage the crew conducted technical trials and get to know her.
Now in Conwy (see above) we are preparing her for the 8,000 plus Ocean voyage, and hopefully, we will load donated medical equipment and supplies into her forward hold. The aft hold will be loaded with suitable containers to carry the extra fuel and water she will need for the long delivery voyage.
We have found a suitable shipyard in Madagascar to convert the holds into a dental and eye clinic, general doctor’s consultation area and pharmacy. Doing this there will reduce costs and allow the teams that will use her to give input. We will learn from Vine Trust’s experience in converting the three sister vessels and believe she can effectively serve Madagascar for the next 25 years.
As much as I am privileged to be involved in releasing this vessel to serve the people of Madagascar, I am also humbled by the friends that have so readily volunteered to help equip and deliver her. The broadcast news may be regularly filled with troubling reports of inhumanity. However, the truth is, there are many generous people, willing to give their time and skills to help others. This is an example of that, one we should celebrate and is worthy to get behind.
- We have the basic qualified crews to deliver the vessel to Madagascar, yet are open to a couple more joining them, especially another engineer.
- We have some help with fund raising, but keen to see people doing fund raising events.
- We hope to collect all the medical equipment to fit out the various clinics, before leaving the UK in March, so any assistance with that would be most helpful.
If you want more information or to offer to help, please contact us via https://www.ywamships.ch/
Captain B. G. Sloan AFNI
UK Representative of YWAM Ships Switzerland
Principal of YWAM Maritime Academy
Freeman of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners