For some, the Africa Mercy is a life-saving ship. To former Redmond resident Kristin Jack, it has become a life-changing volunteer adventure, a fulfilling job and a home. Working for social justice with a nonprofit hospital ship that travels to developing nations is an opportunity she planned for.
Originally accepted to the position as a barista at the ship’s Starbucks, Jack is now the head receptionist on the ship that has traveled from Guinea to Pointe-Noire, Congo. She has an important role as first-contact for patients and crew members.
According to Diana Cash, a primary caregiver, chaplain and librarian aboard the Africa Mercy, one of the things that makes Jack so good at her job is the way she cares for people, whether behind the coffee stand or the reception desk.
“She can make people feel at ease on the ship,” Cash said.
And when you’re dealing with sick or terminal patients, making people feel at ease is a good skill to have. The Africa Mercy’s primary mission is to give health care to developing nations, including emergency care for terminal patients.
“I saw a chaplain come up holding a (sick) little baby; just seeing the grief in these parents’ eyes and faces, that was a really hard moment,” Jack said. “It was also one where I was really glad that this family wasn’t alone when it happened and that they were surrounded by (people) that loved their baby and loved them.”
The Africa Mercy is a fully capable hospital, complete with an emergency room, pediatric ward, intensive care units, several surgery rooms and more. It is staffed by approximately 400 volunteers from more than 30 different nations, according to Jack.
All of the volunteers aboard the ship have to raise money to pay their way aboard and to also help with operation costs. As soon as Jack found out she got the job as barista on the ship, she started fundraising to pay her way.
The $1,000 per month in donations that Jack uses to stay on board is given through her website and will cover her food and boarding, travel expenses, health care and more.
For her money, she gets a bunk in a room built to hold eight people and a storage compartment. According to Jack, one needs to be flexible and adaptable, but also fun, in order to live well together in such cramped quarters.
Krissy Close, the hospital projects manager and a friend of Jack’s, said life on the ship is mostly uncomplicated, even though you work so closely with people.
“There’s not a whole lot to do, per se, in the American mindset out here in the Congo,” Close said. “So the simple things become very special, (such as) when you can spend time with a friend.”
When Jack is overcome with homesickness, she immerses herself in making the ship feel more like home, such as planning a Super Bowl party and an upcoming bridal shower. She’s looking forward to extending her contract to stay aboard longer, committed to continuing to help those in need and staying among a community that she calls home.
Since she is so far away from most donors, Jack uses social networking and online fundraising to facilitate her funding needs. You can visit her website at www.abeautifulwander.com/mercy-ships/ to help her on her way.
Deanna Isaacs is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.
Graphic courtesy of Deanna Isaacs
