10 Things You Didn’t Know About Benin

The Africa Mercy has arrived in Benin for its 2016-2017 field service!  Now that we have finally arrived, we can’t wait to start working with our amazing volunteers and donors to bring hope and healing to the Beninese people.  Keep reading to learn more about this fascinating nation and why we are working there!

1. Benin was formerly known as Dahomey, a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence in 1960. Benin is now one of Africa’s most stable democracies.

2. Located in West Africa, Benin is bordered by Togo to the West, Nigeria to the East and Burkina Faso and Niger to the North.  The country covers 112,622 sq km with a population of approximately 9.4 million people. The capital is Porto-Novo, but the seat of government is in nearby Cotonou, the largest city.

3. Benin is a tropical, sub-Saharan nation, with a developing economy dependent on agriculture, cotton production and regional trade. Benin uses the CFA franc, which is pegged to the euro. In spite of recent economic growth, Benin remains one of the poorest nations in Africa, and the world. The country is home to almost 10 million people, many of whom still lack access to basic social services and remain dependent upon subsistence farming.

4. Almost 40% of Benin’s population lives below the poverty line. Extreme poverty has had devastating consequences here, for example causing an increase in human trafficking in recent years.

5. The National language of Benin is French with English taught in Secondary schools, however many African languages are spoken.  There are about 50 languages and dialects, and most people speak at least two languages. Approximately 36% of the population is illiterate.

6. The largest religious group in Benin is Roman Catholicism, followed closely by Islam, Vodun and Protestantism.

7. Benin is severely underdeveloped, with life expectancy at 55 years for men and 59 years for women, shorter than the life expectancy of 165 other countries. 44% of Benin’s population is fourteen years old or younger. 

8. Benin ranks 166th on the UN’s Human Development Index out of the 188 countries and territories evaluated. The country has the 23rd highest infant mortality rate in the world, with an average of 57 deaths per 1,000 live births.

9. Benin’s hospitals provided .5 beds per 1,000 people in 2010, and since then the government has set goals of expanding its healthcare system.  Mercy Ships will be working with local governments during our 2016/2017 field service to run healthcare training programs and help build medical infrastructure.

10. The Africa Mercy was originally scheduled to be in Benin for Mercy Ships 2013/2014 field service, however the outbreak of Ebola in nearby regions caused Mercy Ships to work in Southern Africa instead. With Ebola no longer a threat and a huge need for healthcare services and infrastructure, we can’t wait to serve the worthy nation of Benin for our 2016/2017 field service! 

Originally Published Content : Mercyship Charity Hospital Ship

Mission of Charitable Hospital Ship - MercyShip

Who we are

We are a team of nurses, doctors, surgeons, and other crew members from all over the world, donating our time to help on board the world’s largest non-governmental floating hospital.

As a floating hospital, we can sail directly to some of the world’s poorest people to deliver life-saving medical care and provide safe, state-of-the-art facilities in which to treat them. Our supporters are a vital part of the team, paying for essential medical supplies and ship repairs.

Together, we have helped transform the lives of more than 2.42 million people in the poorest countries of the world since 1978.

MercyShip Mission

Mission 

Following the 2000-year-old model of Jesus, Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the world’s forgotten poor.

Vision 

Mercy Ships uses hospital ships to transform individuals and serve nations, one at a time.

Purpose

Mercy Ships delivers medical excellence with integrity and compassion to the world’s forgotten poor.

Positioning 

Mercy Ships is the world’s leading non-governmental, ship-based medical organization.

Values 

Desiring to follow the model of Jesus, we seek to:

  1. Love God
  2. Love and serve others
  3. Be people of integrity
  4. Be people of excellence in all we say and do

  

Mercy Ships Canada History

Mercy Ships Canada legally incorporated as a society under the Societies Act of British Columbia in Victoria in 1989, but didn’t open a physical office until nine years later when Suzanne Sellers relocated from the International Operations Center in Texas to establish a Mercy Ships presence in Calgary, Alberta.

After a challenging start the Board elected to move the office to Victoria, BC, where a solid base of support already existed due to previous extended shipyard and dry dock work on the Anastasis in 1985 and 1986.

Two visits of the Caribbean Mercy to Victoria in 1999 and 2000 helped put Mercy Ships on the map locally and nationally, allowing for increased staff and attracting more volunteers, board members, donors, active recruits, alumni, and media attention. The ship’s visit in 2003 to the east coast of Canada continued to solidify the national scope of Mercy Ships.

In 2003, Lorraine and Richard McDonald left their Anastasis home of 15 years to take on leadership of the Canadian office in Victoria. Since then Mercy Ships Canada has hosted many events, including black-tie galas, medical evenings with Mercy Ships doctors, executive luncheons, alumni reunions and golf tournaments. Staff members and volunteers have also worked to spread awareness of Mercy Ships across the country by presenting at service clubs, churches, schools and universities, missions and medical events, women’s groups, etc.

In 2009, the Board appointed Tim Maloney as the new National Director and relocated the office to its current home at #5 – 3315 Oak St., Victoria.

“I see our work as threefold at present,” says Maloney. “We need to raise awareness, recruit even more Canadian volunteers, and fundraise on behalf of the organization. All of these elements are part of that sense of delivering hope and healing through the activities, programs and people of Mercy Ships. Our desire is to see our Canadian office become a nationally recognized charity that fulfils its mandate of serving the world’s forgotten poor by supporting Mercy Ships International’s work.”

The Canadian office is part of a global network of 16 land-based national offices that support the work of Mercy Ships International.

Mercy Ships Canada’s charitable number is 89064-8249-RR0001

Source of content: Health Care Program for Africa