Ellen Venz, of Bundaberg, put her 13 years’ experience in nursing to the test when she volunteered to work with global charity Mercy Ships at Sierra Leone.

Mercy Ships has operated hospital ships in developing nations since 1978, providing free health care and community development services to the poor.

Each year, the Africa Mercy provides more than 7000 free surgeries at its state-of-the-art hospital complete with six operating theatres, 78 hospital beds and a crew of 450 people. It also features a range of off-ship projects from optical and dental to nutrition, community health and mental health.

With post graduate qualifications in intensive care nursing and work experience in Sweden, England and Alice Springs, Ellen had to raise the funds for her time on board the Africa Mercy, from covering the cost of flights to Sierra Leone to paying weekly crew fees to offset the ship’s running costs.

Ellen had to quit her job, due to the length of time she would be away, so she moved back in with her family and ran a craft stall at local markets.

But she said the experience of working in the ICU and in the wards of the hospital was worth it.

“I consider myself as fortunate in being able to work one on one with people I could help directly. It was deeply satisfying,” she said.

“One of my real achievements in the ward was to succeed in bandaging almost any head wound with my eyes closed.

“Another was to master a basic understanding of Krio, the local language, even if I could not speak much of it.”

Ellen said it was also rewarding to work with some of the long-term patients.

“The patients included some who had been on the ship a few months before and returned to have bone grafted to new titanium jaw plates, following surgery to remove huge facial tumours,” she said.

“It was amazing to see such patients after surgery, and compare them to their ‘before’ pictures attached to their charts.”

For more information about Mercy Ships visit www.mercyships.org.au