A long-term commitment
As US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton prepares to meet with Africa’s first female head of state, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Merlin USA would like to take this occasion to highlight its ongoing commitment to rebuilding Liberia’s health system.
Merlin began working in Liberia in 1997 to provide emergency medical aid to a population in the grip of a brutal civil war—often in risky areas where no other aid agencies operated.
The first in, the last out…
Today, twelve years later, Merlin continues to work hand in hand with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to bolster access to health care, support doctors and nurses and health staff and train health workers to strengthen the health system. As post-conflict recovery begins in earnest, Merlin programs are helping the government provide the basic health services the population needs.
“Our contribution is thus not just to health services and health status, but also in a sense to the overall peace, stability and development of the country,” said Merlin USA director, Lucy Dorick.
Recognizing Merlin’s ongoing contribution to her nation’s health and welfare, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf nominated Merlin for the prestigious Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize.
Announcing the Hilton Prize nomination last December, Johnson-Sirleaf said, "As I searched for partners, I found Merlin – already saving lives in Liberia for over a decade, and already preparing to rebuild a sustainable health care system for our people.”
A spotlight on maternal health
In its recent report “All Mothers Matter,” Merlin found that Liberia’s maternal mortality rate has risen 74 percent since the end of the civil war in 2003. 14 years of fighting not only destroyed the health system, it caused the death or emigration of many qualified health workers. Liberia has 0.3 health workers for every 1,000 people—far below the 2.28 minimum to achieve basic health coverage—and the isolated counties of the southeast region have fewer still.
“They have jobs that they can never leave behind at the office,” said Helen Sole, a Merlin patron of Greenwich, CT, who, with her family, visited with Liberia’s health workers and Merlin staff earlier this month.
From Liberia with “Love and Gratitude”
In her daily blog entries, (www.loveandgratitude.com), Helen describes how a challenging and remote environment forces doctors, nurses and health staff stretch their resources and working hours.
“But in spite of all this, they continue day after day to make things happen that are otherwise impossible,” Helen adds, “What they do with donated money is alchemy.”
Read more blog entries, with a first person account of the front line of global health at www.loveandgratitude.com.
Reversing maternal mortality
Meet the mothers-to-be of the Merlin-supported Martha Tubman Memorial Hospital and Liberia’s next generation of midwives