Togo Statistics

As we are due to sail into our next Field of Service this weekend I thought I should tell you a little about it, then I realised I hadn't really told you what was finally achieved in Togo last year so I'm going to try and cover it all in this post. For those that like to see the figures, here are the statistics from our last Fields of Service in Togo and also for South Africa where we had some programs going on (click on the pictures to enlarge and view)

Togo Statistics

South Africa Statistics

Now we are about to embark on another journey of hope and healing as Mercy Ships serves the country of Sierra Leone whilst docked in Freetown.

Many of you will know that this country had a civil war for so many years that ended in 2001 that they are still recovering from. It is, however, good to see that they have actually gone up slightly on the Human Development Index. Here are just some statistics about the country:

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Human Development Index Ranking - 158 (USA ranked 4 / UK ranked 26 / Togo ranked 139 ) Population (by thousands) - 5,835.7 Health: Life expectancy at birth - 48.2 years old Under-five mortality (per 1,000 live births) - 194 Prevalance of Undernourishment in total Population - 46% Maternal mortality ratio (deaths of women per 100,000 life births) – 2100 Education: Adult literacy Rate (those aged 15+ who can read and write a short simple statement of their everyday life) - 41.4% Expenditure on Education - 3.8%

Mean years of schooling (of adults age 25+) - 2.9 years Expected Years of schooling (of children) - 7.2 years Internet users (per 100 people) - 0.3 (could you imagine a life without internet now?) Poverty: Population living below $1.25 per day – 62.79% Refugees by country of origin (thousands) 32.5 (to see full statistics for Sierre Leone click here)

This past week we have been joining together as a crew to prepare for our time here. It has been fun & very thought provoking as our two fellow crew members from Sierra Leone shared about their country. We have even learnt the national anthem and some of the local language, Krio.

Some Krio Phrases

How are you = How d' body

I'm fine thank you = D' body fine tenke

I'm not well = D'body no wello

See you tomorrow = We go see tomalla

National Anthem

(click play so you can sing along to the midi file) -

High we exalt thee, realm of the free

Great is the love we have for thee

Firmly united ever we stand,

Singing thy praise, O native land.

We raise up our hearts and our voices on high,

The hills and the valleys re-echo our cry;

Blessing and peace be ever thine own,

Land that we love, our Sierra Leone.

One with a faith that wisdom inspires,

One with a zeal that never tires;

Ever we seek to honour thy name,

Ours is the labour, thine the fame.

We pray that no harm on thy children may fall,

That blessing and peace may descend on us all;

So may we serve thee ever alone,

Land that we love, our Sierra Leone.

Knowledge and truth our forefathers spread,

Mighty the nations whom they led;

Mighty they made thee, so too may we

Show forth the good that is ever in thee.

We pledge our devotion, our strength and our might,

Thy cause to defend and to stand for thy right;

All that we have be ever thine own,

Land that we love, our Sierra Leone.

Please pray for our arrival and for these coming weeks as we continue to screen patients. Already thousands have been screened in the north of the country by our teams who are already on the ground.

See you soon, Sierra Leone!