YWAM to reach out to more

 TOWNSVILLE-based youth workers will reach out to three times as many communities as normal this year after the Youth With a Mission medical ship expands its humanitarian mission. 

For the past three years, hundreds of mission volunteers had given a better life to thousands of communities in Gulf and Western after delivering more than 100,000 healthcare services, according to a report in the Townsville Bulletin.

They cared for people who had never seen a doctor and living in a home rife with disease. 

This year, the volunteers could reach 1.3 million more residents when they take their ship to four new communities – Port Moresby, Milne Bay, Central and Northern provinces – when the boat sets sail in May for six months. 

YWAM patron and former Townsville Labor MP Mike Reynolds said it would provide services for people in areas where there were no medical experts.

“In many of these areas there aren’t many, if any, medical services at all,” he said. 

“We are really focusing on primary healthcare and cross-immunisation and dentistry, optometry and ophthalmology.”

He said the Townsville-based project was becoming a worldwide phenomenon with plans to have the ship take more health workers and volunteers.

“We have the potential to turn a six-month stay into an 11-month visit if we have more resources,” he said.

Former PNG Prime Minister Sir Rabbie Namaliu visited Townsville yesterday to discuss the project with Herbert MP Ewen Jones and Reynolds.

“YWAM’s efforts are giving us access to other areas that we would never have been able to get to,” he said.

“They have made a big difference and sent medical help to the provinces with the worst social decay.” 

Volunteers with YWAM spend months in remote provinces of the country providing health care to locals. 

– Townsville Bulletin