I am delighted to write today to tell readers that I have been contacted by Marty Emmett, the Managing Director of YWAM Ships Aotearoa (YSA) who told me he is seeking to work in partnership with the Solomon Islands Government and the MHMS to provide health care support to outer island communities that abound in the country.
I would like to share some details of YWAM Ships Aotearoa (YSA) being the kind of humanitarian organization that is close to the work, service and ethics that I strongly believe in and an organization that would be of great benefit to the health services in the Solomon Islands, especially in bringing health care to isolated communities in the far reaches of the Solomons.
I will illustrate my support for the organization by quoting just some of the information one can read and download from its well illustrated, charitable and meaningful website
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YWAM Ships Aotearoa (YSA) is motivated by the foundational belief that every individual has a purpose, is valuable and deserves access to the necessities of life: basic healthcare, shelter, clean water and education. We believe that it is our obligation to act today. The purpose of YSA is to empower a healthy future for isolated island communities. Through the use of a specifically equipped medical aid ship, in partnership with Pacific governments, YSA offers free health and well-being services to isolated communities throughout the liquid continent of the Pacific. We go where planes and cars cannot.
In March of 2019, a 48 metre-long ship was gifted to YSA. The German-built vessel, formerly the MV CLAYMORE II, had spent the previous decade carrying supplies to the Pitcairn Islands. The vessel was renamed MV YWAM KOHA. YWAM (pronounced Y-Wham) or Youth with a Mission, is a global movement of Christians from many cultures, age groups, and traditions, dedicated to living out their faith practically throughout the world. Koha is a M?ori word translated “gift.” The ship was a gift to YSA and it will be a gift to the Pacific Islands.
Due to the ongoing travel restrictions due to Covid, YSA pivoted in 2021 and launched a NZ focused initiative that became known as Trinity Koha Dental Clinic (TKDC). TKDC seeks to provide transformative services to vulnerable people in Aotearoa in partnership with NZ registered dentists. In the same season, we also launched our youth development programme that we have called, the Koha Experience.
The Christian ethos of YWAM informs, undergirds and motivates us.
Alongside YWAM’s 18 foundational values, YSA is strongly influenced by many of the beautiful concepts that sit within tikanga M?ori. The following four M?ori concepts influence the culture, policies and procedures of all we do: Kotahitanga - YSA values symbiotic partnerships that add worth to all parties.
We believe that we are stronger together and seek to work with like-minded individuals and organisations to empower health throughout the Pacific. Whakapapa - We all have our own unique whakapapa - the people to whom we are connected in the past, present and future. We believe our genealogy is both a connection and an obligation, to honour those who came before us and pave the way for those to come.
Our time is limited. What we leave behind is our contribution woven into the lives of others. This is our legacy. Kaitiakitanga - Sustainability and concern for the environment are non-negotiable for us.
Because the future is silent, we take on the role of Empowering a healthy future for the Pacific - Whakapiki te Ora Version 13 - March 2022 3 guardians for our place and our planet. As stewards (kaitiaki) for the future, we feel it is our obligation to both protect and maximize the value of all-natural resources, for the well-being of future generations. He T?ngata - He aha te mea nui o te ao –
What is the most important thing in the world? He t?ngata, he t?ngata, he t?ngata - It is people, it is people, it is people. For YSA, it is all about people. We believe that we have a duty to care for all people, those closest to us, our communities and our nation. But we also believe we have a duty to care for the nations that exist on our front door. We are driven by a vision to help and to empower them to live a thriving and healthy life. Empowering a healthy future for the Pacific - Whakapiki te Ora Version 13 –
The 30,000 islands that dot the Pacific face unique and significant challenges. Every day, isolated island communities deal with: ? food insecurities, ? untreated medical conditions, ? lack of basic health, dental and preventative care, ? limited freshwater, ? inadequate employment, and limited educational resources. The MV YWAM KOHA serves to build capacity in villages throughout the Pacific by working in partnership.
YSA is not there to create an independent or parallel health service but seeks to align itself with the goals and objectives of the Ministry of Health nationionally and the local/regional level in which we are working.
YSA works in partnership by invitation. We seek to work in collaboration and with a non-partisan approach at the national, provincial, district, and local government level, as well as at village level.
Outreaches are carefully planned with detailed reports submitted after the completion of each outreach. Everyone serving with YSA is a volunteer – including all the marine professionals, healthcare professionals, deck crew and staff. That means that everyone involved is committed to the mission of the organization and not serving for personal gain. An all-volunteer crew also means that every contribution goes to furthering the mission rather than paying salaries.
Many isolated communities are only accessible by ships; there is no other option. A ship can be anchored off-shore with teams either shuttled to land or patients are shuttled to the ship. Onshore, teams can provide vaccinations, healthcare and basic hygiene teaching as well as general medical services.
A ship is self-contained, meaning that it does not draw on the limited resources of a community such as freshwater, housing and food supplies.
Coordinating with local healthcare workers ensures that YSA is meeting the real needs of each community. A deployment can be specifically targeted to the specific needs of that location.
Currently, the MV YWAM KOHA is equipped with two dental containers and a pharmacy container.
Aspirationally we plan to develop a diagnostic testing laboratory container and also an ophthalmology container for eye surgeries. Empowering a healthy future for the Pacific –
MARITIME New Zealand has a rich maritime history as well as a sense of responsibility to support our Pacific neighbours.
MV YWAM KOHA is a New Zealand registered, unlimited foreign going vessel. Each crew member carries maritime qualifications required for their positions according to international maritime standards.
YSA operates MV YWAM KOHA in compliance with all flag-state requirements of Maritime New Zealand (MNZ). YSA has engaged Dunsford Marine Ltd., Auckland as our MNZ approved surveying company. YSA works closely with Dunsford Marine to ensure that the MV YWAM KOHA is maintained to the highest standards, and our Certificate of Survey (CoS) is current.
The policy of YSA is to operate our vessel at the highest level of safety. Empowering a healthy future for the Pacific –
YSA has a wide range of donors from within New Zealand and also from many other nations, who all contribute toward the costs associated with the delivery of services outlined here. While many of the donations received are in-kind (such as donated tools, equipment, medical supplies and volunteer labour), there are still significant expenses involved in the delivery of services. These costs include everything from purchased medical supplies, ship maintenance and also program development. A full list of these expenditures can be found in YSA’s audited financial statements.
YSA was granted Oversees Donee status (Schedule 32) in 2021 by the NZ Inland Revenue Department. YSA Staff:
It should be noted that all YSA staff, including the managing director and senior program managers, are self-funded volunteers. They all raise their own funds outside of the organisation to support the work they do in the Pacific.
At times, where necessary, YSA may need to externally remunerate for key services that are not able to be donated, including book-keeping, auditing and engineering. Every volunteer, whether short or long term, joins YSA with an understanding that they give their expertise and goodwill with no expectation of remuneration.
YSA is committed to the highest standards of financial transparency, accountability and integrity. As a member and signatory of the New Zealand Council for International Development (CID), YSA is committed to all the obligations of the CID Code of Conduct. YSA’s finances and financial procedures are audited externally every year by our auditor.
YSA operates at a fraction of what it would normally cost to deliver our programs. The challenges of providing quality health services in the isolated islands of the Pacific are real. It is said to be one of the most difficult places in the world to deliver healthcare, and the disparities are confronting.
YSA desires to partner to see sustainable health improvements.
To this end, YWAM Ships Aotearoa welcomes open and respectful dialogue centred upon a shared vision: Together empowering a healthy future throughout the Pacific.
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It is my great hope, indeed, desire, that YWAM Ships Aotearoa will join with the SI MHMS in an arrangement leading to a MoU between the two and we will all witness health care provisioning support to our isolated communities throughout the Solomon Islands, for much to long left without the medical services and care being so isolated has brought about.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
