We have now identified the location where we intend to carry out the next phase of construction: Thai Marine, Phuket, who are generously prepared to have us free of charge.

We did as much as possible at Khun Luck’s workshop. A strong 8 wheeled trailer has been built and our schooner is now resting on it. Two factors prevented further construction there: the weight of more steel and the height of the deckhouse as we have to navigate some bridges. The framework for the poop deck and cockpit is in place but the deck is not. We must weigh about 13 tons at the moment and I felt it was prudent to hold the next delivery of steel until we arrive at our new site. The bridges are 5m and our height on trailer is not far off that.

Our next jobs are to plate the poop and cockpit, and to construct the deckhouse.

In June Phuket was blessed with an interesting visit from the good ship Doulos. Their engineers set to work designing systems for us and actually combined a compressor and accumulator to make our fresh water system. My son Johnny was inspired by the crew of Doulos and was accepted to join the ship on a 2 month STEP programme when he received some exciting training.

During the year following our appeal we have been blessed with donations amounting to 651,465 Baht (GBP 9,300, US$ 18,000) from more than 300 kind folk all over the world together with various other gifts.

Recent donations for which we are very grateful come from: a coffee morning held by the congregation of St Mary’s Trimley, England, a school fete held by Horizons Learning Centre, Phuket, the sale of our T shirts at the Community Church of Chiang Mai, and from the Brothers of St Andrew, Watsonville, California, together with a number of personal donations. Rotary, Phuket have confirmed that they will provide us with medicine for our clinic.

I continue to raise funds by teaching mathematics and my state pension helps.

Construction costs so far amount to 2,696,000 Baht (GBP 38,500, US$72,900) and I estimate we are about 60% of the way.

Thank you indeed for your thoughts, prayers and contributions. Our huge leap in faith has been sustained by your enthusiasm and we anticipate with excitement the eventual launching of Schooner Ixdos.

With Love

Patrick

Patrick Vickers
P.O. Box 315,
A. Muang,
Phuket P.O.,
Phuket 83000
Thailand
Tel: +66 (0) 84 176 1832
pat @ mission-ship.com

The Schooner Ixdos is being built by the foundation in Phuket and has been designed as a sailing ship with an auxiliary engine. In the forward section, space has been allocated for a clinic with overhead access to allow stretcher cases to be lowered. 6 double cabins will accommodate a professional team to crew the ship and staff the clinic.

Building was originally funded privately. After the Asian tsunami the need became quite apparent and donations were accepted in order to speed up construction. The ship is now more than half built and funds are sought in order to finish building and to become operational.

Earlier this year I did something beyond my wildest imagination. I sent out a begging letter to all my friends. Never in my life have I been humbled to this extent. Of course I was really begging on behalf of thousands of deprived islanders but it was still begging and did not come easy. The response however has been magnificent! This note reaches out to everyone whose generosity in prayer and support has enabled me to stop working as a teacher and work without wages on building our charity health mission schooner Ixdos.

In particular the Churches of All Saints, Watsonville, California and St Mary’s, Trimley, Suffolk nobly lead the way. Then parties held in London, Trimley and Phuket made valuable contributions. Significant donations have been made by my brother, Nigel, Al and YWAM. We have however no major corporate backer. This means that the individual contributions from friends far and wide in almost every continent have confirmed an already intense commitment successfully to complete our mission to deprived islanders especially those affected by tsunami. I shall never forget the first donation made by an Australian student sitting next to me on the aircraft when I was returning to Phuket after the tsunami. She turned out her pockets and gave all her British coins.

Progress has been remarkable: internal steel backbone and longitudinals, tank supports, freezer compartments, flanges on floors, rubrail fitted, topside plating finished, for’ard deck-beams rolled and placed, fore-deck cut and welded, and a beautiful rudder and rudder post constructed!

Funds raised have not only made it possible for us to work on the boat from February until June but there is still enough in the kitty, $5000, to enable my son and I to launch into the final phase of steelwork and to secure an engine. With further funds it is our hope to be able to finish this by Christmas when we would like to move the schooner overland to Boat Lagoon for the completion phase.

The work to be done now includes decks, cabin-top, engine-room, deck-house, poop, cockpit, bulwarks, stern, ports, tanks and deck fittings. Our engine must be secured and overhauled. Foam insulation must be sprayed. The cabin sole must be laid fore and aft.

Our need for prayer and support is still great. It would be super if you could forward our web-site on to any friends who might be interested in joining. If you would like to hold a party or coffee morning on our behalf I can send you photos and T-shirts to help. Our schooner shirts have been auctioned and sold all over the world and the record for one is $100 in Watsonville! We have two new versions, one hand-embroidered in our Thai village and the other is a new polo shirt design. Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL

We are inviting donors to identify with certain parts of the ship. If you have not yet identified please send your choice to me or I can send you a list.

If anyone is aware of unplaced tsunami funds looking for a good home I would be very grateful if you could kindly put us in touch. We have already had one such contribution for which we are extremely grateful.

Our mission:

To commission Schooner Ixdos to carry a professional team taking hope, health care and water drilling equipment to remote islanders who may have benefited from mission-ship visits in previous centuries but no longer do.

Peace
Patrick+

We are now installing angled longitudinals and flange tops to the floors to support the sole. Funds raised during this time amount to Baht 115,647 (GBP 1584, USD 3043) for which we are extremely grateful. Builder’s bills amount to Baht 149,075. I will make up the difference from my savings (not my salary as I have been working on the boat during this time). We are in urgent need of funds to continue. We need to buy a second-hand engine, order deck steel, and order wood for the masts.

By the Grace of God we go forward.

Thank you for your prayers.
Patrick +

Diarrhea, fever and coughing were also widespread among the 614 children under age five and 300 women examined in a survey last month, the agency said in a statement.

An earthquake and killer waves which swept Indian Ocean coastal areas last December 26 killed more than 117,000 people on Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island.

By mid-January, governments across the world had pledged an unprecedented $5.5 billion in aid to tsunami-hit countries, and individuals and corporations promised at least $2 billion more.

The World Health Organization (news – web sites) (WHO), another U.N. agency, has said there is a risk of outbreaks of deadly diseases such as cholera in Aceh, where the tsunami destroyed hospitals and homes, forcing tens of thousands of people to live in temporary camps.

UNICEF said acute malnutrition was prevalent in 12.7 percent of the children, while 42.6 percent had suffered from diarrhea, 69.7 percent from coughs and 55.9 percent from fever.

The agency is helping Indonesian health officials immunize 1.3 million children in Aceh against measles, and has also provided vitamin supplements

They give me great encouragement for our health mission. In faith and prayer we go forward together.

With love and gratitude
Patrick+

WHO/Dermot Tatlow

27 JANUARY 2005 BANDA ACEH/DELHI/GENEVA — The World Health Organization (WHO) warned about increased risk of vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever across tsunami-affected areas in Southeast Asia. Nearly four weeks after the disaster struck the region on 26 December, the organization is strengthening its disease surveillance, stagnant water conditions creating conditions for mosquito vectors to multiply to sufficient levels, to potentially cause severe public health problems.

Most affected countries in the region are endemic for dengue fever and malaria except the Maldives, which has no malaria cases but does have dengue cases. With the onset of the rainy season, particularly in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, a rise in the cases can be expected at this time of the year.

Indonesia suffered a major dengue outbreak last year. This year too, many cases have been reported in Jakarta, since December and the national authorities have installed control measures for these. However, given the extent of destruction due to the tsunami, WHO and the Ministry of Health are concerned about the increased risk of Dengue in Aceh and are carefully monitoring the situation. Concerns for malaria remain high, too. Although there is no information to suggest an increase in malaria cases in Banda Aceh, the area is endemic for the disease.

“At present, we are dealing with a lot of unknowns because of the violent environmental changes that have taken place here,” explained Dr Jack Chow, Assistant Director-General responsible for malaria at WHO Headquarters during a visit to Banda Aceh today. “For example, we do not know whether mosquitoes – which generally mostly live and bite outdoors – will start biting indoors more frequently. We have to monitor for these situations and support the communities so they are protected from disease, and have access to treatment when they need it”.

“To reduce the risk of a dengue fever or malaria cases, WHO is strengthening its support to national authorities to implement effective vector-borne disease prevention and control activities”, said Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia Region. “WHO is working with national authorities and international teams in the region to conduct entomological surveys in affected districts with local staff being trained on the job. WHO is also making accessible insecticide-treated bed-nets, vector control supplies, and equipment for larviciding and fogging with insecticides as a stopgap measure. In addition, health workers are starting to involve the community to clean up the Aedes mosquito breeding sites in the open water containers and debris around camps and homes”, added Dr Samlee.

Experts have been deployed and an Early Warning and surveillance systems has been established in affected regions. Public health laboratory services are being restored including provision of rapid diagnostic kits, medical supplies and equipment, and training of local health workers.

WHO, with national authorities, are increasing awareness among national and international personnel regarding risk of dengue infection. “Proper management of dengue hemorrhage fever can reduce fatality rates and save many lives”, said Dr Samlee.

In Sri Lanka, WHO and UNICEF have provided long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) to displaced individuals and families for malaria prevention, along with other key supplies such as insecticides, fogging machines and spray tanks (as well as the hiring of vehicles for spraying activities). WHO also assists in the clean-up of debris in which water collects, to prevent the formation of dengue breeding sites.

In India, a number of anti-vector measures are being implemented, including the strengthening of vector surveillance measures, while family-sized insecticide impregnated bed-nets have been distributed to families living in displacement camps. In Thailand, in addition to prevention activities, the ministry of health has stockpiled anti-malarial treatments in hospitals across the affected areas. And in the Maldives, which is not endemic for malaria and dengue fever, the ministry of health continues to conduct its routine vector-control activities.

A generous outpouring of donations targeting vector-control efforts is facilitating the task. In Banda Aceh alone, some 100,000 insecticide-treated mosquito nets, 20,000 rapid diagnostic tests for malaria and 150,000 treatment courses of artemisinin-based combination therapy – the most effective available antimalarial treatment – have been made available by private donors and UN agencies.

Providing support to countries to implement vector control strategies including establishment of a proper drainage system and engineering methods are key components of WHO’s long-term strategy to rehabilitate the damaged or destroyed public health infrastructure. To implement this health system rehabilitation strategy, WHO urgently requires US$67 million for activities through the next six months.

Notes to editors

The tsunami in Southeast Asia, has at least in some areas, led to environmental disturbance of the kind that would typically be associated with increased mosquito breeding. While pools of salt water would not support mosquitoes by themselves, but once diluted by rains, they can become ideal breeding places for the malaria vector. Drinking water storage around temporary dwellings can also become a breeding place for vectors. Exposure is further increased if displaced populations live in temporary conditions without proper shelter.

Different mosquitoes cause different vector-borne diseases. Dengue fever is carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito (a day-time biting mosquito, hence the utility of insecticide treated bed-nets is very limited as a specific prevention tool), while malaria is spread through the bite of a female Anopheles mosquito.

With no medical treatment available for dengue fever, case management should focus on:
Rapid diagnosis – persons suspected of having dengue fever must see a doctor at once. Dengue haemorrhagic fever is a deadly disease and early recognition and treatment can save lives. Unless proper treatment is given promptly, the patient may go into shock and die.

Severe abdominal pains (black stools), bleeding on the skin or from the nose or gums, sweating, cold skin are danger signs. If any one of them is noticed, the patient should be taken to a hospital immediately.

The patient should be given fluids to drink during transfer to the hospital.
The patient should be provided nutritious food and fluids.
The patient should be kept under a mosquito net or in a screened room during the period of illness.

Doctors and health workers treating cases of dengue fever should also notify the health authorities.

RELATED LINKS

- Regional Office for South-East Asia – WHO tsunami web site

For more information contact:

Harsaran Pandey WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia Telephone: +91 (11) 2337 0971
Mr Bob Dietz – Banda Aceh Telephone: + 62-0651-6370-28 Mobile phone: + 62-0815-135-13039 E-mail: dietzr[at]whosea.org
Ms Christine McNab Telephone: +41 22 791 4688 Mobile phone: +41 79 254 6815 E-mail: mailto:mcnabc[at]who.int
Mr Iain Simpson Director-General’s Office/ Media and Communications WHO/Geneva Telephone: +41 22 791 3215 Mobile phone: +41 79 475 5534 E-mail: simpsoni[at]who.int
Ms Fadola Chaib Director-General’s Office/Media and Communications WHO/Geneva Telephone: +41 22 791 3228 Mobile phone: +41 79 475 5556 E-mail: chaibf[at]who.int
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patrick[AT]mission-ship.com

We aim to complete the ship and sail her to remote islands carrying a pastor, a doctor and a teacher with us. My patient student companion turned out her pockets and in giving me all her coins she became the first to contribute to our mission. As she has lead the way I have decided to invite others to participate in the hope that kind folk may see ‘Ixdos’ as a positive constructive way forward after the tempestuous destruction of the Asian tsunami.

Being without patron or sponsor we invite kind souls everywhere to help complete our ship quickly so that she can set out on her mission as soon as possible.

With love
Patrick

patrick[AT]mission-ship.com