My friend, Christina Fast from Calgary, Alberta, Canada has been working hard this past year to establish a charitable organization called Sterile Processing Education Charitable Trust. We first met in 2011 when the ship was in Sierra Leone and she worked in the sterile processing department on the ship. She happened to know that I like taking pictures so she asked me to snap a few picture one night when they were starting the long process of organizing an NGO (non-government organization.) Since that time she has done all the essentials of making her dream a legitimate organization recognized by Canada.
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| L-R: Jane, Johana, Christina |
We met up again in Guinea when she came as a Mercy Ships partner organization doing training in local hospitals helping them with the way that they sterilize the tools and equipment for surgeries.
Christina, along with my her parents Dan and wife Olive are here now on the ship through November 8th where they will be visiting three hospitals to assess sterile processing techniques and equipment and conducting workshops to provide health care workers with information and resources crucial to improving sterilization standards leading to a decrease in post-operative infections, hopefully resulting in lives saved. "
They've applied for a $100,000 grant to support this work, public participation is taken into consideration when choosing the applicant so she would appreciate your support. You can find out more about what she wants to do. There is a video and a place for you to vote for her here
When asked to describe Sterile Processing Education Christina said, "We propose an innovative & salable intervention supplying low cost sterilizers &customized training for health workers,to achieve disinfecting & operating room sterile practices closer to international standards,adaptable to remote & low resource settings."
