That’s a suitable name for our ambulance boat. Our Operation Safe Drinking Water base is located between two Indian population centers here on the island. The nearest medical help is on the distant mainland, five hours away by canoe.
Boat with two lives Ambulance boat and tanker boat
Those five hours can mean the difference between life and death for poisonous snake bite victims, and pain and suffering for kids with broken bones and raging fevers.
This little girl fell off a cliff and broke her arm. Herr mother put a sling on her arm, got in her canoe and came to ask us to get her to the hospital fast. We did.
On the way to the hospital
Soon after we got back to our OSDW base and sat down to have lunch a mom arrived by canoe with a 6 month old baby with a high fever and struggling to breath.
6 month old baby with high fever, trouble breathing.
Forget the lunch! Off again in a fast run to the mainland hospital.
The race is on. From canoe to fast ambulance boat.
Our primary work is installing safe drinking water tanks, but in an area where hundreds of people lack any medical aid, our ambulance boat is often the only way to get the sick and injured to a doctor in time.
So, what is our fast boat?
A water tank delivery boat, or “The Sick Kids Express”?
It’s both, thanks to your generous help to provide safe drinking water tanks and fuel to keep the ambulance boat standing ready to go.
Mariibel & Joe
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