Seafarers are often forgotten but they play a major role in trade between nations. They are far from home and loved ones, and can feel isolated resulting in depression.
There have been distressing accounts of tourists having to remain on ships in ports, in hotels, in temporary shelters etc for long periods with no certainty as to when they can return home. Imagine how this situation affects the seafarer
Populations are in lockdown, but piracy attacks are not in lockdown. Seafarers have to contend with this danger and resultant trauma as well. These often unseen people need all the help they can get.
Let’s hear from our chaplains how the Society is helping to achieve this.
Rev Boet van Schalkwyk, Principal Chaplain and Co-ordinator, Crisis Response Network, Africa
‘It’s still ‘lockdown’ as regards on board visits to vessels, missions and hospitals. But we’ve set up communications with them via website links for chats and devotions [even airtime renewal] By the end of this week we’ll have the same communication capabilities with many vessels worldwide with 6 of us on a round the clock roster to assist captains and crews with care in these circumstances. We have now set up skype and call-in lines with vessels worldwide with us covering Africa and our Asia, Europe, New Zealand and S. America Networks serving their respective regions.
Read the newsletter here: NEWSLETTER APRIL 2020
