Please help, so that RDI can help!

 

Relief ship

At the moment this is just a project in its planning phase. Together with your help, however, it will soon sail along the Gambia River and its distributaries in order to provide help wherever people are waiting for our support already today.

Riverboat project:

This project is about creating a relief ship providing a complex concept of medical support, health education and technical and logistical support. By means of this ship the basic needs of the Gambian people could be effectively covered for a long time. This is an essential aspect for us because it is our aim to provide continuous medical and technical support for as many people as possible. However, we are only able to provide this kind of aid with a relief ship adapted to the special conditions of this important river.

Fields of application for the relief ship

For the time being the ship will be used in Gambia (West Africa), on the Gambia River and its distributaries. If need be it can also be used in disaster areas of the neighbouring countries. 
Along the Gambia River and its navigable distributaries we intend to provide fixed anchorage points that we will visit in regular intervals.  We plan to anchor the ship for about five to six weeks at each anchorage point before travelling to the next station. Water supply is guaranteed in parallel by taking in fresh water and by processing sea water. This is the only possibility for an efficient mission in case of a disaster.
Primary the staff on board shall be supplied with fresh and drinking water, but also in-patients in need of a possible treatment on the ship.                      
Treatment of the locals is the paramount aim. In the lower deck there will be about 5 beds for the patients’ post-operative treatment.
For the medical treatment we will have
1 admission room, 2 surgeries, 2 operating rooms, 1 sterilisation room, 1 laboratory, 1 casting room, and 1 X-ray room. Furthermore we will have a locker room for the staff.

Apart from the medical staff there will also be technical staff on board. Depending on the requirements these people will repair and maintain public facilities like schools, health stations, etc. To be more precise: defect water pipes, generators or water pumps in villages will be repaired and samples of drinking water be taken and analysed on board in order to achieve an improvement in the quality of drinking water. Parallel to this aid we will try to train the locals in the respective tasks and to impart maintenance of the tools used. 
In addition to medical storage rooms the ship will also have storage space for technical/electrical equipment.

The ship’s equipment

The maximum draught will be approx. 1 m.
The 4 decks are arranged as per the following:
 - lower deck
The lower deck houses the engine room with storage space for utilities, tools and spare parts, as well as a workbench and a crane lift.
The post-operative control room with about 5 beds will also be in the lower deck. This room will be separated from the engine room by means of a special sound insulation.
The solar device is also located in the lower deck, just as well as the drinking water treatment plant, an excrements tank, a greywater tank, a greywater treatment plant, and a seawater treatment plant.

 

 

 

 - 1 st deck

The 1st deck houses the medical zone containing a laboratory, an X-ray room, a sterilisation room, operating rooms, a casting room, and a workshop. The medical zone will be equipped with a no-break power supply. A locker room for the staff and 2 storage rooms will also be located on this deck. The quarterdeck will be equipped with a crane lift and with a parking space for an all-terrain vehicle.

 - 2 nd deck

The second deck houses the helmstand with Bb + Stb Nock. Navigation will be made through a joystick. The staff’s quarters are air-conditioned and the galley has a capacity for 16 people, and the mess.

 - Upper deck

Located on the upper deck are a meeting room / lounge and space for the lifeboats (or auxiliary boats), and the solar cells for the power supply during the night.

 

 

 

Please understand this report as a project planning. The details still need to be revised with the decision makers, the companies and other people and authorities in charge. The drawings might give an amateurish impression, but please bear in mind that they were solely created to give you a visual understanding of our concept.

Of course we do not expect you, dear visitor, to take rudders into your own hands. However, if you want to contribute to the success of this project, your donation is very welcome. That way RDI will hopefully soon be able to reach people in need in Gambia and to provide help on the spot.

Maybe one day RDI could be able to help you: In case you will fall ill during a long-distance journey and will be successfully treated due to the latest RDI results of research.

We are looking forward to you supporting our Riverboat project, and also to being able to help many people, to encourage international understanding and to set an example for peace and understanding.