Onboard with the Klein family

On 30 December 2023 Johan Klein, an alumnus, will embark with his family on a trip of a lifetime aboard the Africa Mercy, a hospital ship that provides free medical care to the underprivileged.

Many years ago you chose to study Facility Management and now you are volunteering on a hospital ship. A question I frequently ask alumni who travelled an extraordinary path is, how come!? 

‘There is quite a bit of background to this. I was about 18 years old when I first heard about Mercy Ships, an organisation dedicated to providing medical care for all. Each year, thousands of patients receive free surgery that changes their lives because of these two hospital ships. This is not all the organisation does: it also trains and educates local doctors and nurses so that structural changes can take place in countries where medical care is not as normal as it is for us. After studying Facility Management in Breda, I worked in healthcare for years, both as a team leader and a project manager. It’s been my dream for years to contribute in a different way.’

When you say ‘in healthcare’, I guess you mainly mean ‘at Rivas Zorggroep’, which I notice is a consistent feature on your resume. 

‘Yes, it does seem like that. I actually started working for them when I was still in high school. I had a part-time job as a host in a nursing home and then when I was at university I worked as a facility employee for them.’

And last week you stepped-down as a project leader at Rivas. Is the circle complete?

‘Yes, something like that, and now I’m going to break the circle!’ (laughs) ‘I’ve done it before, but every time I returned. First as a care manager and later as a project leader. I was very happy there. At secondary school I had no idea what I wanted to do and NHTV (currently BUas) was known as a competence-based university, a place where you could develop your own learning process. That appealed to me, as I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I didn’t even gain very much knowledge during my studies. Mostly I got to know myself and discovered that I don’t have much affinity with processes and technology; I work best in an environment with a lot of human interaction.’

Yet have you worked as a project manager to optimise processes at outpatient clinics?

‘But always from the patient’s perspective, where the ‘Patient Journey’ is central. It’s about how to organise the process as optimally as possible from that perspective, in such a way that it also helps the hospital.’

And now you will be working as a Hotel Services Manager aboard the Africa Mercy. What’s your take on it?

‘On 30 December, we fly to Texas where we receive three weeks of training. For me, it is preparation for my position, but more broadly it’s preparation for life on a ship with our family. After those three weeks, we fly to South Africa where the ship is moored and shortly after that we sail out to Madagascar. This is where we will perform our first field service, as it is called. For ten months.’

Ten months in one place, then?

‘This is due to the onshore construction of a HOPE centre. Surgery will be performed on the ship, while preparations and aftercare will mainly take place quayside. In the past this took place in tents, but nowadays containers are used. And of course, you can’t construct something like this for just a few weeks. We also have to teach local doctors and nurses knowledge and skills, which also takes time. I think this is what I like best about Mercy Ships, the fact that we work together to develop structural solutions.’

The Novib method? A fishing rod instead of a fish?

‘Exactly! This applies mainly in terms of teaching medical knowledge. About half of the volunteers onboard are medically trained. Volunteers also need to have many years of experience because you have to be able to respond quickly. The other half of the volunteers have a maritime background, technical or facilities training or a caregiver role. About 450 volunteers work on the ship.’

Wow, and I assume you’re not the only family?

‘Definitely not, there are 17 family cabins in total. To give you some idea, it is an 8-deck ship and one deck is completely set up as a hospital with pretty much all the equipment needed. There are five operating rooms, five nursing wards, a lab and a pharmacy. The ministry decides which surgeries are most needed. Mercy Ships then selects and triages the patients. This involves focusing first on the ‘quick wins’. That sounds unpleasant, but it's not. It involves identifying the interventions that have the most social impact.’

Can you give an example?

‘Mercy Ships treats a relatively high number of neoplasms and harelips. These are basically fairly simple interventions, but they immediately have a huge social impact. I heard a story of a woman who was totally excluded from society and had not been out of her hut in the village for 40 years because she had a facial tumour. The surgery gave her a new lease on life. It’s something we never stop to think about, but such tumours are a daily reality in Africa. People don’t go to a dentist for decades, either because there isn’t one or they can’t afford one.’

I can understand that you and many others want to contribute to something so positive! 450 m/f/x - is it a mega company?

Yes, very much so! And it involves a lot of momentum too. For example, while we will be aboard the ship for two years, there are others who help out for six weeks. My job is organising this. I will head up the Hospitality and Housekeeping teams. In a nutshell, I make sure that new volunteers are comfortable on board and that everything, such as cabins, common areas, etc, is well maintained. I think I will do more Facility work in this job than I have ever done before!’

It’s going to be hard work?

‘One pitfall of being on a ship 24/7 with your colleagues always around you is that you are constantly working. But we are prepared for this and are taught how to find a balance. We have a nice private family cabin and can cook for ourselves in the crew galley if we want. There is plenty of opportunity for relaxation on board. And there’s plenty for the kids to do too.’

The kids of course! They are still too young to understand it. How will it be on board?

‘Indeed, the youngest is only six months old and the oldest, who is three, will soon go to pre-school every morning. My partner Eline is the primary caregiver: she takes care of our kids first and foremost. But there are plenty of other activities that she can contribute to. There are about 40 to 50 children, which will keep the ship lively. Mercy Ships likes to have families on board. There are also single people working on the ship, some of whom are ‘backpackers’ if I may put it that way. Seeing a healthy family functioning can help people, so in that sense Eline and the children are certainly also part of the mission.’

Is this your personal drive?

‘My drive comes mainly from wanting to share something of what we have. This is true of both of us; it’s how we’ve arranged our lives. Sharing together and connecting with others. In Madagascar, we also definitely want to connect with the locals. At home we go to church and we will do the same there. We see it not only as an adventure, but more importantly as a fulfilment of our faith. Reaching out to the poorest of the poor, not only healing them physically, but giving them perspective.’ (he beams)

You can’t wait...

‘The seven bags are packed!’

Seven!? That’s all!?

‘Well actually about 15 boxes are already on their way, mostly with diapers and baby milk, toys, stuffed animals that can’t be missed ...’

And which above all must not fall overboard ...

‘You can’t organise for every eventually!’

 

Would you like to sail with us?

Follow the adventures of Johan and his family at familiekleinaanboord.nl. The website (in Dutch) also provides information on how you can contribute yourself, including financially. 

 

Interview by Maaike Dukker - 't Hart