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THE POWER OF VOLUNTEERING. Above, Romeo native Daniel Huber, left, volunteered on a hospital ship in Liberia, Africa for five months, utilizing his mechanical engineering skills to maintain the ship's power. Also pictured are welder/pipe fitter Dennis Slokov, First Engineer Andy Cole (in red), and JD, an engine hand.

(Photo courtesy of Daniel Huber)

Romeo native offers aid
with engineering skills

Worked on hospital ship
that docked in Africa

by CHRIS GRAY
Observer Staff Writer

      Romeo native Daniel Huber may not have been removing tumors or conducting eye surgeries, but his role on the "Africa Mercy" hospital ship was just as crucial.
       Huber, a 1995 Romeo graduate and 2000 graduate of Michigan Technological University, was busy making sure the Mercy Ship docked in the Port of Monrovia in Liberia, Africa was running smoothly.
       "I was kind of a jack-of-all-trades," he said. "I was in charge of parts and tools on the ship and keeping track of them, helping people with electronics as well<anything to do with engineering."
       For a total of seven months, Huber joined the global charity known as Mercy Ships, a Christian-based volunteer organization that has operated hospital ships in developing nations worldwide since 1978.
       Five of those months were spent in Liberia, where Huber, whose degree is in mechanical engineering, worked to maintain the hospital ship's power. He said the ship would burn about eight tons of fuel daily.
       "The hospital takes up quite a bit of energy since it has sterilizing units that produce steam, it's quite an undertaking" he said. "The air conditioning also takes up quite a bit of energy."
       Huber said he first heard of Mercy Ships while in college from a friend who is a missionary. He said the experiences she shared intrigued him, so he researched the matter and decided to join.
       The organization has volunteers pay to join, which serves as one of the main sources of funding along with donations on private and corporate levels. Short-term volunteers can donate their time from two weeks to a year, while others may request longer participation.
       Huber left his home in Royal Oak and went to Switzerland to visit family. From there he sailed off to Liberia in October, arriving Nov. 2. Having traveled to India before, he wasn't too surprised by the scenes of poverty, but was shocked by the war-torn state of the country.
       "The civil war has caused so much damage," he said. "It definitely showed you how damaging that could be, how society and infrastructure is very poor there because of it."
       From there, Huber assisted in ordering parts, maintaining the ship's power and various other projects. His support helped other facets of the ship, such as dental teams, service teams that educated natives in HIV and crop growing, and, of course, the hospital itself as an average of 100 people came onto the ship daily.
       "The main purpose is definitely to bring hope and healing with the ship to people who have been neglected medically," he said.
       He said over the course of the seven months, he didn't experience too many problems aside delayed shipping on parts from Texas. The Liberian-English is different, he said, but not hard to understand, and enjoyed working with the 350 volunteers from all over.
       "Overall, it was a super-great experience meeting people from so many different lands," he said. "It gives you a better outlook."
       Ironically, he said the biggest culture shock was when he returned to the U.S. and would hear his friends complain about daily life.
       "If you're unhappy with everyday work, you shouldn't be afraid to go out there and try," he said. "I'd encourage people to go out there and look and try to live."
       He said the only drawback to his trip was the uncertainties of leaving for so long, whether it was retaining a job at Bosch Company as a stability control systems designer or the condition of his house. Regardless, he said he plans on joining Mercy Ships again.
       "I would like to go back," he said. "It's a challenge, but it's a good challenge."