Twenty-four pallets of Project Handclasp supplies were accepted on behalf of the nation by the President of Liberia during a ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Monrovia, September 4, 2009.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, along with Chargé d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Liberia Brooks A. Robinson and acting Minister of Liberian Health and Social Welfare Vivian Cherue, were guests of honor at the ceremony.

Twenty of the donated pallets contained high nutrition meals as part of Kids Against Hunger, a program with a mission to reduce the number of hungry children in the U.S. and throughout the world.

"We begin today by officially handing over 144,000 meals for Liberian school children, and four pallets of medical supplies for the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare," said Robinson. "These items were delivered through Project Handclasp by the HSV Swift, an Africa Partnership Station (APS) ship which is now docked in the Freeport of Monrovia."

High Speed Vessel Swift (HSV 2) will be in Liberia for two weeks as part of APS. Medical teams based on the ship will conduct primary care health screenings, maternal and child services and education, dental exams and education, eye examinations and distribution of prescription glasses. The teams will also provide veterinary services and education, biomedical repair education and advanced lab training. Navy Seabees will construct a new medical ward and laundry at another local hospital.

"Liberia needs effective partnerships that are characterized by continuous and frank consultations, information sharing, clear rules of engagement and conflict resolution, transparent transactions, and explicit incentives," said Chereu. "We look forward to working with you on more projects, and from the bottom of my heart I want to again profoundly express appreciation to you for the extraordinary assistance you will provide the Liberian people."

Homeported in Norfolk, Virginia, Swift is on a regularly scheduled deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility. The ship has supported various partnership-building operations and training throughout much of the world, including APS.

APS is a multinational initiative developed by Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Africa which aims to work cooperatively with U.S. and international partners to enhance maritime safety and security on the African continent. APS provides a unique venue to align maritime engagements by utilizing an international team of expert trainers in a variety of military capacities and civilian fields.