Images: Anjara and her mum before and after surgery to heal her cleft lip on the Africa Mercy in Madagascar, May 2024.
Who we are
Mercy Ships is a pioneering international health charity. Our hospital ships bring free, life-changing surgeries to women, men and children across sub-Saharan Africa.
Safe surgery is out of reach for 9 out of 10 people in sub-Saharan Africa. People are robbed of years of healthy life, for conditions that are easily treatable. This is unjust. We believe everyone has the right to safe surgical care, whenever they need it.
Our expert crew freely give their time and talents on board the largest charity hospital ships in the world, the Global Mercy and the Africa Mercy. Our volunteers come from around the globe to give patients vital medical care.
In partnership with African nations, we train healthcare professionals and build stronger medical services, creating change for decades to come.
“ This is history in the making… more lives and communities transformed, more opportunities to train healthcare workers and strengthen surgical systems.”
Nathan Claus, Director of Clinical Services, Mercy Ships
MISSION
Mercy Ships follows the 2,000-year-old model of Jesus, bringing hope and healing to people facing unjust poverty.
IMPACT
VISION
Mercy Ships uses hospital ships to transform individuals and serve nations one at a time.
VALUES
• Love God
• Love and serve others
• Be people of integrity
• Strive for excellence in all we say and do
Every two seconds, one person dies from a surgically treatable disease. Mercy Ships deploys hospital ships to provide free surgeries.
Since 1990, Mercy Ships has conducted 42 field services in 14 African countries, most of which are ranked by the United Nations Development Index as the least developed in the world. In addition to surgical care, Mercy Ships creates lasting impact by training local medical professionals and strengthening in-country healthcare systems.
Our ships
The Africa Mercy
5 Operating theatres
80 Patient beds including: recovery, intensive care, and low dependency wards 6.0m Draft
The Global Mercy
Thank you
Every day, incredible moments happen on our hospital ships. All because of you.
Turn to page 8 to read Fudia's story. She was born with severely bowed legs in Sierra Leone. But thanks to your kindness, she smiled as she took her first steps on straight legs after surgery.
On pages 6-7, you can see the wider impact you’ve helped create in Sierra Leone. From providing thousands of life-changing surgeries for our patients, to training and empowering local medical professionals to improve healthcare.
It was humbling to open the doors of the Global Mercy, our state-of-theart hospital ship, for an exclusive tour over the summer. You can read about this on page 10. For our donors and volunteers, it felt so special to walk through the wards and see with their own eyes where our patients find healing. An experience they’ll never forget.
On page 11, we raise a glass to our generous partners in the maritime world for their incredible support. Cargo Day – the online fundraising event created by the shipping community – has raised millions for Mercy Ships, and continues to go from strength to strength every year.
Finally, thanks to the tireless efforts of our volunteers, and the hopes and prayers of many across the world, the Africa Mercy is now serving patients in Madagascar.
Mercy Ships now has two hospital ships in service across Africa, bringing double the hope, double the healing. For hard-to-reach communities in Madagascar, the arrival of our hospital ship was truly a beacon of hope.
Without your kindness, none of our life-changing work would be possible. We are so very grateful for your support.
Because of you, Mercy Ships’ floating hospitals can keep going to the poorest places, helping thousands of people across sub-Saharan Africa to transform their lives.
With heartfelt thanks,
Shree Junk Director of Philanthropy, Mercy Ships UK
The Global Mercy in Sierra Leone
It was an honour for Mercy Ships to be invited by President Julius Maada Bio to extend our stay in Sierra Leone this year, to continue to support the delivery of safe surgery and medical training.
The Minister of Health in Sierra Leone, Dr Austin Demby, welcomed the Global Mercy’s return and expressed his excitement about the possibilities of free surgeries for people in desperate need.
“I’m extremely happy that Mercy Ships honoured the President’s call to stay longer to provide life-changing surgeries and train our healthcare professionals. As Minister of Health, I am excited about this and very proud of the partnership with Mercy Ships.”
Dr Austin Demby, The Minister of Health in Sierra Leone
Images: (Left to right) The arrival of the Global Mercy in Sierra Leone. Dr Austin Demby, The Minister of Health in Sierra Leone.
At a glance: our impact in Sierra Leone
Thanks to your support, we are providing life-transforming surgeries and vital training for healthcare professionals on board the Global Mercy. Across our 10-month field service, we provided:
2,267 surgical procedures
2,939 dental procedures
126 national healthcare professionals trained
4,918 hours of training for medical professionals
“We will build upon the existing impact and momentum, to support government plans towards the sustainable development of the surgical care system."
Dr Sandra Lako, Mercy Ships Country Director of Sierra Leone
Images: (Top left) Mamadou has an eye test after his cataract operation. (Top right) Volunteers welcome the Global Mercy back to Freetown, August 2024.
I can walk to school you ...because of
“When I’m older, I want to be a doctor, so that I can help other people.” Fudia
Fudia’s story
Fudia, 10, was born with severely bowed legs in Sierra Leone.
As she walked to school, she often heard other children laughing at her. Her school pinafore wasn't long enough to hide her deformity.
Her family went to many local hospitals to look for medical help. But they all said the same thing: "Only Mercy Ships can help her."
A dream come true
At last, Fudia heard Mercy Ships was coming to Sierra Leone. She could have the surgery she'd always hoped for.
Dr Belen Carsi, volunteer orthopaedic paediatric surgeon, told us that this was the most severe orthopaedic case she had seen in years.
“Fudia’s legs were so deformed that her ability to walk was really limited,” explained Dr Carsi. If left untreated, “she would have stop walking altogether.”
It was a long journey to recovery. But Fudia learnt to walk again, and has gained 14 centimetres in height after the surgery. She’s growing taller and stronger every day.
Now at home, her eyes are radiant, as she proudly walks to school with her newly straightened legs.
Transforming Healthcare at Freetown’s Largest Hospital
Running a hospital isn’t an easy task — it takes leaders carefully orchestrating a sea of moving parts to keep operations running smoothly. Matron Betsy Deen is that person at Connaught Hospital’s surgical department in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Matron Deen was one of the hundreds of medical professionals who came on board the Global Mercy training in Sierra Leone.
In her role as Surgical Matron, Matron Deen primarily manages and organises all the surgical nurses’ schedules, practices, processes, and procedures for before, during, and after a surgery occurs.
Matron Deen spent several days on board the Global Mercy, shadowing nurses and nursing managers.
“Through the ETA programme, I was able to broaden my horizon of knowledge on various areas such as team building, patient safety, patient satisfaction, administration in the operating theatre, and sterile processing," said Matron Deen.
As a result of the partnership with Mercy Ships, Matron Deen has expanded her knowledge and training to enhance medical capacity in Sierra Leone. This will directly impact the country’s development long after our hospital ship departs.
Images: (Left) Before and after: Fudia walks down the gangway of our hospital ship after surgery to straighten her legs. (Top right) Matron Betsy Deen shadows nurses on board the Global Mercy. She shares what she learnt with her team at Connaught Hospital.
Seeing with our own eyes
An exclusive tour of the Global Mercy
It was an honour to host a tour of the Global Mercy, our stateof-the-art hospital ship, for some of our most generous donors and volunteers in July.
Donors were invited to view the vessel while she was docked in Santa Cruz, Tenerife, during her time of annual maintenance this summer.
The tour covered all levels of the 174m long hospital ship, including the Bridge, the hospital wards, the operating theatres and the engine room. We also enjoyed a meal in the dining hall, together with crewmembers from the UK.
While touring the ship, our donors were inspired by the many personal stories shared by the Nurse Ward Manager, and also by the Captain. One volunteer said she was “blown away” by the experience, and that it reignited the passion she has for Mercy Ships.
Images: (Above, top to bottom) Sir Peter and Lady Margaret Vardy, on the Vision Trip to the Global Mercy in Tenerife, July 2024. One of the hospital wards on the Global Mercy
Cargo Day celebrations in Geneva
Over 400 supporters gathered for a gala evening in Geneva in September, to toast the success of Cargo Day.
The annual fundraiser, Cargo Day, raised over $4m from 90 shipping companies last year for Mercy Ships. The next event begins this November.
Members of the shipping and trading community joined with Mercy Ships staff for the gala dinner in Geneva’s spectacular Batiment des Forces Motrices.
The generosity of the shipping community
Guests were encouraged to hear Cargo Day supporters who personally visited our hospital ship in Sierra Leone last year.
Andrea Olivi, Global Head of wet freight oil chartering at Trafigura, said: “I never thought that superheroes existed until I came on board a Mercy Ship.
“The crew, from the captain to the engineer to the surgeon, are volunteers. The job they do is outstanding."
“On the Mercy Ships, the combination of compassion and professionalism is incredible. Across the maritime world, there is so much more we can do. It is up to us, and it will help in so many ways.”
Charlie Grey, CEO of Tankers International
Images: (Above) Leaders from the maritime industry celebrate the gala evening in Geneva, September 2024. (This page bottom left) Charlie Grey.
At a glance: our impact in Madagascar
Since February 2024, the Africa Mercy has been docked in the port of Toamasina, Madagascar, and is delivering safe surgery and training.
614 surgical procedures
1,117 hours of training for medical professionals
Images: (Left) The Africa Mercy docked. (Right) Baby Anjara has a nourishing meal as she recovers in hospital after her surgery in Madagascar.
A new smile
Justinah's story
When Justinah was born, her mother wept. She had never seen a baby with a cleft lip before. It made it even worse that her community were afraid of her daughter. Vitasoa will never forget the voices that said, “She looks like a monster.”
When Justinah was six months old, Vitasoa brought her to a local hospital, only to find that surgery would cost 1,000,000 Ariary (£166). For Vitasoa, this was a price she would never be able to afford. She was left with no other option but to leave her daughter’s condition untreated.
Then, last year, she heard about Mercy Ships on the radio. She was so happy. When they went to the Mercy Ships patient registration, Vitasoa was very surprised to see, for the first time, other babies with the same condition as her daughter.
Justinah received free surgery on board the Africa Mercy. Just one week after her surgery, crewmembers waved her farewell as she and her mother started their journey back home.
Now, Justinah is smiling bigger, eating foods she never could before, and has found her voice again.
“I’m so happy that people won’t reject her anymore. I want her to go to school and have a bright future.”
Vitasoa, Justinah's mother
Images: (Above) Justinah with her mother, Vitasoa, before her surgery. (Right) She now has a new smile and a brighter future.
is only possible
to your generosity. Thank you so much for your support.
Follow us
Stay in touch: mercyshipsuk
mercyships.org.uk 01438 727800
If you're interested in donating, volunteering, or selecting us as your Charity of the Year, please get in touch with our Philanthropy team: philanthropy@mercyships.org.uk
