News and stories from the Mercy Ships community
Restoring dignity
Read his full story inside “You did this for Papa”
What we do
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. This is unjust. We believe everyone has the right to safe surgical care, whenever they need it.
As a faith-based organisation, we follow the model of Jesus to bring hope and healing. Our hospital ships are fuelled by your love and support
Hope. Healing. Transforming lives.
mercyships.org.uk 01438 727800
info@mercyships.org.uk
I’m Dr Sarah Kwok, and it’s a joy to see people’s lives changed on board our Mercy Ships. When people like you put their faith into action, hope and healing are truly possible.
A new season
Dear friend,
I’m pleased to write to you as the new (Interim) Chief Executive Officer at Mercy Ships UK.
With great love and respect, we bid farewell to Joanne Balaam, our former CEO, in July. Joanne (‘Jo’ as our team affectionately calls her, pictured above) has moved on to pursue her passion at Mercy Ships International. It was a difficult decision, as you and so many of our incredible supporters are close to her heart.
Since first becoming our Chief Executive Officer in 2020, Jo has shown incredible leadership and a passion for transforming lives, made possible thanks to your love and support. I hope you’ll join me in saying thank you to Jo for all that she has given to Mercy Ships.
Thank you for your generosity
It is an honour and a privilege to step into this role at this time of change.
During my time at Mercy Ships as Finance Director, I have seen firsthand the impact of your generosity. I have seen how your gifts are sent directly to our hospital ships, providing safe surgeries for our patients and training for medical professionals across Africa. What we do is so special, and thank you so much for being a part of it.
When we come together, we can achieve great things. One of the highlights of my time at Mercy Ships so far has been joining with our many volunteers at Big Church Festival this summer. The camaraderie and commitment of both supporters and volunteers was both a joy to experience and an inspiration to witness.
As we start the autumn season, we have much to look forward to. We are blessed by your support, and the commitment of staff and volunteers all over the world who form part of our Mercy Ships family. I can’t wait to see what the future brings.
With love and thanks,
Clive Mitchell Chief Executive Officer (Interim)
school Back
The start of the new school year is always an exciting time – if a little nerve-wracking – for our children and grandchildren.
But what if your child is going back to school after a major operation? Or having to make new friends in a new country?
Here, Mamadou, Naserry and Sophie share what going back to school means to them.
Every day, Naserry, 14, felt so ashamed. She used to hide her hand behind her school bag. “At lunchtime, I never went out to play.”
Ten years ago, Naserry had a horrific accident. She burned her hand, wrist and elbow on a pot of boiling water. She will never forget the pain for the first few months. Without medical care for her severe burns, the skin around her wound became seared together.
But she suffered a wound that hurt even more –feeling alone and being teased for her disability.
So it was such a relief when she came to our hospital ship. After surgery and months of
physical therapy afterwards, she learnt to use her arm again. Now, she has newfound confidence.
“People used to laugh at me. No more laughing at me again –I won’t be teased anymore.”
Naserry marvels at her new ability to use both of her hands, instead of one. “Sometimes, I ask myself if I’m in a dream, but I know I’m not dreaming. It’s reality.”
Happy to be back at school, Naserry brightens her classroom with joy.
Sophie, 10, and her sisters, Héloïse, 12, and Zara, 14, from greater Manchester, are about to go back to school on the Global Mercy.
Sophie, who would be starting Year 7 at home, now has a handful of classmates. Her school is just one deck above her family cabin.
She says, “We will have our back-to-school day in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean! We are sailing from Tenerife to Freetown where we will have a whole year of school in Sierra Leone.”
It was a huge step to say goodbye to her old school friends, her home comforts, and move with her family onto our hospital ship.
Sophie’s dad, Simon Latham, is serving as a doctor on board, and her mum Amélie is a PE teacher.
It’s been an incredible experience so far for the whole family. As mum Amélie explains:
“All of the girls now want to do a job where they can help others and give something back. They can’t see it any other way after seeing the incredible need. It has been life-changing for all of us.”
Remember Mamadou from our Summer Appeal?
This bright boy has so much potential. But he felt trapped with the cataracts he was born with. He couldn’t open his cloudy-white eyes outside. It hurt too much. And at seven years old, he still couldn’t read or write.
Thanks to kind gifts like yours this summer, Mamadou received free surgery on the Global Mercy in Sierra Leone.
Now, he can see his mum’s face. He can see his school books. And he can play with his friends in the sunshine.
Thank you so much if you supported our Summer Appeal. Your amazing generosity raised more than £200,000. That’s enough to help 800 children like Mamadou receive the gift of sight.
Image: Sophie now lives with her family on the Global Mercy, leaving her old friends behind in Manchester.
Journey of hope
Here, we invite you to journey with a patient – from the day they first hear of our floating hospital, until they return home. This is how your support changes lives.
Patient selection
Imagine you’ve struggled to live with a health condition for years. But going to hospital is just too much to afford. Your prayers are answered when you hear of Mercy Ships. You walk for days to come to your nearest health centre. You’re greeted by the welcoming smiles of the kind volunteers who assess you. You are given a date for your free surgery – and you can’t wait.
Journey to the ship
A vehicle pulls up outside your home, a friendly driver opens the door for you, and you fasten the seatbelt. You’re on your way.
Arrive at the HOPE Centre
After many hours of travelling, you arrive at the HOPE Centre (Hospital Outpatient Extension). Everyone here is so kind to you. You feel loved and part of the family.
Surgeon consultation
Today’s the day! You walk up the gangway, you shake hands with the surgeon, and a translator helps you understand. You are so nervous, but a nurse holds your hand and tells you you’re going to be OK.
Surgery
You close your eyes, and when you slowly wake up, it’s bewildering. You see there’s a part of your body that’s bandaged and healing. You are full of relief – and hope.
Outpatients and rehab
You spend your days in hospital playing cards, making bracelets, and sharing love and laughter as you recover.
After weeks – sometimes months – it’s time to say goodbye to your new friends and go home.
Help us reach another patient in urgent need.
Your gift can provide travel to the ship, a safe surgery, rehabilitation, meals and therapy.
£20 provides sterile bandages to help a patient heal
£30 buys hygiene care packs for two patients
£40 helps fund a maxillofacial surgery for a patient like Papa.
Give now. Complete the form at the end of this magazine, go to mercyships.org.uk/hope or scan the QR code. Thank you.
Home
As the car pulls up to your village, everyone is here to greet you. Children run and jump up excitedly. Your loved ones tearfully hug you home. Your new life begins now.
ILLUSTRATION
BY JOHN DEVOLLEFOLIO
ART
Brave brother gets his life back on track
Papa was told it was just a toothache. But when his tumour showed no signs of stopping, he had to overcome his worst fears.
“Fixing bikes has always been a passion for me, since I was a child. Once I’d learnt the skills I needed, I opened my own workshop.”
Papa is ambitious. He runs a motorbike repair shop, where he earns a good income and can support his younger brothers and sisters.
But his growing tumour has made his work a daily battle. “This work has a lot of physical demands, and it’s harder to do with a tumour in the way,” he told us.
It all started when he was a teenager. He went to hospital, but he was told it was just a toothache that would get better by itself. If only.
He unwraps his black scarf and you see his tumour is huge, heavy weight on the left of his face, partially blocking his sight.
“The tumour hurts and makes me uncomfortable. It stops me from doing a lot of things.”
Papa’s family raised enough funds for surgery at a local hospital. But just as the operation was about to start, there was a power cut. Afraid the power might fail again at any moment, Papa chose to not go ahead with surgery.
A second chance
“I was very scared before my surgery. I thought I’d never wake up.”
It took a lot of strength for Papa to go through with it. He had grown up hearing nightmare stories of under-equipped hospitals in Senegal. He had grown to distrust people outside of his family and friends, because of the trauma he had suffered in the past. Now, he had to put his life in the hands of people he didn’t know.
But Papa faced his fears and bravely went ahead anyway.
As the haze of anaesthesia lifted after his surgery, Papa instantly knew his tumour had gone.
“When I woke up, I didn’t touch it, but I felt the tumour had gone because before, it blocked my sight. I felt the weight on my face was a lot lighter.”
Papa stayed in the hospital for three months. It was a long road to recovery.
“I feel like a new person”
At last, Papa could go home. “The day I was discharged, I was so excited to see my family,” he recalls.
Papa carried on doing his job as best he could. One day, a friend told him that Mercy Ships would soon sail to Senegal. Papa couldn’t believe he could have safe surgery, for free. It seemed too good to be true.
Happily, he was booked in for surgery and driven to our HOPE Centre in Dakar. He was welcomed to our hospital ship with open arms.
But being back in hospital was an anxious time.
When our vehicle brought him back home, Papa’s mum tearfully hugged him. What a moment – to see her son standing tall and proud, free of his tumour.
“His tumour is gone now, and his health, dignity, and joy are restored. You did this for Papa”
“The next day, I went to see my friends at my workshop. I feel like a new person. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me.”
Papa’s surgery has changed his life. He always wanted to get a driving licence, to marry, and start his own family one day. Now, he can.
People are amazed by his transformation. One friend told us, “What you’ve done isn’t just for Papa, it’s for the whole community. His tumour is gone now, and his health, dignity, and joy are restored. You did this for Papa and the entire city.”
Could you lift the burden of another patient like Papa?
A generous gift of £40 –or whatever you can afford – could fund expert surgery to remove a tumour on our hospital ship.
Give now at mercyships.org.uk/hope or scan the QR code.
New smiles in Madagascar
Baby Anjara became our first patient on the island of Madagascar since 2016.
Anjara was born with a bilateral cleft lip. Her mum remembers Mercy Ships from our last service here eight years ago. She hoped and prayed our hospital ship would return to Madagascar. So when she heard we were coming back, she was overjoyed.
“I thank God that Mercy Ships is here, so they can help repair my baby’s cleft lip,” she said with gratitude.
Stronger across land, sea and air
We’re pleased to partner with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) to bring life-changing surgical care to isolated communities across Africa.
Launching in Madagascar, this partnership will enable our patient selection teams to access hard-to-reach areas.
Bastiaan de Waal, Africa Regional Director of MAF, said, “By transporting Mercy Ships teams with our aircraft across Madagascar, we provide help, hope and healing to people in desperate need.”
The day I met the future king
Long-time supporter, Paul Denton, was awarded an OBE at Windsor Castle in June. Paul’s tireless efforts helped to secure the $1.1m grant from the Rotary Foundation.
This incredible gift helped to fund new medical equipment for the Global Mercy, including a CT scanner, helping to transform lives.
Paul said, “I greatly admire the work of Mercy Ships and was thrilled to help them get the largest grant in the Rotary Foundation’s history. We raised funds
from South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Liberia and all over the world. So many people got behind it! They saw the charity’s clear vision and wanted to help.”
Thank you so much, Paul, for your incredible fundraising.
“A
heartfelt and moving tribute”
★★★★ British Theatre Guide
“An
unexpected gem”
★★★★ Plays International
Host an event in your church this autumn
Want something to look forward to? You can host a theatre night of the critically-acclaimed play, Titanic: The Last Hero and The Last Coward. You can watch the preview here – it might just make you smile! mercyships.org.uk/titanic
To book a theatre night, please email: admin@searchlighttheatre.org
Christmas
Carol Service
Save the date: Thursday 5th December, 7:30pm Southwark Cathedral, London
Join us to welcome in the Christmas season. Please call 01227 811 627 to book free seats for you and your loved ones. We hope you can join us!
How
you can help
Everything you do helps change lives. Here are a few ideas to inspire you this autumn…
Give
Make a lasting impact with a regular gift. Visit mercyships.org.uk/donate
Follow us
Join our online community: @mercyshipsuk
Fundraise
From dinner parties to bonfire nights, there are so many fun ways to fundraise. Go to mercyships.org.uk/fundraise
Leave a legacy
Remember Mercy Ships in your Will. Go to mercyships.org.uk/legacy to find out more.
Take part
Run, jog, walk, cycle, or swim for Mercy Ships by taking part in one of our challenge events. Email getinvolved@mercyships.org.uk
Volunteer
Share your time and talents on board our hospital ships. Find your place at mercyships.org.uk/volunteer
Pray
Pray for our patients on board our hospital ships. Find out how your church can support Mercy Ships at mercyships.org.uk/church
Thank you for making hope and healing possible.
She will never forget you Thanks to your gift...
A child like Adama can find her smile. A grandma can find comfort at the end of her life.
A community can see a new health clinic opening in their village.
Let your love shine forever with a gift in your Will.
Leave a legacy of hope and healing
Did you know? You can create a new Will, or update your existing one, free of charge with Mercy Ships and the National Free Wills Network. To find out more, go to mercyships.org.uk/legacy or call our friendly team on 01438 727800.