Mercy Ships

Mercy Ships Overview from Mercy Ships on Vimeo.

Mercy Ships is a global charity that was founded in 1978 by Don Stephens. Mercy Ships operates the largest non-governmental hospital ship in the world, providing free health care, community development, agriculture and water projects, mental health programs, AIDS/HIV prevention and care to terminally ill patients in developing nations around the world, with a focus on West Africa.

 Their current flagship, the Africa Mercy, is serving in Madagascar for the 2014 - 2015 Field Service.  Mercy Ships is has its International Operations Center (IOC) in Lindale, Texas, and has 17 other national offices around the world.  Mercy Ships provides surgeries and health care to correct or otherwise aid  deformities, tumors, cleft lip/palate, congenital abnormalities, burns & leprosy, oral disease, dental, extractions & procedures, oral hygiene education, and childbirth injuries.

There are over 400 volunteer Mercy Ships crew with over 1,500 short-term volunteers from over 40 nations serving each year. Mercy Ships often needs people for jobs not just of the medical nature. While positions for surgeons, dentists, and nurses are often readily available, because of the nature of the ship, jobs such as hospitality hostesses, mechanics, and teachers are also often in high demand. 

Mercy Ships currently has one vessel:

     MV Africa Mercy    

                                  2017 ~ 2018 - Docked in Douala, Cameroon
                                  2016 ~ 2017 - Docked in Cotonu, Benin
                                  2015 ~ 2016 - Docked in Toamasina, Madagascar
                                  2014 ~ 2015 - Docked in Toamasina, Madagascar
                                  2013 ~ 2014 - Docked in Point Noir, Republic of Congo
                                  2012 ~ 2013 - Docked in Conakry, Guinea
                                              2012 - Docked  in  Lomé, Togo

                                              2011 - Docked in Freetown, Sierra Leone

                                              2010 - Docked in Lomé, Togo

                                              2009 - Docked in Cotonou, Benin

                                              2008 -  Docked in Monrovia, Liberia

  Earlier vessels include:

    MV Anastasis - Retired, June 2007

    MV Caribbean Mercy - Retired, May 2005

    MV Island Mercy - Retired in Spring 2001

Some of the more notable statistics include

• In the last 35 years Mercy Ships has delivered more than $1 Billion worth of free healthcare to more than 2.42 million people in 56 developing nations from its floating hospital.
• Performed more than 56,000 operations that are free to the patients such as cleft lip and palate, cataract removal, straightening of crossed eyes, orthopaedic and facial reconstruction.
• Treated over 520,000 patients in village medical and dental clinics.
• Educated about 29,000 local health care workers, who have in turn trained multiple thousands in primary health care.
• Trained local medical professionals in modern health care techniques.
• Completed over 1,095 community development projects focusing on water and sanitation, education, infrastructure development and agriculture.