A grandmother sat on a bench in the Africa Mercy's hospital ward. 

The professional medical volunteers on board our hospital ships, the Global Mercy and the Africa Mercy, perform thousands of free surgeries every year. 

Hope and healing have come to Freetown, Sierra Leone as the Global Mercy has arrived and patients have started to come on board just this week! 

Sira was a playful 4-year-old filled with vibrant life.

Fatamata was filled with hope when her children were born. But both times, nearly nine years apart, that hope faded into fear.

Mariama was only 4 years old when her parents noticed her legs were beginning to bend. 

Dahlia from Madagascar served on board our ship for a couple of years as the galley team leader. 

Dr. Payam Afzali is a maxillofacial surgeon from the United States. He served on board our hospital ship in Senegal, and highly recommends volunteering. 

Many Mercy Ships volunteers serve over and over again on board our hospital ship. Nurse Amy Wilderspin isn’t put off by the idea of having to pay her way or raise support to volunteer. 

For our orthopedic patients, surgery is just the first step, followed by challenging physical therapy. Volunteer physical therapist Rachel Fung describes the process.