One day, a 12-year-old girl named Kaltoumi came to the Africa Mercy with a tumor that covered more than half of her face. Young patients are accompanied by an adult caregiver in our hospitals, but no one in Kaltoumi’s family could travel.

The people we serve have little to no access to healthcare.  So, we often see very complicated cases on board our hospital ships. 

Both of our hospital ships include a small boutique on board. There volunteers are able to swap and share items such as clothes and shoes.

For many women in Africa, childbirth injuries are a normal part of life. Obstetric fistula is one of the most common and heart-breaking conditions to have.

Our volunteers often spend Christmas away from their families. But the celebrations on board our hospital ships, are full of holiday cheer.

A normal night quickly turned to tragedy for 3-year-old Paul Bernard. While sleeping, a lamp was knocked over, catching the room on fire.

In the early days of Mercy Ships, our volunteers would work in clinics off of the ship. Dr. Andrew Clark was volunteering in one such clinic when he met a very sick woman.

Why do our dedicated volunteers serve at Mercy Ships? 

Susy left her home country of Colombia to serve on board the Africa Mercy. During her time volunteering, she noticed many differences from her home and the hospital ship, but one thing remained... holiday celebrations!

Our hospital ships are home to hundreds of volunteers from around the world. They each bring their unique heritages and traditions with them.