Dr. Austin Demby, Sierra Leone Minister of Health, shares his vision for healthcare in his latest op-ed.

The Global Mercy™ is currently serving in the Port of Freetown, Sierra Leone. The purpose-built hospital ship will take a short maintenance break starting in June 2025. The ship will then return to Freetown in August 2025, and continue to provide surgical care and education through June 2026.

The Africa Mercy® departed from her Annual Maintenance Period in February 2025, returning to Toamasina, Madagascar. She will continue to provide life-changing surgeries along with various education and training initiatives through December 2025.

Dr. Austin Demby, Sierra Leone Minister of Health, shares his vision for healthcare in his latest op-ed.

The Global Mercy™ is currently serving in the Port of Freetown, Sierra Leone. The purpose-built hospital ship will take a short maintenance break starting in June 2025. The ship will then return to Freetown in August 2025, and continue to provide surgical care and education through June 2026.

The Africa Mercy® departed from her Annual Maintenance Period in February 2025, returning to Toamasina, Madagascar. She will continue to provide life-changing surgeries along with various education and training initiatives through December 2025.

The Global Mercy™ is currently serving in the Port of Freetown, Sierra Leone. The purpose-built hospital ship will take a short maintenance break starting in June 2025. The ship will then return to Freetown in August 2025, and continue to provide surgical care and education through June 2026.

The Africa Mercy® departed from her Annual Maintenance Period in February 2025, returning to Toamasina, Madagascar. She will continue to provide life-changing surgeries along with various education and training initiatives through December 2025.

Hospital Ship Africa Mercy® Returns to Madagascar: A Joint Initiative to Strengthen Access to Surgical Care and Healthcare Training

Press Release

Toamasina, MADAGASCAR, February 12, 2025 – With a strong focus on human capital development, the Ministry of Public Health, in partnership with the international humanitarian organization Mercy Ships, announced the arrival of the hospital ship Africa Mercy® in Toamasina today. This return marks a significant step in improving access to quality surgical care for the Malagasy population.

Hospital Ship Global Mercy™ to Stay in Sierra Leone until June 2026

Press Release

Mercy Ships and Sierra Leone Ministry of Health Extend Partnership to Transform Surgical Healthcare

FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE, 30 JANUARY: The Ministry of Health of Sierra Leone and international charity Mercy Ships have reaffirmed their partnership, announcing that the Global Mercy hospital ship will remain in Freetown through June 2026.

Health System for Safe Surgical Care in Africa To Be Enhanced Through Partnership Between the African Union Development Agency and Mercy Ships

Press Release

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – During the 2024 World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi in December, the African Union Development Agency–New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) and Mercy Ships announced a transformative partnership aimed at improving surgical care across Africa.

Meet the First Patient to Receive Surgery in Sierra Leone

Celebrating Another Year of Transformative Impact 

In 2024, Mercy Ships delivered life-changing healthcare and training across sub-Saharan Africa, marking significant milestones in its mission to provide free surgical care and build capacity within local healthcare systems. 

Through its two hospital ships, the Global Mercy™ and the Africa Mercy®, the organization impacted thousands of lives by combining direct medical services with Education, Training, and Advocacy (ETA) programs by partnering with governments for lasting impact. 

Patients like Delphin, a farmer from Madagascar, and Fudia, a young girl from Sierra Leone, are two individuals out of many that represent the far-reaching impact of Mercy Ships. 

Delphin received surgery to remove a debilitating goiter, allowing him to return to his family and work. “My life is back to normal,” he said. “I can work in the field again.” 

For 10-year-old Fudia, surgery to straighten her bowed legs meant physical healing and also emotional restoration. “Her friends used to mock her,” said her aunt. “Now, she is joyful and plays with her friends.” Inspired by her own journey, Fudia now aspires to become a doctor. 

Delphin and Fudia’s operations were just two of the more than 4,740 surgical procedures performed in 2024. Dental teams provided care to over 2,900 patients, completing more than 13,310 dental procedures. Additionally, 923 healthcare professionals from eight African nations participated in training programs, collectively receiving 159,727 hours of education. 

The dual-ship approach also allowed Mercy Ships to expand its reach, providing services in Sierra Leone and Madagascar while helping to strengthen Guinea’s healthcare system. 

 

In September, Guinea’s only public dental school, Université Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry (UGANC), unveiled a state-of-the-art training facility that doubled its capacity to train future dentists to help alleviate the severe shortage of dental professionals across Africa. Supported by Mercy Ships, the expansion allows over 200 students to receive hands-on training with advanced equipment like simulation stations and a CBCT scanning machine.

Capacity-building initiatives in partnership with host nations included programs like the Nurse Anesthesia Diploma, which trained 20 specialists from across Sierra Leone to address critical gaps in anesthetic care. This program, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the University of Sierra Leone, aims to provide sustainable solutions for the country’s healthcare system. 

All these achievements were made possible through the work of more than 1,980 international volunteers from over 70 nations and more than 680 Sierra Leonean and Malagasy day crew members. 

With its two-ship fleet, Mercy Ships and its host nations can carry on impacting lives in 2025 – and that means double the volunteers are needed. The Global Mercy is currently serving in Sierra Leone, and the Africa Mercy is in Madagascar. 

Want to join our mission to provide hope and healing? Find your place on board today. 

“…an extraordinary group of people from around the world who exemplify a unique expression of compassion…”

“Mercy Ships has shown great compassion on the Liberian people. I wish to thank all the volunteers on the ship who come from all over the world for their sacrifice and the comfort they have given…”

“I know I speak on the behalf of many, many millions of people when I say thank you very much to all of you for your dedication, for your caring…”

“…an extraordinary group of people from around the world who exemplify a unique expression of compassion…”

“Mercy Ships has shown great compassion on the Liberian people. I wish to thank all the volunteers on the ship who come from all over the world for their sacrifice and the comfort they have given…”

“I know I speak on the behalf of many, many millions of people when I say thank you very much to all of you for your dedication, for your caring…”

We believe that access to surgical care is not a luxury, it’s a necessity.

We believe that access to surgical care
is not a luxury, it’s a necessity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Mercy Ships is invited by and works together with governments in Africa to provide safe surgical care and surgical education. Our new ship, the Global Mercy™, is serving in Sierra Leone from August 2023 to June 2024, and again from August 2024 to June 2025. The Africa Mercy® will be in Madagascar from February to December 2024.

Previously, the Global Mercy spent February through July 2023 in Dakar, serving patients from both Senegal and The Gambia from one port. During 2023, the Africa Mercy underwent an extensive refit in Durban, South Africa, to prepare her for many more years of service.

Mercy Ships field services are always conducted at the invitation of the host country’s government. Through a collaborative process, Mercy Ships and the nation’s government reach a five-year agreement that begins before the field service and lasts for years afterward. This long-term partnership includes preparation for the field service, and follow-up support once the ship has left. Once that agreement is finalized, an announcement will be made through Mercy Ships’ social media and online platforms, and by the country’s leadership.

Thank you for your interest in volunteering! Mercy Ships needs volunteer medical professionals, maritime officers and engineers, teachers, administrators, I.T. specialists, accountants, communication professionals, and so much more. Find your place on board! Together, we can bring hope and healing. View open volunteer opportunities with Mercy Ships.

Mercy Ships also has a financial support team to answer questions and support volunteers through queries. Send them an email or check out their fundraising brochure here.

When the ship is in port, Mercy Ships also engages local volunteers from the host nation to help with various roles, including translation, driving, cooking, and cleaning. Recruitment for these “national crew” positions happens locally in the three to four months before the ship arrives. For more information about when a ship may be visiting your country, stay tuned on mercyships.africa.

Mercy Ships will be serving in Sierra Leone (until June 2024, and again beginning in August 2024) and Madagascar (February to December 2024). We can only consider patient referrals in the countries where we are currently serving. Mercy Ships works with the government and Ministry of Health in those host nations to make the population aware of opportunities. If you live in those countries, stay tuned for information from local news and government sources.

Mercy Ships provides:

  • Maxillofacial surgery: Head and neck tumors, cleft lip, cleft palate, ear-nose-throat diseases
  • Pediatric Orthopedic surgery: Club feet, bowed legs, windswept legs, knocked knees
  • Reconstructive Plastic surgery: Severe wound scars, benign tumors, chronic ulcers, burn contractures
  • Women’s health: Vesicovaginal and rectovaginal fistulas, prolapse
  • General surgery: Hernias, goiters, other issues correctible by surgery
    • Pediatric specialized general surgery
  • Eye surgery: Cataracts, pterygium, and strabismus

Learn more about Mercy Ships medical programs here.

We can only take patient referrals in the countries where we are currently serving. Mercy Ships works with the government and Ministry of Health in those host nations to make the population aware of opportunities. If you live in those countries, stay tuned for information from local news and government sources.

Mercy Ships employs a very experienced and well-trained team for patient selection. The selection begins with registration through local evaluators, continues through selection events in major cities throughout each country, and concludes with a final selection process on the ship.

Please do not visit the ship in hopes of receiving surgery. Our crew cannot accommodate unplanned visits, and you will not be able to be seen by a surgeon if you come to the ship. If you have not been able to attend a selection event, there is a referral email address you can write to about your surgical need: patient.referral@mercyships.org.