Entries by globalbranding

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

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.

Mercy Ships 2024: A 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 in 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 programs by partnering with governments for lasting impact.

Young Man’s Life Transformed After Mercy Ships Removes Life-Threatening Tumor

A young man from Sierra Leone who was forced to leave school due to relentless mockery over a life-threatening facial tumor has had it successfully removed by international charity, Mercy Ships.
Alex, now 23, first noticed a swelling on his jaw in 2016 as a teenager. Over the years, the tumor grew significantly, making it difficult for him to eat, speak, and swallow. It left him increasingly isolated and raised fears that it could eventually impair his breathing.

TEMPORARY DEPARTURE OF THE HOSPITAL SHIP AFRICA MERCY

Antananarivo, 10 December 2024 – The Ministry of Public Health wishes to inform the population that the Africa Mercy hospital ship will temporarily leave Madagascar on 13 December 2024 for its annual maintenance, which is essential for the continuation of its humanitarian mission of excellence. The Africa Mercy’s presence in Madagascar is the result of a solid partnership between the Malagasy Government and international organisation Mercy Ships.

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A New Gift: Hope for Emmanuel

Manteneh was a nearly defeated woman when she brought her 3-year-old son, Emmanuel, to Mercy Ships in January. She told doctors on the Global Mercy™ that several local hospitals in Freetown simply did not know what they could do to treat Emmanuel’s rare disorder, lymphangioma, so they turned her away. For Manteneh, Mercy Ships was their last chance.

She explained how this all began. Shortly after her son was born, she noticed a white-colored swelling around his ear. Unsure of what to do, she compressed the area with warm water, but things began to worsen.

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Mercy Ships Introduces Sterile Processing Training for Healthcare Workers in Freetown, Sierra Leone

Mercy Ships’ Education, Training, and Advocacy (ETA) department is supporting a new program aimed at reducing surgical infection rates at Connaught Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone. As a component of its Safer Surgery program, 20 nurses are attending a two-week, hands-on training about sterilization processes.

Mercy Ships has partnered with the Sterile Processing Education Charitable Trust (SPECT) to administer the training. SPECT is a nonprofit organization founded in 2013 to address a critical gap in healthcare: the lack of effective sterile processing education and training in resource-constrained settings.

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“Real Sacrificial Heart”: The Story of a Hospital Director

It’s been almost two decades since Merryl Mackenzie, now 65 years old, began her journey with Mercy Ships. In 2007, Merryl left her home in Australia and came to Ghana, West Africa – arriving on New Year’s Eve to serve as an operating room nurse on the Anastasis, just before it was retired. She worked alongside volunteer surgeon, Dr. Gary Parker, doing maxillofacial surgeries. Having taken a temporary leave of absence from the hospital where she worked, the mother of three stayed aboard the ship for three weeks in pursuit of a childhood dream.