Entries by shawnthompson

After Years of Waiting, Healing Has Come for Sira

The day 6-year-old Sira returned from the Africa Mercy® in Dakar, neighbors swarmed their home to see the change.They knew she had gone away to receive surgery for her bowed legs. “Some of these people had seen her with bent legs most of her life,” Ibrahima, Sira’s father, explained. One by one they took in the sight, awed that her legs were now straight. Sira smiled shyly, letting them look. This kind of attention wasn’t new for Sira. She had been getting stares since her legs started curving outward when she was 4 years old. 

Mercy Ships appoints Dr. Juliette M. Tuakli as Mercy Ships Diplomatic Ambassador for Africa 

GARDEN VALLEY, TEXAS DECEMBER 21, 2022 – Mercy Ships is pleased to announce that Dr. Juliette M. Tuakli has been named in the newly created role of Diplomatic Ambassador for Africa. The appointment will support the activation of strategic partnerships with governments, diplomatic entities, communities/social organizations that build awareness, engagement, and create opportunities for Mercy Ships engagement.  

Family love leads to Awa’s new smile

In a rural town in southern Senegal lives 5-year-old Awa, surrounded by her loving family. She has always been close with them – especially with her Uncle Woury. Since the moment Awa was born with a cleft lip, her uncle’s greatest wish was that she would someday find healing.

Mercy Ships Announces the Global Mercy™ will visit Sierra Leone in late summer 2023

GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE AFFIRMS PARTNERSHIP WITH MERCY SHIPS TO STRENGTHEN SURGICAL CARE

Freetown, Sierra Leone, 06 October 2022 – During an audience with His Excellency Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, the government of Sierra Leone and Mercy Ships extended their existing protocol agreements for their newest hospital ship, the Global Mercy to visit Sierra Leone.

Committed partnerships are the best way to ensure all Africans have access to life-saving surgical procedures

Cotonou, Benin – 06 October 2022: As Mercy Ships marks 30 years of service on the continent, providing free surgical care, training, and support from its hospital ships to local development projects in Africa, its Africa Bureau Director Dr. Pierre M’Pele calls for continued vigilance and tireless pursuit in the efforts to improve the level of health of African populations.

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Health in Africa: the tree that hides the forest

In August, WHO’s Monitoring Report on Universal Health Coverage in Africa revealed a 10-year rise in life expectancy between 2000 and 2019. This drastic increase is a consequence of the 37% drop in mortality between 2000 and 2015 following the implementation of the 2000-2015 Millennium Development Goals.

Zackaria’s Hindered Sight

After Zackaria was born, his mother, Binta, began seeing signs that he was suffering from cataracts — a condition that her eldest child had experienced.

“I knew about Zackaria’s eyes when he was still very young, as I had the same experience with my firstborn,” Binta said. “Elimane had an operation, but his surgery was not successful. I wept when I saw that my new baby was looking and moving in the same way.”

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‘Living Proof that Change Is Possible’: Mercy Ships Medical Capacity Building in Liberia

Just a few weeks ago a new team arrived, carrying loads of anesthesia training equipment in their luggage. Almost all the anesthesia providers in Liberia have already participated in an online training course in SAFE Obstetric Anesthesia, which was offered by Mercy Ships in partnership with the World Federation of Societies of Anesthesiologists (WFSA). Now, local Liberian anesthesia providers have welcomed teams to the country to facilitate the next level of practical training.

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The Mercy Ships Africa Celebration: New Hope for the Future of Surgery

The arrival of the Global Mercy signifies a new era for the partnership between Mercy Ships and Africa. But she’s just one piece of a larger movement toward safer surgery.

Drawing on the data gathered and analyzed at the International Symposium, representatives from several African nations met on board the Global Mercy to adopt the Dakar Declaration.

“This historic document is the roadmap for the future of accelerating safe surgical, obstetric, and anesthetic care in Africa in the years to come,” said Gert van de Weerdhof.