Mercy Ships Africa Blog

Reclaiming Life: Papa’s Story

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Papa has a photo of a motorcycle engine on the wall of his bedroom. At just 21 years old, he has already established himself as an exceptional mechanic, dedicating his days to mending and reviving motorbikes. “Fixing bikes has always been a passion for me since I was a child,” he says.  When a large tumor began growing from the left side of his face, not only did it put his health in jeopardy, but he feared that it would dash his prospects as a professional mechanic. “This work has a lot of physical demands; it is harder to do with a tumor in the way,” he explained. 
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A Life-Altering Surgery for Hassan

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When a father passes away, a son struggles to remember as much about his dad as he can. Some of Hassan’s final memories of his father involved living with him while contracting the same condition that ultimately took his dad’s life: complications from an abdominal hernia.
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The Impact of Timely Dental Care: Ibrahim’s Story

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When 13-year-old Ibrahim arrived at the Global Mercy™ in Freetown, Sierra Leone, the left side of his face was tremendously swollen, protruding well beyond the teen’s jawline. He’d developed a simple toothache when he was 9 years old, but left untreated, the problem worsened, and a big part of his jawbone became infected.
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An Electrician’s Journey to Finding Purpose and Professional Growth

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When Jean Jacques Diouf climbed the gangway of the Africa Mercy® for the first time in his home country of Senegal, he’d packed his suitcase with enough supplies for just one week. He figured he wasn’t going to be on board for long. He’d only come to volunteer because he couldn’t say no to his father, who felt confident Mercy Ships would turn his son’s life around personally and professionally and advised him to just “go and see what happens.”  
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A father’s love: Aissatou’s story

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2022 was not the first time that Ousmane had sought medical help for his daughter Aissatou. Since his little girl was born with a cleft lip four years earlier, he had been in pursuit of her healing. The family had visited multiple hospitals in Senegal, but none could provide the help they needed. Others in his village started to lose hope, telling Ousmane that his daughter’s cleft lip was beyond repair.
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Bringing a Crew Together on the World’s Largest Civilian Hospital Ships

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It takes hundreds of volunteers to power Mercy Ships’ mission of following the model of Jesus to deliver safe and free surgeries via hospital ships. Those volunteers need to be equipped with professional skills in medicine, seafaring, accounting, cooking, and many other fields. They hail from countries around the world, and they must navigate long journeys, language barriers, visa procurement, and more logistics before they board the ship and begin serving. Through it all, the Mercy Ships People & Culture (P&C) team is beside them, offering crewmembers the support and expertise they need to succeed.
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A Double Portion of Blessings for Emmanuel

Of all the birthdays he’d celebrated in his life, Emmanuel’s 43rd would turn out to be something truly extraordinary. Just a few days after turning the page to a new year of life, a new chapter began. Emmanuel was wheeled into an operating room on board the Global Mercy™ hospital ship, where he became the very first patient to receive surgery during the field service in Freetown, Sierra Leone. There, in a surgery that took just 48 minutes, Emmanuel was freed from the tumor that had been growing on his neck for 4 years.
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Guinean Eye Surgeon Shares Valuable Training to Empower Others

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A talented surgeon who is always seeking to learn, Dr. Thierno Bah has traveled to cities around the world for trainings and conferences. His experience and skill as an ophthalmic surgeon have already made him a vital part of Guinea’s surgical ecosystem.
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The Woman Who Forged Her Way Through Walls: Florence Bangura’s Story

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Florence Bangura’s history with Mercy Ships spans 20 years, covering two countries, three ships, and four field services. At the age of 29, Florence worked as a welder on board the very first Mercy Ships hospital ship, the Anastasis, just a week after becoming officially certified in her trade. She later came on board the Africa Mercy® as a national day crewmember when it visited her home country of Sierra Leone in 2011, and in 2018 returned to the ship during its field service in the neighboring nation of Guinea.
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Africa Service Center (ASC)

Rue Thann, Immeuble Sea View,

Appartement 3ème étage à droite,

Dakar, SENEGAL

Africa Service Center (ASC)

Rue Thann, Immeuble Sea View,

Appartement 3ème étage à droite,

Dakar, SENEGAL

Tel: +221782967104 /776447017

africa@mercyships.org

© 2025 – Mercy Ships

Terms and conditions

Contact Us
News
Press
Videos

Africa Service Center (ASC)

Rue Thann, Immeuble Sea View,

Appartement 3ème étage à droite,

Dakar, SENEGAL

Africa Service Center (ASC)

Rue Thann, Immeuble Sea View,

Appartement 3ème étage à droite,

Dakar, SENEGAL

Tel: +221782967104 /776447017
africa@mercyships.org

© 2023 – Mercy Ships

Terms and conditions