Press release

Geneva, Switzerland - Lindale, Texas, United States, 22 April 2024 A groundbreaking agreement between MSC Group, MSC Foundation and the charity Mercy Ships International prepares for the construction of a brand-new hospital ship that will deliver free surgery and training annually to thousands of people in Africa. On 8 April, the chairman of MSC Group and MSC Foundation, Capt. Gianluigi Aponte, Diego Aponte, MSC Group President and Member of the MSC Foundation Board, and Mercy Ships Founder Don Stephens finalised an agreement to kickstart this new project with a generous anchor donation from MSC Foundation, reflecting the visionary leaders’ commitment to supporting access to critical healthcare for the generations to come.

Patients across Madagascar complete registration for free surgeries on Mercy Ships

TOAMASINA, MADAGASCAR – International charity Mercy Ships has announced the successful completion of the Patient Registration Phase in Madagascar. This is a critical milestone towards provision of surgical care to underserved communities, bringing hope and healing to countless lives.   

Collaborative partnerships boost surgical care needs in West Africa, experts hear

Freetown, SIERRA LEONE – Renowned surgeons and medical experts from across West Africa and beyond met in Freetown, Sierra Leone to propose ways of accelerating access to surgical care and education at the 64th Conference and Scientific Meeting of the West African College of Surgeons (WACS). The week-long event marks a significant milestone in demonstrating West Africa’s medical expertise, offering a platform to exchange ideas and collectively shape the future of surgery and anesthesia while demonstrating the great progress that the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health (MOH) has made with global partnerships.

International Women’s Day: Sierra Leone’s Florence Bangura is fostering opportunities for growth in all women, starting with herself

At a young age, Florence Bangura was barred from working and married off by her father. But the adversity may be the reason the 49-year-old from Sierra Leone is today the embodiment of what International Women’s Day is all about.

Ministry of Health and Mercy Ships Extend Stay of Hospital Ship in Sierra Leone to Provide Life-Changing Surgeries and Education

The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the renowned international charity Mercy Ships, proudly announces the extension of the Global Mercy’s stay in Sierra Leone. This affirms the commitment to addressing the surgical needs of the Sierra Leonean people and advancing healthcare education in the region.

Hospital ship arrives in Madagascar to deliver surgical care and training

TOAMASINA, MADAGASCAR – International charity Mercy Ships yesterday [February 1st] returned to Madagascar to bring transformative surgical education and free, life- changing surgeries. Freshly refitted hospital ship, the upgraded Africa Mercy® has arrived at the island nation to build on the charity’s longstanding collaboration and will provide specialized surgeries in various fields, including maxillofacial and ear nose and throat, general, pediatric specialized general, pediatric orthopedic, cataract surgery, and reconstructive plastics.

Africa Mercy® heads to Madagascar after recrewing in East London: Extensive South African upgrades will benefit Mercy Ships’ future surgical offering

EAST LONDON, SOUTH AFRICA 25 JANUARY 2024 – This week, following a recrewing effort, the hospital ship the Africa Mercy® departed from the Port of East London for service within the nation of Madagascar for the next 10 months. During an eight-month refit in Durban’s Dormac Shipyard, the ship underwent extensive repairs and maintenance to prolong and improve the vessel’s service life and improve the quality of the ship’s medical services.

Empowering surgeons: the female surgeon on a mission to accelerate surgery in Madagascar

Professor Fanja is on a mission to uplift surgeons and enhance the healthcare system in her home nation of Madagascar.   Having benefited from the guidance of skilled teachers during her own training, Prof. Fanja, whose full name is Professor Fanjandrainy Rasoaherinomejanahary, specializes in surgery of the abdominal organs and entire digestive tract, is determined to pass on her knowledge to the next generation of surgeons. 

Boy, six, can return to school with twin brother after his bowed legs are repaired

A six-year-old boy who developed severely bowed legs, when his twin brother did not, has been able to go to school after a surgical charity repaired them.  Serigne’s legs started to bow when he was a toddler, while his twin Fallou’s remained straight.  When he was two years old, his parents noticed he took longer to walk, and when he did, he struggled. 

2024: Mercy Ships doubles down efforts to bring surgical care and training to sub-Saharan Africa as studies pinpoint critical gaps in surgical, obstetric, and anesthetic care

More volunteers than ever are needed to devote their time to international charity Mercy Ships as it prepares to start 2024 with two hospital ships in service as the momentum to deliver improved surgical care across Africa intensifies. The charity’s newest hospital ship, the Global Mercy®, continues to provide surgeries in Sierra Leone, where it has been since August 2023, while the Africa Mercy™ will start service in Madagascar.
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Africa Bureau

11 Rue 12.225,
Les Cocotiers-la Haie Vive
04 B.P 1398 Cotonou, BÉNIN
Tel: +229 62 38 79 79
africa@mercyships.org

© 2023 – Mercy Ships

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About us
Contact Us
News
Press
Videos

Africa Bureau

11 Rue 12.225,
Les Cocotiers-la Haie Vive
04 B.P 1398 Cotonou, BÉNIN

Africa Bureau

11 Rue 12.225,
Les Cocotiers-la Haie Vive
04 B.P 1398 Cotonou, BÉNIN
Tel: +229 62 38 79 79
africa@mercyships.org

© 2023 – Mercy Ships

Terms and conditions