Mercy Ships and South Africa

South Africa has been a welcoming port of call throughout Mercy Ships history, offering a base for hospital ships to receive repairs and maintenance. Most recently, in 2023, the Africa Mercy® underwent an extensive refit in the Port of Durban. The Mercy Ships crew partnered with DORMAC to set up the pharmacy, renovate the dining room and galley, remodel the hospital, upgrade the IT system, and do maintenance on the hull and rudders. The refurbishment will allow Mercy Ships to provide an even higher standard of care to patients who come on board the Africa Mercy in the future. The updates will also extend the ship’s lifespan, allowing her to continue bringing life-changing hope and healing for many more years.

In parallel with the Africa Mercy’s 2023 refit, the Mercy Ships Education, Training, and Advocacy program conducted a series of Safer Anesthesia From Education (SAFE) courses at hospitals throughout South Africa. These trainings aim to enhance the skills and knowledge of healthcare professionals and improve the safety of anesthetic care in the region.

South Africa has been a welcoming port of call throughout Mercy Ships history, offering a base for hospital ships to receive repairs and maintenance. Most recently, in 2023, the Africa Mercy® underwent an extensive refit in the Port of Durban. The Mercy Ships crew partnered with DORMAC to set up the pharmacy, renovate the dining room and galley, remodel the hospital, upgrade the IT system, and do maintenance on the hull and rudders. The refurbishment will allow Mercy Ships to provide an even higher standard of care to patients who come on board the Africa Mercy in the future. The updates will also extend the ship’s lifespan, allowing her to continue bringing life-changing hope and healing for many more years.

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  • Hover over to see the different regions of South Africa
  • Zoom in and click to see the different regions of South Africa

In parallel with the Africa Mercy’s 2023 refit, the Mercy Ships Education, Training, and Advocacy program conducted a series of Safer Anesthesia From Education (SAFE) courses at hospitals throughout South Africa. These trainings aim to enhance the skills and knowledge of healthcare professionals and improve the safety of anesthetic care in the region.

Mercy Ships vessels have been invited to dock in South Africa to provide free surgeries and medical training twice – in 1997 and 2010. Mercy Ships also invested in training and mentoring ophthalmic surgeons, to improve access to eye surgery in rural areas.

Mercy Ships vessels have been invited to dock in South Africa to provide free surgeries and medical training twice – in 1997 and 2010. Mercy Ships also invested in training and mentoring ophthalmic surgeons, to improve access to eye surgery in rural areas.

For more information, visit https://mercyships.co.za/

1,962

Professionals trained

16,489

Dental procedures

1,957

Surgeries

Benin’s First Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon

In West Africa, it’s rare that medical professionals have the opportunity to gain advanced training, practice on the newest technology, and liaise with experts in their field – it’s one reason so many doctors leave for Europe, Australia, or the States. “It’s not that it’s hard to keep your skills updated here,” comments Amy Jones, Project Manager for the Mercy Ships Medical Capacity Building (MCB) Team, “It’s impossible.”

But for Benin’s first reconstructive plastic surgeon, Dr. Odry Agbessi, staying in Benin is a must – surgeons may leave, but patients cannot. Though faced with numerous obstacles, Dr. Odry’s dedication to helping her people pushes her onward.

Read More

Benin’s First Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon

In West Africa, it’s rare that medical professionals have the opportunity to gain advanced training, practice on the newest technology, and liaise with experts in their field – it’s one reason so many doctors leave for Europe, Australia, or the States. “It’s not that it’s hard to keep your skills updated here,” comments Amy Jones, Project Manager for the Mercy Ships Medical Capacity Building (MCB) Team, “It’s impossible.”

But for Benin’s first reconstructive plastic surgeon, Dr. Odry Agbessi, staying in Benin is a must – surgeons may leave, but patients cannot. Though faced with numerous obstacles, Dr. Odry’s dedication to helping her people pushes her onward.

Read More

Partnership for Health

Partnership for Health

As well as delivering direct medical interventions on the ground in Benin, Mercy Ships worked hard to equip local medical staff with the knowledge and facilities needed to continue the work after the Africa Mercy left Cotonou.

Mercy Ships met that goal by providing:

  • High-quality and internationally recognized medical training programs and one-on-one mentoring opportunities
  • Support and feedback for the government on programs such as the World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist
  • Data collection for use in research and impact evaluation

  • Mentoring

    88 local professionals participated in our mentoring programs.

  • Training

    1,874 people participated in our various courses to further their skills in their area of expertise.

  • Lasting Impact

    Mercy Ships has developed practical and relevant capacity-building projects that demonstrate and impart knowledge, skills, and a compassionate, professional attitude to each participant.

Who We Are

Founded in 1978, Mercy Ships is a global faith-based charity that uses hospital ships and volunteer professionals to deliver free specialized surgical care and medical training to build the local healthcare systems with our host nations, focusing in Africa.

Learn More

Medical Training

Mercy Ships offers free training designed to empower healthcare workers and strengthen local healthcare systems. Instruction is specific to the unique needs of our host nation and planned in collaboration with the National Ministry of Health.

Learn More

How We Help

Mercy Ships comes alongside our host nation with volunteer professionals to address the immediate surgical needs of a nation, simultaneously training local healthcare workers, and collaboratively building healthcare infrastructure. This approach empowers our host’s sustainable progress and continued development.

Learn More

Who We Are

Founded in 1978, Mercy Ships is a global faith-based charity that uses hospital ships and volunteer professionals to deliver free specialized surgical care and medical training to build the local healthcare systems with our host nations, focusing in Africa.

Learn More

Medical Training

Mercy Ships offers free training designed to empower healthcare workers and strengthen local healthcare systems. Instruction is specific to the unique needs of our host nation and planned in collaboration with the National Ministry of Health.

Learn More

How We Help

Mercy Ships comes alongside our host nation with volunteer professionals to address the immediate surgical needs of a nation, simultaneously training local healthcare workers, and collaboratively building healthcare infrastructure. This approach empowers our host’s sustainable progress and continued development.

Learn More

Ask Us Anything

We are excited to share our story with you. We believe that a successful collaboration is based on mutual trust. By being transparent with local media and organizations and inviting them to learn more about our mission, we hope to build strong partnerships that will help us achieve our goals.

For this purpose, we have selected for you the most important facts and figures about Mercy Ships.

If you have any questions, please contact us using this form. Our team will get back to you as soon as possible.

Download our Press Pack

 Get in Touch

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Please be aware, we’re not taking any referrals through this form. Referrals through messages or email will not be received. Any other message we will try to respond to ASAP.

Ask Us Anything

We are excited to share our story with you. We believe that a successful collaboration is based on mutual trust. By being transparent with local media and organizations and inviting them to learn more about our mission, we hope to build strong partnerships that will help us achieve our goals.

For this purpose, we have selected for you the most important facts and figures about Mercy Ships.

If you have any questions, please contact us using this form. Our team will get back to you as soon as possible.

Download our Press Pack

 Get in Touch

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Please be aware, we’re not taking any referrals through this form. Referrals through messages or email will not be received. Any other message we will try to respond to ASAP.

Contact Us
News
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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