A boy who had his legs straightened by a health charity ten years ago has been back onboard the ship that transformed his life as it returned to his home country to offer more free life-changing surgeries. Romino, now 12, was just a toddler when his legs started to bow. His parents saw he was struggling to walk and knew they could not get him the surgery he needed in their home of Madagascar.

TOAMASINA, MADAGASCAR – More than 120 community leaders, dignitaries and other guests gathered on board the hospital ship, the Africa Mercy® (May 15th) to celebrate the imminent start of international charity Mercy Ships’ impactful surgical interventions in Madagascar.

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.