Posts

Africa

,
Mercy Ships strives to make safe surgical care accessible for as many as possible on board its fleet of floating hospitals, providing more than 114,000 life-changing or lifesaving surgical procedures since 1978. However, the sad reality is that not every single patient Mercy Ships meets can benefit from surgery. This is where the palliative care team comes in, serving to bring hope and healing through compassionate care and companionship to those with terminal illnesses. 

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.

Adapted to a Vision: The Story of Maria Kuo’s Dedication

,
For Maria Kuo, an interest in Mercy Ships and the free surgical care it offers has always been a part of her life. At the age of nine, her parents took her to a Mercy Ships tour in Gisbon, New Zealand, where she learned about the urgent need for direct surgical care and medical resources in sub-Saharan Africa. Maria determined, right then and there, to become a part of Mercy Ships’ greater mission.

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.

Bringing Hope and Healing: What’s on the Horizon in Madagascar

,
In 2024, Mercy Ships is excited to add the next chapter to our decades-long collaboration with Madagascar. During this coming field service, we plan to bring hope and healing anew by providing transformative surgical education as well as life-changing free surgeries to patients on board the Africa Mercy®. These operations will cover a range of specialties including maxillofacial and ENT, general, pediatric specialized general, pediatric orthopedic, and reconstructive plastics.

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. 

Supporting Safe Surgery: How a Biomedical Technician Found Her Place

,
If you were asked to picture a hospital crew, your mind may jump first to doctors, surgeons, or nurses. But it takes so many kinds of specialists, each with their own skills, aspirations, and tools, to keep a hospital running. Deborah Nutsugah worked in a hospital in her home country of Ghana as a biomedical technician, specializing in handling and maintaining the medical equipment used for patient care. “I make sure this equipment is safe to be used on the patient, and also safe for use by the surgeons and the nurses,” she explained.

The Boy with the Strong Spirit: Serigne’s Story

,
In a village in northwest Senegal, the name Serigne holds great significance. It resonates with leadership and authority. Many people and establishments proudly bear this distinguished name throughout the village, symbolizing a belief in their potential for greatness. This means that 6-year-old Serigne is in good company. His father, Abdou, says he deliberately chose the name because he foresaw a future of influence for his son.

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. 

Opportunity Made to Last: One Surgeon Mentee’s Story

,
In the spring of 2023, seven mentee surgeons boarded the Global Mercy™ while the hospital ship was docked in the west African nation of Senegal. Dr. Alida Ngandjio Sidi, a pediatric surgeon originally from Cameroon, came on board with confidence. She knew this was where she needed to be.
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

© 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