When a person has spent years living with a medical condition that they are told is inoperable, it is easy to lose any expectation of healing.   For Khoudia, after eight years with a growing facial tumor, a referral to Mercy Ships stirred a long-awaited glimmer of hope.  “I never thought that this tumor would be removed from my cheek,” the 18-year-old said. “So when they told me they were going to do it, I said, OK,’ but I never imagined that they would remove it all.” 

In a rural town in southern Senegal lives 5-year-old Awa, surrounded by her loving family. She has always been close with them – especially with her Uncle Woury. Since the moment Awa was born with a cleft lip, her uncle’s greatest wish was that she would someday find healing.

DAKAR, Senegal, May 27, 2022/APO Group/ – The Global Mercy™ ship, purpose-built by international NGO Mercy Ships to provide surgical care to populations abroad, arrived in the port of Dakar, Senegal today. While in port, the crew of the 37,000 GRT hospital ship will participate in a week of ceremonies and events to inaugurate this new vessel into service in Africa, hosted by H.E. President Macky Sall. In addition, medical and training crew will carry out capacity building sessions onboard during the month of June alongside the surgeries on the Africa Mercy® which has been docked in the Autonomous Port of Dakar since February.