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    • Annica after surgery 2
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Young Girl Receives Life-Changing Surgery from Charity Restoring Movement After Severe Burns

Annica’s joy at being able to do activities other children take for granted

A nine-year-old girl can now reach for the stars after life-changing surgery from international charity Mercy Ships (www.MercyShips.org) restored movement to her arms, years after severe burns at age two left them fused in place. For Annica, from the Amparafaravola District of Madagascar, everyday tasks like getting dressed, raising her…

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    • Joseph, cleft lip patient before surgery
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    • Surgeons with Joseph cleft lip patient
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World Health Day: How Mercy Ships is Empowering Local Surgeons to Create a Healthier Future

In 2024, as the Africa Mercy continued to offer direct medical services in Madagascar, Mercy Ships and NGO Operation Smile collaborated to train and mentor local health professionals in comprehensive cleft care

This year’s World Health Day theme, Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures, highlights the urgent need to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths. Around 300,000 women die due to pregnancy and childbirth complications each year, while millions of babies are stillborn and two million die within their first month of life. The…

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    • Dr. Mark Shrime and Dr. Aleksi Haapanen Maxillofacial Head and Neck Surgeon during Rosalindas first patient of the field service in Madagascar surgery
    • Priscilla Campbell Ward Nurse meeting Rosalinda first patient of the field service in Madagascar during her arrival to the AFM for surgery
    • Rosalinda first patient of the field service in Madagascar at the ward before her surgery
    • Rosalinda first patient of the field service in Madagascar on her way to the ship
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Teenager Receives First Life-Changing Surgery as Hospital Ship Launches New Phase in Madagascar

Mercy Ships is an international NGO that operates state-of-the-art hospital ships, bringing free, safe surgeries to people in need

A 16-year-old girl is now free from a growing tumor on her neck after becoming the first patient to undergo surgery with international charity Mercy Ships (www.MercyShips.org) in Madagascar in 2025. Rosalinda, from Mananara in northern Madagascar, received free surgery on Monday, March 10th on board the Africa Mercy® hospital…

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    • Matron Deen outside her office
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    • Matron Betsy I.D.S.Deen Principal Nursing Officer and Matron of Operating Theatre and Surgical Wards at Connaught Hospital
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Empowering Women in Healthcare: How Matron Betsy Deen is Transforming Surgery in Sierra Leone

By investing in the training and leadership of women like Matron Deen, Mercy Ships is helping to ensure that surgical care is not only accessible today but sustainable for generations to come

Tomorrow is International Women’s Day, a time to celebrate the women shaping the future of healthcare across Africa. Among them is Matron Betsy Deen, a trailblazer in surgical care at Connaught Hospital, Sierra Leone’s largest government hospital. Running a hospital isn’t an easy task — it takes leaders carefully orchestrating…

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    • Yusif his mother Mariama at the HOPE Center before surgery
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Venomous Snake Bite Leaves Arm Unusable: Boy waits Seven Years for Life-Changing Surgery

Following the surgeries, Yusif began a long and often painful process of rehabilitation on board the Global Mercy with volunteer hand therapists

An 11-year-old boy from Sierra Leone can finally go to school and use his right arm again after his severely deformed limb was operated on by international health charity, Mercy Ships (www.MercyShips.org).  Without the free surgery, Yusif’s right hand and arm would have remained severely contracted, leaving him unable to…

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    • Hospital Ship Africa Mercy® Returns to Madagascar (1)
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Hospital Ship Africa Mercy® Returns to Madagascar: A Joint Initiative to Strengthen Access to Surgical Care and Healthcare Training

Since its first mission to Madagascar in 1996, Mercy Ships has performed more than 11,000 surgeries and provided 65,000 dental treatments

With a strong focus on human capital development, the Ministry of Public Health, in partnership with the international humanitarian organization Mercy Ships (www.MercyShips.org), announced the arrival of the hospital ship Africa Mercy® in Toamasina today. This return marks a significant step in improving access to quality surgical care for the…

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    • Marie Elisa after surgery
    • Marie Elisa before surgery (1)
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    • Marie Elisa on her way to go work in the fields with her husband
    • Marie Elisa praying before surgery
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Mother’s Tumor Removed Through a Chance Encounter with Mercy Ships

Unable to afford surgery, mother-of-four Marie Elisa had lived with the growing tumor for five years

A 45-year-old woman has had a debilitating, an orange-sized tumor surgically removed from her jaw for free after she was spotted by team workers from international charity Mercy Ships (www.MercyShips.org) in her village in Madagascar. Unable to afford surgery, mother-of-four Marie Elisa had lived with the growing tumor for five…

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    • Josoa Mino, a young man from Madagascar (1)
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Serving With Mercy Ships: A Journey of Hope and Growth

For Josoa Mino, a young man from Madagascar, joining Mercy Ships as day crew has opened doors to opportunities he never thought possible

Serving with Mercy Ships  (www.MercyShips.org) is more than just a job; it’s a life-changing journey that transforms not only the lives of patients, but also the volunteers and day crew who dedicate themselves to this cause. For Josoa Mino, a young man from Madagascar, joining Mercy Ships as day crew has opened doors…

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    • Mercy Ships and Sierra Leone Ministry of Health Extend Partnership to Transform Surgical Healthcare (1)
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Hospital Ship Global Mercy™ to Stay in Sierra Leone until June 2026

Mercy Ships and Sierra Leone Ministry of Health Extend Partnership to Transform Surgical Healthcare

The Ministry of Health of Sierra Leone and international charity Mercy Ships (www.MercyShips.org) have reaffirmed their partnership, announcing that the Global Mercy™ hospital ship will remain in Freetown through June 2026. This marks the charity’s third consecutive field service in Sierra Leone and its eighth visit to the country since…

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    • Dr. Juliette Tuakli, Mercy Ships Africa Ambassador and Mrs. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, CEO of AUDA-NEPAD (1)
    • Dr. Juliette Tuakli, Mercy Ships Africa Ambassador and Mrs. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, CEO of AUDA-NEPAD (2)
    • Dr. Juliette Tuakli, Mercy Ships Africa Ambassador and Mrs. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, CEO of AUDA-NEPAD (3)
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Health System for Safe Surgical Care in Africa to be Enhanced Through Partnership Between the African Union Development Agency and Mercy Ships

This collaboration marks a key step in Africa’s progress toward Universal health coverage and equitable access to life-saving surgical care

During the 2024 World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi in December, the African Union Development Agency–New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) and Mercy Ships (www.MercyShips.org) announced a transformative partnership aimed at improving surgical care across Africa. This milestone was marked by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), reinforcing…

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