Mercyships's blog

Local musician Bill Brown (69) from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, has recorded a charity album to help improve the lives of children and adults in West Africa. 

Hope on the Horizon is a collection of 13 original tracks of Christian music by Bill, who has been playing music in bands for over 40 years and supported Eric Clapton at the start of his career, as well as bands such as the Fortunes and Barron Nights.  read more »

A British surgeon from Hertfordshire is one of a number of British medics heading to Togo next week to join a volunteer medical team screening thousands of potential patients in the West African country.

Consultant maxillo-facial surgeon Peter McDermott is volunteering with the international charity Mercy Ships to help provide free health care and training to local health care workers.  read more »

The Africa Mercy, the world’s largest non-governmental hospital ship, returned to Lomé on 5th January to bring hope and healing to the people of Togo.

Togo was the first country in Africa that Mercy Ships visited in 1990, and 2012 will be the fifth visit of a Mercy Ship to the West African nation.

Until the end of May, Mercy Ships will use its state-of-the-art hospital ship with six operating theatres, lab, pharmacy, 78 beds, and an outpatient clinic, to provide free health care to those in desperate need, as well as training for health care workers in Togo  read more »

Mercy Ships has raised over £60,000 through its annual Grand Prize Draw. The first prize – seven nights in a charming cottage on the beautiful shores of Loch Fyne was won by Mr Harris from Bristol. This prize was kindly donated by www.cottages-and-castles.co.uk  read more »

British surgeons, nurses and dentists were among the 1000 volunteers who treated thousands of patients in Sierra Leone during the last 10 months on board the world’s largest charity hospital ship.

The Africa Mercy has just completed a 10 month field service in the West African country, providing free medical care and humanitarian aid to thousands of the country’s poorest people.  read more »

Sysco Guest Supply, the world’s largest supplier of hotel toiletries, has supported Mercy Ships by donating more than 2000 bars of soap for use on its hospital ship, the Africa Mercy.

Sysco Guest Supply Europe has donated 1,500 bars of Glycerin Soap and 600 bars of normal bath soap, worth £450, to be used for the ship’s upcoming field service in Togo which starts in January 2012.   read more »

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Blindness and vision impairment are negatively affecting the lives of many in South Africa. About 240,000 South Africans are blind due to cataracts. A staggering 80% of that blindness is treatable, curable or preventable – according to this year’s Mercy Vision South Africa Report.

Sadly, the report indicates that a growing number of children have vision problems, but they have no access to treatment. To make the situation even worse, often children are taken out of school to care for their blind family members, leaving their education unfinished.  read more »

“Doing ten cataract surgeries a day, I thought I was the best eye surgeon in the world,” said Dr. Ayo Bello. But then he met Dr. Stan Pletcher at the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Georgia, who told him he knew someone who could do 50 cataract surgeries a day. “No way! It’s just not possible,” said Dr. Bello. Dr. Pletcher assured him it was true and agreed to direct him to Dr. Glenn Strauss. “And he did!” said Dr. Bello.  read more »

Each year as a Field Service comes to a close, Mercy Ships holds an event to show our gratitude for our host country that provides us with countless resources while we are serving their country. The event honours and thanks them for allowing us to call their nation “home” for 10 months.  read more »