It’s been 20 years since the Anastasis arrived in Ghana for a 10-month healthcare service that saw hundreds of lives transformed through safe surgery. Ismailia was one of those patients – a 19-year-old who had lost his nose to the flesh-eating disease, Noma, and turned up...
Maxillofacial Head and Neck Surgeon Leo Cheng joins Esther Higham on Premier Christian Radio to reflect on some interesting questions: 1. What counts as a miracle? 2. How might we see more miracles in our healthcare system? 3. Are scientific advances taking away the need for supernatural miracles? You...
The exciting new ten-part TV show, The Mercy Ships, is launching on God TV. The documentary series follows the lives of our volunteer crew on board our hospital ships. Expect drama, heartfelt stories and triumph. Most importantly, see how all our volunteers from around the...
Join us in congratulating Ruth Walne, our dedicated orthopaedic plaster technician, on being chosen to receive the British Empire Medal in the forthcoming New Year 2026 Honours List in recognition of her services to Children in Africa. Ruth has dedicated the last nine years to volunteering...
Justina Seyi-Olajide is an academic trailblazer committed to transforming West Africa’s surgical healthcare system. We’re also delighted to share that she’s the first female African paediatric surgeon to volunteer with Mercy Ships. A bold and brilliant paediatric surgeon from Nigeria, Justina brought more than 13 years...
We are looking forward to celebrating the birth of Christ with the family of Mercy Ships, including the crew and their families and friends, our supporters, UK speakers, former ship crew and others. We really hope that you are able to attend our carol service,...
As a newly qualified electrical engineer in 2016, Denise Ngum was unable to find a job in her home country of Cameroon. Although she’d spent four years studying at the College of Technology in Buea, one of seven women, amongst a class of 45, she...
In 2005, Dr Michelle White joined the Anastasis for a short stint volunteering on board as an Anaesthetist She loved it. A few years later, Michelle left her job in Bristol and joined the Africa Mercy, serving five years on board in leadership roles, including as...
“I nearly fell off my chair when I received an invitation from the Lancet asking me to write an article on Mercy Ships,” explains volunteer Maxillofacial Head and Neck Surgeon, Mr Leo Cheng. “Lancet Oncology is one of the top world-renowned medical journals with a...
We are delighted to announce that Shelley Pigott has joined us today as the new Executive Director of Mercy Ships UK. Shelley brings a wealth of experience in international development, having worked with organisations such as VSO, UNICEF, Medair, and Save the Children in...
When volunteers sign up to serve with Mercy Ships, they often stay longer than they’d planned. Sometimes, a few months turn into a few years. But for oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Dr Gary (as he’s affectionately known by all Mercy Shippers), three months turned into...
In May 2025, global leaders, health ministers, and experts came together in Geneva for the 78th World Health Assembly. The focus of the event was to celebrate progress and confront the urgent challenges that remain in delivering safe, affordable surgical care to all. ...
Three Consultant Orthopaedic surgeons from London, Oxford and Shropshire spent two weeks volunteering on board the Global Mercy in Sierra Leone in January 2025. Leading the trio was Rachel Buckingham, a Consultant Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Oxford University Hospitals Trust who has volunteered...
How often do you go to the dentist? On World Oral Health Day, we’re raising awareness of the global need for dental provision, especially for women, men and children with very little access to dental care in sub-Saharan Africa. In the UK,...
The Africa Mercy has returned to Madagascar. The floors are scrubbed, the hospital beds are all made, the galley is spotless, and the first patients have arrived. Walking up the gangway at the beginning of March, sixteen-year-old Rosalinda was excited and nervous to be...
