Occupational Therapist, Becky Chaplin from East Grinstead still had her umbilical cord attached when a vet discovered her in a bag on the roadside in Kenya. Today, Becky volunteers with Mercy Ships, using her skills as an occupational therapist to mentor Sierra Leone’s first cohort of...
Laura Blundell from Preston is a physiotherapist working at St James Hospital in Leeds. Over the last eight years, Laura has taken multiple three-month sabbaticals from work to volunteer with Mercy Ships. “The first time I volunteered with Mercy Ships was in 2017 on the Africa Mercy...
Ben Calvert from Glasgow and his family are living on the Global Mercy, currently docked in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Ben is a headteacher, and alongside his wife, a nurse from California and their three children, the family have been volunteering with Mercy Ships for the...
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...
Three generations of the Clarke family have given almost 50 years of service and support to Mercy Ships. We hear from Henry and Amelia about their lasting legacy. Their story begins in 1978. Henry Clarke, his wife and two young children are visiting close friends at...
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...
“A long time!” laughs Jonah, the baker on the Global Mercy. Anyone who’s spent time living on board a Mercy Ship will know the delights of Wednesday breakfasts – pancake day! But did you know the preparation begins at 4am and the flipping continues non-stop until...
Ben Barker from Sunderland is a Marine Engineer. From 1st July – 3rd August, Ben and the Annual Maintenance Teams had just over a month to take the Global Mercy out of the water and fully service it before the hospital ship returned to Sierra...
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...
We recently had the privilege of capturing this photo of seven dedicated surgeons at the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Between these seven, they’ve given 200 years of service to Mercy Ships and transformed the lives of around 120,000 people. Each one...
Christian podcast, The Way UK, recently interviewed two special guests – Jaz and Maisie, who have recently returned from volunteering on board a Mercy Ship. Listen now to discover what they got up to: ...
Ian Lawrence is a Marine Pilot in the port of Southampton, but for the last year, Ian and his family of four have been volunteering on the Global Mercy. Ian was granted a year's unpaid leave from Associated British Ports. His two children, 8-year-old...
Emma Janavicius, a 28-year-old paediatric nurse from Brentwood, Essex, finally decided to take the plunge and volunteer for Mercy Ships after surviving a life-threatening medical emergency. But little did she know that her partner was planning a surprise engagement at the end of the visit....
