Mercy Ships

Mercy Ships is a global humanitarian organization who uses hospital ships to deliver free, world-class health care services, capacity building and sustainable development to those without access in the developing world.Founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens, Mercy Ships has helped to transform the lives of more than 2.42 million people in the poorest countries of the world.Each year Mercy Ships has more than 1,600 volunteers from more than 40 nations. Professionals including surgeons, dentists, nurses, health care trainers, teachers, cooks, seamen, engineers, and agriculturalists donate their time and skills to the effort. Together, we seek to bring hope and healing to the world’s poor one life, one community and one nation at a time.

A Remarkable Hospital Ship

Volunteers from over 45 nations have served onboard the Africa Mercy, which was acquired in 1999 and built specifically for the Mercy Ships mission. It is the largest non-governmental hospital ship in the world, effectively more than doubling the annual medical capacity of her predecessors.Our ships are state-of-the-art facilities that offer clean water, reliable electricity and care centers. Because over 50% of the population lives within 100 miles of the coast, we’re able to sail a modern hospital ship with a crew of 400 volunteers directly to people who lack access to first-rate medical care.