THE RIGHT DIRECTION
MERCY SHIPS : BRINGING HOPE TO THE COASTS
This non-profit ’ s commitment to compassion is changing lives .
WORDS / JENNA BUEGE
COURTESY OF MERCY SHIPS
Global Mercy joins Africa Mercy in Dakar , Senegal .
Did you know that almost five billion people lack access to safe surgery ? Did you also know that nearly 50 % of the world ’ s population lives near a coast ? While these two facts may seem unrelated , they ’ re two important cornerstones of Mercy Ships ’ mission : to bring life-changing surgery to the people who need it most .
Founded in 1978 by Don Stephens , Mercy Ships is a non-profit organization that works to bring accessible healthcare to impoverished communities through state-ofthe-art hospital ships . Akin to floating cities , the group ’ s impressive vessels act as places to live and work for more than 1,500 volunteers from 60 nations who selflessly dedicate their time to providing free surgical , medical and dental care to children and adults who would otherwise go without .
“ Since 1978 , Mercy Ships has had one to three ships in service ,” said Cecilia Villa , head of resource development for Mercy Ships . “ From 1983 through 2007 our ships served various countries / areas throughout the world including the South Pacific , Central America , various ports in the Caribbean , Brazil , the Dominican Republic , Guyana and Haiti . Since 2007 , our hospital ships have served West and Central Africa .” Today , Mercy Ships operates two ships — the Africa Mercy and the Global Mercy , which is the first purpose-built hospital ship and the largest civilian hospital ship in the world .
“ The surgeries onboard in a country vary
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