Mercy Ships Australia

Mercy Ships uses hospital ships and in-field clinics to deliver free, world-class health care services, capacity building and sustainable development to those without access.

The objectives of Mercy Ships are to address acute current patient needs while contributing to transformed health care delivery in each developing nation to increase services, lessen dependence upon external providers and improve quality of care.

Mercy Ships will serve in the Republic of Benin from August 2016 until June 2017. Here thousands of suffering children and adults are being seen by our amazing medical volunteers. Our big white hospital ship is their only hope. The situation is truly heart-wrenching, and we rely on your continued help.

Benin is one of the least developed countries as ranked by the United Nations Human Development Index, with a life expectancy of only 59 years.

During the Africa Mercy’s 10-month stay in the port of Cotonou, Republic of Benin, Mercy Ships plans to provide over 1,700 life-changing surgeries for adult and child patients onboard, to treat over 8,000 at a land-based dental clinic, and provide holistic healthcare training to Beninese health care professionals.

Mercy Ships Medical Capacity Building Programs foster transformational development within the healthcare structure of the host nation. These projects have been specifically developed to impart knowledge and skills, while modeling and encouraging compassion and a professional work ethic. These projects incorporate one-on-one mentoring opportunities, internationally recognized courses for groups, and structured observation in the Africa Mercy hospital.

We are honoured to again be able to come alongside the Republic of Benin and their government’s effort to strengthen their health care infrastructure through the training and capacity building Mercy Ships offers, free of charge.

Alan Burrell, Margo Hartley OAM, John Wagner, Paul Pemberton, Peter Wilshaw, Karen Binns, Ernst Schultz, Kerry Peterson, Don Stephens.

By remembering Mercy Ships in your Will, you can help save and transform the lives of future generations. Your bequest can help children and adults to see, walk or smile for the first time. You could even transform the lives of whole communities through one of our many development projects. Imagine funding a health clinic or agricultural program for an entire village.

Anything you can give takes us one step closer to a world where no-one is left to suffer simply because they have no access to health care and other basic necessities. This is a future worth investing in.

Mercy Ships are almost entirely staffed by volunteers from over 40 nations, who raise their own finances to travel to the ship and pay towards their cost of living while serving onboard. It is this dynamic that allows Mercy Ships to provide the medical care and development assistance free of charge to the poorest of the poor.

Volunteering with Mercy Ships will not only change the lives of those you serve, it will change you. There are many ways to support Mercy Ships in our global medical mission to help the poor. It takes all kinds, with all skills. There is a need for both medical and non-medical volunteers. There are volunteer positions in a variety of areas including: housekeeping, galley, deck crew, doctors and nurses and everything in between.

To volunteer with Mercy Ships, visit our website.