Mercy Ships, a global charity organization specialized in the provision of medical relief, training, and sustainable development to areas of natural disaster or chronic need, has given life to millions of poor people in 90 port districts across the world.
The charity mission has provided various healthcare services such as specialized surgeries, dental care, and medical supplies as well as other social interventions in the area of development training, supply of clothing, construction materials, and the message of hope to people across the world.
Switzerland Board Member of Mercy Ships, Pierre Christ, said the mission is to “serve those who are most in need of health and relief aid in the world’s poorest countries,” adding the lack of clean water supplies is one of the most urgent needs facing developing countries.
Mr. Christ said thousands of children die annually from easily correctable birth defects such as cleft palates and lips. Those who survive, he added, have become outcasts from society, rejected by their parents and communities, and denied access to basic education.
The mission which began operations in Switzerland in 1977 has completed over 563 port visits in 53 developing and 17 developed nations across the world, and has performed services valued at US$834million, impacting over 2.9 million people.
The mission has performed more than 56,000 operations such as cleft-lip and palate, cataract removal, straightening of crossed eyes, and orthopaedic and facial reconstruction while treating more than 520 people in village medical and dental clinics.
It has also educated 29,000 local healthcare workers who have in turn trained multiple thousands in primary healthcare, and has provided training for local medical professionals in modern healthcare techniques.
Mercy Ships has also completed more than 1,095 construction and agriculture projects aimed at enhancing the living standards of people across the world, especially in the world’s poorest regions.
The mission has employed life-changing operational methods which involved free surgeries onboard the vessels; the creation of local clinics in outlying villages across the world; and agricultural projects that impact modern methods of farming to help communities become self-sufficient in food production.
The mission, which has its Africa Mercy branch, has meeting and work spaces as well as berths for an average crew of 450, with 474 berths which include 26 family cabins, 25 couples/ two-berth cabins, and a remainder consisting of four-berth cabins to provide safety and security for its personnel.
Vice President of Mercy Ships International Executive Board of Directors, Ms. Rosa Whitaker, lauded the 20-year collaboration between Mercy Ships and the Government of Ghana, and assured of the mission’s resolve in contributing more to helping humanity.
