Our Blog

From the first time Valentin Rossel heard of Mercy Ships to his active role in the Mercy Ships Network, links have been forged between professional networking and humanitarian commitment.

Mercy Ships and MSC Foundation The MSC Foundation, the MSC Group and Mercy Ships join forces to build a new hospital ship The new purpose-built hospital ship will expand the

Dr. Austin Demby, Minister of Health and Sanitation for the Government of Sierra Leone: "A vision for safe and affordable surgery."

All members of Mercy Ships are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of our dear board member Françoise André.

In 2023, Mercy Ships conducted 3'295 surgical interventions, of which 1'437 took place aboard the Global Mercy in two countries.

Mercy Ships is back in Madagascar to bring transformative surgical education and free, life-changing surgeries. 

Réhane Favereau, a Swiss artist specializing in the art of Swiss cut-outs, has created a unique work recounting the 45 years of Mercy Ships.

Emmanuel walked up the gangway of the Global Mercy, filled with cautious hope. The 43-year-old was our first surgical patient in Sierra Leone.

Humanitarian field service in Sierra Leone The next chapter for Mercy Ships and the hospital ship, the Global Mercy! Over the course of the field service in Sierra Leone, Mercy

One Port Visited, Two Nations Served Mercy Ships Ends an Impactful Season in Senegal Mercy Ships has been operating in Senegal for several months with the Global Mercy™, is getting

Visit the world’s largest civilian hospital ship Come aboard the Global Mercy in Tenerife in August 2023 Visit the world’s largest civilian hospital ship in Tenerife! On August 4th and

Looking Back and Dreaming of the Future 45 years ago, Don and Deyon Stephens had a dream of converting a ship into a floating hospital to bring safe, free surgical

Dr. Polle-Kaliti is the sole female fistula surgeon in Kenya — one of only 11 in total.

ALPHAVISION – Fenster zum Sonntag on SRF Swiss TV SRF program “Spitalschiff – operieren auf See” highlights the new hospital ship of Mercy Ships. An exciting weekend lies behind us

The newest Mercy Ship, the Global Mercy™ arrived in Dakar Senegal on 14 February 2023.

Claude Ziehli is a Mercy Ships fundraiser. He tells us about his encounter with our association, its mission and the birth of the Mercy Ships Network.

For the first time, a Mercy Ship will serve two African nations from one port. Will you join us in making double the impact?

Thanks to you, Mercy Ships and its local partners have performed over 2,000 surgeries and trained over 1,100 health professionals.

Abel Demiéville is the founder and director of AB Box SA, a self-storage company that exists since 2005. He is a committee member of an association that has been running humanitarian projects in northern India for over 20 years. He’s also one of the first members of the Mercy Ships Network, our association’s group of impact entrepreneurs.

Following his retirement from his position as CEO of Webb Fontaine and having seen during many years the tremendous impact of Mercy Ships in several African countries, Didier Reymond served as dining staff on the Africa Mercy.

Being an impact entrepreneur is about making the world a better place and increasing the visibility and awareness of your company. Join us!

Join the many "virtual participants" who took part in the virtual experience on their tablet or computer.

The Africa Mercy has returned as promised to Senegal. We will continue the surgical operations and training that were interrupted by the pandemic.

End-to-end support by MSC, from container shipping to logistics, fundraising and maritime expertise, have maximised hospital ships’ life-changing impact for thousands of people.

In early 2022, the Mercy Ships hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, will return to Dakar for a humanitarian field service in Senegal.

Medical experts and health ministers from 29 African countries together to improve surgical care in Africa.

After a short visit in Malta, the Global Mercy will dock in the port of Antwerp on September 12, where the hospital will be fully equipped.​

April 7 is World Health Day — a day set aside by the World Health Organization (WHO) to focus on the impact quality medical care has on the world around us.

E-learning with a Swiss partner, the Ardentis dental clinics, for students in the Gamal dental school in Conakry, Guinea.

The Coronavirus pandemic has impacted Mercy Ships in several areas. It especially affected our mission in Senegal; our hospital ship had to leave Dakar, three months earlier than planned.

Before our hospital ship had to abruptly leave the port of Dakar, the mission in Senegal was very successful: a large number of patients were delivered from their suffering.

Keith Brinkman is Country Director for Mercy Ships, assigned to Liberia, since November 2020. He works and lives in Monrovia.

Mercy Ships Switzerland is honored to have been chosen as the heart partner of Double You Team.

Construction of the world's largest civilian hospital ship is complete and sea trials completed. The final interior fitting out of the ship will continue in Belgium.

2020 has been a challenging year! This is also true for Mercy Ships. How dhas the pandemic impacted recruiting activities?

For more than 30 years, Mercy Ships has been invited by African countries to come and strengthen their health systems thanks to our hospital ships. On this Africa Day, we thank these nations for their hospitality, collaboration and friendship.

Jim Paterson ran the marine operations department of Mercy Ships for nearly 20 years, before dedicating himself full-time as a project manager for the Global Mercy.

Thomas Rudin has been managing the Bethesda hospital in Basel for over 10 years and became a member of the board of Mercy Ships Switzerland in June 2020.

Christine Sager was elected to the Board of Mercy Ships Switzerland in June 2020. As an American and Swiss citizen, experienced diplomat’s wife and dedicated philanthropist, she enriches the Board with an international dimension and a great deal of cultural sensitivity.

We asked Dr M'Pele what impact Covid-19 is currently having on the African continent as well as the role of the Africa office within Mercy Ships.

Due to the current situation related to COVID-19, WHO recommendations and the resulting increase in travel restrictions, Mercy Ships had to suspend its humanitarian mission in Senegal.

Each year, June and July are dedicated to the maintenance of the Africa Mercy, the largest civilian hospital ship in the world.

Interview with René Lehmann, director of Mercy Ships Switzerland, on the impact of the pandemic for the organisation.

This is a milestone for the humanitarian organization created in Lausanne in 1978: the 100,000th free surgery1 on board one of the Mercy Ships hospital ships

March 8 - Today we celebrate women, and more specifically women's rights. At Mercy Ships, we consider one of them essential. It is the right to dignity.

Mercy Ships has started sending personal protective equipment (PPE) to 11 countries in Africa with which it has partnerships.

During our technical stop in the Canary Islands, the Africa Mercy was taken out of the water to check the general condition of her hull and receive a new coat of anti-rust paint.

The Africa Mercy arrived mid-August 2017 in Cameroon and dropped anchor in the port city of Douala.

The Government of Sierra Leone renews its partnership with Mercy Ships to strengthen surgical care in the country.

“It’s nice to work all around the ship, so it’s not only in one office or in the galley or wherever,” Ben said.

The Global Mercy has been inaugurated in Dakar. New hope for those in Africa who don't have access to surgical care.