Mercy Ships is an international, faith-based organization with a mission to increase access to health care throughout the world.

Through the deployment of the world’s largest private hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, Mercy Ships has delivered services to more than 2.5 million direct beneficiaries since 1978.

The countries served by Mercy Ships are ranked as the poorest in the world by the United Nations Human Development Index. Founded by Don Stevens in 1978, his wife and four children lived on the ship during its first 10 years.

Globally, in low-income and lower-middle-income countries, nine out of 10 people have no access to basic surgical care.

Mercy Ships needs more than a thousand volunteers to serve on the Africa Mercy every year. The opportunities on board range from staffing the hospital with medical professionals, professional mariners, general laborers, office personal, teachers, cooks and so on.

A list of current opportunities can be found at apply.mercyships.org.

Potential volunteers can learn more about the experience by engaging in the online community myMercy, which is found at www.mercyships.org under “volunteer.”