Mercy Ships runs the largest non-governmental hospital ship in the world. They have provided surgeries and medical capacity building to third world countries for over 40 years.
The way it works, is that an African host country invites the ship to their country for 10 months – August through June. (When not in field service, the ship undergoes maintenance usually in Spain or South Africa.) The entire crew is comprised of volunteers — from the Captain to the surgeons. A snapshot of a typical day has 400 crew members from 40 countries.
Not in the medical field? Actually, over half the crew are in non-medical positions. It takes a lot of support to make it all happen.
Take a look at the available job opportunities here. As a faith-based organization, long term positions are open only to Christians. However, others who are attracted to the mission are invited to apply for short-term positions.
History and Mission
If you’d like to learn more about how Don Stephens founded Mercy Ships, he’s also penned a book called Ships of Mercy.
This is a personal examination conducted by 60 minutes (13-minute video).
Have you served with Mercy Ships or another NGO in Africa? Please share in the comments!
Photos: Courtesy of Mercy Ships
