Mercy Ships began our mission to provide hope and healing to those in need in 1978. Each year we send hospital ships filled with volunteer medical professionals who selflessly provide life-changing surgeries to children and adults who otherwise would go without.

History. Mercy Ships was founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens in Lausanne in Switzerland. The first ocean liner acquired was the Victoria, which was purchased for its scrap value of US $1 million. The nine-deck vessel was transformed into the hospital ship MV Anastasis over a four-year period.

The MSC Group has supported Mercy Ships since 2011, with a special focus on Africa. We support Mercy Ships to bring hope and healing to thousands of people without access to safe, modern healthcare and surgery.

Don Stephens Don Stephens first imagined a fleet of hospital ships as a teenage Christian. He later founded Mercy Ships in 1978, inspired by a meeting with Mother Teresa and the birth of his son with additional needs. “ We operate a world class hospital on a ship – it's a powerful tool!”

This charity's score is 99%, earning it a Four-Star rating. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence. This overall score is calculated from multiple beacon scores, weighted as follows: 80% Accountability & Finance, 10% Leadership & Adaptability, 10% Culture & Community.

Over the last 30 years, Mercy Ships has been based exclusively in Africa, serving the nations of Benin, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Madagascar, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Togo.

Make no mistake, despite changes in the organisation and focus, Mercy Ships was, and remains, an evangelical Christian organisation. Mercy Ships began life as a ministry of the evangelical Youth With a Mission.

This charity's score is 99%, earning it a Four-Star rating. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence. This overall score is calculated from multiple beacon scores, weighted as follows: 80% Accountability & Finance, 10% Leadership & Adaptability, 10% Culture & Community.

The Global Mercy represents an international collaboration. With an overall length of 174-meters, a beam of 28.6 meters, and a Gross Tonnage of 37,000, the ship is a tailored Passenger Ship-class vessel.

They wanted to convert a ship into a floating hospital, to bring safe, free surgical care to those who needed it most. They left their home in the United States, setting out into unfamiliar waters on a journey that would transform countless lives. There were six of them: Don, Deyon, and their four children.

MERCY is a 1,000 bed hospital ship commissioned in 1986, with a military cadre crew of approximately eight Officers and 53 Enlisted personnel and a civilian mariner cadre crew of approximately 15 personnel while in a Reduced Operating Status (ROS).

Mercy Ships delivers free, safe medical care to the world's least-developed countries. Our hospital ships are crewed by volunteers who treat dental and eye problems, cleft lips and palates, benign tumours, Noma, club feet, obstetric fistulas, burn contractures and various other conditions.