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Mercy Ships

Volunteer on a Mercy Ships hospital ship

Mercy Ships operates volunteer-crewed hospital ships that dock in African ports to provide free surgery and train local health workers. Medical and non-medical volunteers serve on board for two weeks to two years.

ProvisionalMedical & public healthInterdenominational
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Why this is listed

Flagship Christian medical volunteering in West Africa and Madagascar with roles for all skill sets.

How to start

  1. Open mercyships.org (opens an external site) and read what Mercy Ships says about itself before you read anything else.
  2. Check the time it asks for: ongoing.
  3. Look at the filings below, then decide. Numbers are context, not a verdict.
  4. Tell your church. Going out is rarely meant to be done alone.

Close to this

  • Medical & public healthProvisional

    AIC Kijabe Hospital (via Friends of Kijabe)

    AIC Kijabe Hospital / Friends of Kijabe

    AIC Kijabe is an Africa Inland Church mission hospital offering patient care, training and spiritual ministry. Physicians are routed to Samaritan's Purse World Medical Mission; others can connect through Friends of Kijabe.

    Time
    Ongoing
    Where
    Kijabe, Kenya
    Area
    Medical & public health

    Last verified October 24, 2026

  • Medical & public healthProvisional

    Christian Medical and Dental Fellowship of Australia

    Christian Medical and Dental Fellowship of Australia

    CMDFA is a fellowship of Christian doctors, dentists and allied health workers across all states, part of the worldwide ICMDA network. It runs student and hospital networks, supports missionary medics with Interserve, SIM and Samaritan's Purse, and has volunteer roles in events and publications.

    Time
    Ongoing
    Where
    Australia
    Area
    Medical & public health

    Last verified October 24, 2026

  • Medical & public healthProvisional

    Crew a hospital ship

    Mercy Ships

    Hospital ships dock in West and Central African ports for months at a time providing free surgery — cleft lip, cataract, tumour, obstetric fistula, orthopaedic — and training local surgeons and anaesthetists while alongside. Crew includes cooks, deckhands, teachers, and engineers, not only clinicians.

    Time
    Months
    Where
    Global
    Area
    Medical & public health

    Last verified September 8, 2026

Before you go

Something to read, watch or listen to before you show up. From Ripened Harvest; the picks change each day.

  • PodcastsProvisional

    GriefShare

    GriefShare

    Short videos and testimonies for people grieving a loved one, drawn from the GriefShare support group curriculum.

    Cost
    Free
    Time
    Ongoing
    Where
    Online
    Format
    Podcast · Introductory

    Last verified October 24, 2026

  • Film & seriesProvisional

    The Hiding Place

    World Wide Pictures

    Corrie ten Boom and her family hide Jews above their Haarlem watch shop, are betrayed, and are sent to Ravensbrück. Adapted from Corrie's own book and made by Billy Graham's film company in 1975.

    Cost
    Paid
    Time
    A few hours
    Where
    Online
    Who for
    Teens · Film

    Last verified September 8, 2026

  • DevotionalsProvisional

    Joni and Friends daily devotional

    Joni and Friends

    Brief daily reflections written by Joni Eareckson Tada, who has lived with quadriplegia since 1967, on finding hope in Christ through hardship. Readable on the site or delivered by email, with a weekly series from the ministry's president beginning soon.

    Cost
    Free
    Time
    Ongoing
    Where
    Online
    Format
    Devotional · Introductory

    Last verified October 24, 2026