The need for medical aid and development in the world's poorest countries has never been more urgent. Look at the statistics. Water-borne diseases kill an estimated 30,000 children every day, and more than 10,000 children die daily from a lack of vaccinations.
The frustrating thing is that these lives could be saved with basic improvements to sanitation and the provision of medical supplies. In addition, straightforward operations could save the sight of over half the world's blind, and easily correct birth defects, such as cleft palates.
For 26 years, the international charity Mercy Ships has been delivering vital medical care and development aid to the world's poorest and neediest people via its fleet of floating hospitals. Since its establishment in 1978, it has helped hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Working in more than 70 countries, the charity has performed in excess of 100,000 operations - such as cleft palate, cataract and crossed eye corrections, and facial reconstructions – and dental treatments. Entire communities have been changed through the provision of medical equipment and medicines, as well as water sanitation projects, and agriculture and construction training.
One of the reasons for Mercy Ships' success is its cast of dedicated volunteers – everyone from doctors to deckhands – who work on the charity's ships. The staff have to use their own money to cover their food and keep on board (an average cost of £375 per month). This means that the funds received by the charity go directly to those in desperate need, and that treatments are free of charge to the recipients.
The most recent addition to Mercy Ships' fleet of four ships is a former Danish rail ferry, renamed Africa Mercy, which is currently being refitted in Newcastle. When completed, it will be the world's largest non-governmental hospital ship, containing six operating theatres, a 78-bed ward and accommodation for more than 450 volunteers.
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