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30 years in Africa Just getting started 2020 Annual Report MERCY SHIPS | JUST GETTING STARTED MERCY SHIPS | JUST GETTING STARTED This year was historically unlike any we have ever experienced. The global effects of COVID-19 have touched almost every person and brought to light the importance of healthcare like never before. Hope and healing through our hospital ships has been the mission of Mercy Ships for over 40 years — with a particular focus on serving those whose need Mission is most prevalent, “the bottom billion.” Economist Paul Collier uses this term regarding the one Mercy Ships follows the 2,000-year- billion people who live in low- and middle- income old model of Jesus, bringing hope and economies, with the most found in communities in healing to the world’s forgotten poor. sub-Saharan Africa. Mercy Ships has focused our attention on individuals needing surgery as well as strengthening the healthcare infrastructure in our partner host African nations. Thanks to the faithful support of friends Mission and partners like you, those suffering from painful, disfiguring, and often-preventable diseases have Vision been able to find the healing they so desperately needed, and many more are waiting. Vision Mercy Ships uses hospital ships to transform individuals and We believe that, together with the nations we serve, serve nations one at a time. we have the potential to make a difference in the lives of thousands, not only in the immediate future, Values but for decades to come! And with the arrival of our new custom-built hospital ship, the Global MercyTM, our capacity to provide free surgery and medical training will more than double. We hope as you continue to read all that has been Values Impact accomplished during 2020, you are inspired by the people whose lives have been forever changed Following the model of Jesus, In 1990, Mercy Ships turned thanks to the power of hope. we seek to: our attention to sub-Saharan Love God. Africa where nearly 100% of As we embark on this new year, we want to say Love and serve others. the population lacks access thank you to our family of partners, supporters, and Be people of integrity. to safe, affordable, and Be people of excellence volunteer professionals, who have dedicated their timely surgery. Since then, in all we say and do. time and resources to bring hope and healing where Mercy Ships has conducted it’s needed most. We could not do this life-changing 47 field services in 13 African work without you. countries, most of which are ranked by the United Nations Following the model of Jesus For three decades, Mercy Ships has Development Index as the least developed in the world. focused our attention on strengthening the healthcare infrastructure found in the African countries we partner with. Don Stephens Founder 2 | Annual Report 2020 mercyships.org | 3 MERCY SHIPS | JUST GETTING STARTED MERCY SHIPS | JUST GETTING STARTED Serge Nz em b e le , v o l Why we do what we do u n t e e r The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery identifies that 16.9 million c h e people die each year from a lack of safe surgery. That is more than f three times the annual number of people who die from HIV, Malaria, and TB combined. In addition, billions of people experience chronic pain, financial Feeding 450 volunteers catastrophe, and social stigma because of injuries and disfigurements and 65 patients onboard that surgery could fix. There is an urgent need for significant growth the Africa Mercy every in surgical capacity and training. This is the surgery crisis. day is hard work. Chef Serge Nzembele (from How we work the Democratic Republic of Congo) and his team Mercy Ships is a faith-based international development organization This is the ensure that everyone is fed that deploys teaching hospital ships to some of the poorest countries and happy. in the world, delivering vital, free medical to people in desperate surgery “My passion and need while training local healthcare professionals and strengthening pleasure is to serve food local healthcare systems. crisis. to our lovely and amazing crew onboard.” Our ships are the most efficient way to bring a state-of-the-art hospital to regions where clean water, electricity, medical facilities, and personnel are often limited or non-existent. Instead of trying Ng amd to build the facilities we need, we can provide a safe, stable, fully am The Africa Mercy hospital: on outfitted teaching hospital to bring life-saving and changing surgery H a r r 5 operating theaters i for thousands of people in need. s o 80 patient beds, n T i t including recovery, a intensive care, and low Our Ships dependency wards Our Crew Draft 6.0m Our ships are crewed by volunteers from over 60 nations, with an Length 152m average of over 1,300 volunteers joining our mission each year. Breadth 23.7m Every volunteer covers their own travel expenses to the ship as well Gross Tonnage 16,572 as paying monthly fees to cover their room, board, and personal “Growing up in Cameroon, expenses which allows our supporters’ donations to go even further. I wondered how I could The Africa Mercy® serve the people of Africa. The Global Mercy hospital: Also, while our ships are in port, local professionals are recruited I joined the Africa Mercy 6 operating theaters from African nations to help deliver our projects. Our patients and in December 2017. My 102 acute care beds programs benefit from the experience and skills of these local responsibilities include 7 ICU/isolation beds volunteers, and a few go on to join the crew full time. maintaining the air 90 self-care beds conditioning units, oxygen Draft 6.1m In 2020, Mercy Ships rose to the challenging circumstances of the year supply to the hospital, The Global MercyTM Length 174m and adapted our model to support crew, including waiving crew fees system maintenance, and Breadth 28.6m and assisting with crew repatriation for those needing to travel home plumbing. I am happy to Mercy Ships works to empower local healthcare systems and Gross Tonnage 37,000 from the ship due to COVID-19. be part of the Engineering professionals to care for their own people. This is why we place Team.” medical capacity building (MCB) at the heart of all we do. 4 | Annual Report 2020 mercyships.org | 5 MERCY SHIPS | JUST GETTING STARTED MERCY SHIPS | JUST GETTING STARTED A letter from the Mercy Ships 2020 Chairman Annual Report Dear Friends, 2 Throughout this historic year, I am reminded of the heart Mission, Vision, Values of our mission — hope. Hope that encourages a family who feels forgotten. Hope that brings a volunteer halfway 4 around the world to serve a person in need. Hope that Why we do it drives us all forward, even in difficult times. 8 Senegal Field Service This mantra of hope has been a part of Mercy Ships since its inception in 1978 when our founders Don and Deyon 10 Stephens were able to put pen to paper and fulfill their Smiling into the future dream of bringing medical aid to those in remote areas. Since that time, millions have been impacted through 12 surgical interventions, medical training and mentorship, COVID-19 response and education and renovation projects. 14 E-MCB And despite the challenges the world faced this year, lives What an incredible year we have gone through! In 2020, we faced some of the have continued to be changed. As you read through the 16 A word most challenging and rewarding experiences in the history of Mercy Ships. 2020 Annual Report, I hope you are encouraged by all that Professor Oumar Raphiou While the spread of COVID-19 caused our hospital ship to leave the Senegal has been accomplished. From our patients who were able Diallo from the field service earlier than planned, our work did not stop. to find life-changing healing onboard our hospital ship CEO early this year to the many medical professionals who 18 God has continued to bless our mission this year. Thankfully, our teams were 30 years in Africa received training through our new eLearning programs, able to continue our work inland partnering with countries to provide supplies hope has not stopped. 20 and training to those responding directly to the pandemic. And programs Dr Abram Wodomé such as our partnership with the dental school at Gamal University in Guinea The need is great, but hope and mercy are greater! On continued to thrive. We are thankful for all that was accomplished in this time behalf of myself and the Mercy Ships International Board 22 of uncertainty thanks to the generous partnership of so many people like you. of Directors, I’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Day Crew Spotlight everyone who made this year’s mission a success. Despite the challenges we faced in 2020, the year also brought two significant 24 reasons to celebrate! We are excited to commemorate over 30 years of serving Country Engagement Plan Thank you. the people of Africa through our training programs and medical services. And 26 with the imminent deployment of our newest ship the Global Mercy, we have Governance the opportunity to provide even more hope and healing to the people we serve in the years ahead. Myron E. Ullman, III Chairman of the Board We look forward to the future knowing that there is still work to do. We will Mercy Ships International strive to continue fulfilling our mission with excellence. Thank you. Tom Stogner Chief Executive Officer 6 | Annual Report 2020 mercyships.org | 7 MERCY SHIPS | JUST GETTING STARTED MERCY SHIPS | JUST GETTING STARTED Senegal Field Service 1,199 healthcare professionals trained 2019–2020 Courses presented The Senegal 2019-2020 field service held great At Mercy Ships, we believe we have been significance for Mercy Ships — it was our first called to help strengthen the healthcare time back to serve the people of Senegal since systems of the countries we serve.