A Cause Worth Supporting: Mercy Ships

A Cause Worth Supporting: Mercy Ships

We’re excited to announce the opportunity we have had here at Rejûvaskin® | Scar Heal to support Mercy Ships, an amazing non-profit organization we’re incredibly passionate about!

About Mercy Ships

Mercy Ships is an international faith-based organization, with a mission to increase access to health care throughout the world using ships. Through the deployment of the world’s largest, private hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, Mercy Ships works with the host nations to help fill the gaps in health care systems, while serving the dire and immediate needs of their population.

Mercy Ships volunteers are professionals and skilled workers from dozens of nations. They share a common vision for helping the poor, and they share a common commitment as they pay their own room, board, and air travel expenses to serve on-board the hospital ship, the Africa Mercy.

Since her deployment in 2007, the Africa Mercy has participated in 12 field services in sub-Saharan Africa — serving the countries of Liberia, Guinea, South Africa, Sierra Leone, the Republic of Congo, Benin, Togo, and Madagascar.

Services Offered

Nearly 50% of people in Africa have no access to a hospital or doctor. Children, teens and adults suffer and die everyday from curable or treatable causes. One child in eight will die before age 5. Mercy Ships provides medical care including surgeries, radiology services, dental procedures, mental health care, and performs community development projects.

How We Got Involved

Rejûvaskin® | Scar Heal donated the following products to assist with the purpose and function of the charity:

  • RejûvaSil® Silicone Scar Gel
  • Scar Fx® Silicone Sheets
  • Medical Tape for Scars

These products were put to use during the time the Africa Mercy spent in Pointe Noire, Congo. During this time, they were able to provide for countless of people in the Republic of Congo. This includes Dreige and Eddy, both age 14, who were given their sight back, and toddler Aicha, whose burn injuries prevented her from living a normal childhood.

The countries served by Mercy Ships are ranked as the poorest in the world by the United Nations Human Development Index, but also have some of the kindest and most deserving people in the world.

More Than Just Medical Care

More than just providing medical care, Mercy Ships aims to bring hope to the forgotten. Their three keywords are hope, healing and heart:

Hope is the large-scale medical capacity-building programs and training we provide to help the host country better serve the medical needs of its people.
Healing is individual, free, life-changing surgeries provided to the poorest of the poor.
Heart is following the 2000-year-old model of Jesus.

This organization is known worldwide and endorsed by influencers such as Nelson Mandela, George W. Bush, Desmond Tutu, Tony Blair, and many more.

How You Can Help 

It takes $12,000 to power the ship for just one day! Mercy Ships such as Africa Mercy will have 128 beds for patients. Each day on the ship, they will perform the following:

  • 36 surgical procedures,
  • 10 radiology procedures
  • 138 dental procedures
  • 45 laboratory tests and more

It takes a lot of donations and a lot of volunteers to stay operating! If you’d like to learn more about ways to give or how to volunteer check out Mercy Ships website, www.mercyships.org.