Why Donate to Us?
The simple answer is... you want to help alleviate the pain and suffering in the lives of those who live in the less fortunate areas of the world.
Three things make Mercy Ships unique in performing this function:
1) Unique Service - We can't bring them to our hospitals, so we take a floating hospital to them
We have all heard stories or seen on television where a critically ill patient from the Third World is brought to the West to receive the specialised medical treatment not available to them in their own countries. These patients are extremely fortunate, as for every one that is treated in a Western medical facility there are literally thousands left untreated. Mercy Ships addresses this imbalance; we can't bring them to our hospitals, so we take a floating hospital to them, allowing thousands to experience the same kind of professional medical care available to those of us who live in the West.
2) Unique Platform - A floating hospital
What makes Mercy Ships different is that it uses a unique platform - a ship - to bring world-class medical care to the poorest nations of the world. A ship gives us a number of advantages over a permanent medical facility or temporary medical clinics. These include:
- The ability to provide our services to millions who live in those areas of the globe that may be difficult to access in normal circumstances. 80% of the world's population live within 100 km of the ocean
- We avoid many of the corruption problems associated with building a permanent facility in certain parts of the world
- We avoid the risk of the possibility of theft of valuable and expensive medical equipment
- Our staff work and are accommodated in a secure and comfortable environment
- In the unfortunate event of civil unrest, both staff and the self-contained hospital can be evacuated quickly to move onto the next assignment without loss of investment or capabilities
3) Unique Staff - The vast majority (over 90%) of our staff, from doctors to deck hands, provide their services free!
Everyone knows the exorbitant costs associated with providing modern medical care. Mercy Ships is able to minimise these costs in a powerful way unique in today's world. Volunteers from around the world not only pay their way to the ship but also contribute to their accommodation costs. This goodwill extended by our volunteer staff dramatically lowers our overheads, allowing us to stretch to capasity every dollar donated.
We welcome your partnership.
