History. Mercy Ships was founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens in Lausanne in Switzerland. The first ocean liner acquired was the Victoria, which was purchased for its scrap value of US $1 million. The nine-deck vessel was transformed into the hospital ship MV Anastasis over a four-year period.

Mercy Ships began our mission to provide hope and healing to those in need in 1978. Each year we send hospital ships filled with volunteer medical professionals who selflessly provide life-changing surgeries to children and adults who otherwise would go without.

This charity's score is 99%, earning it a Four-Star rating. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence. This overall score is calculated from multiple beacon scores, weighted as follows: 80% Accountability & Finance, 10% Leadership & Adaptability, 10% Culture & Community.

Mercy Ships is an international faith-based charity whose foundation rests on an integrated biblical worldview of service to others and a personal relationship with Jesus.

Don Stephens Don Stephens first imagined a fleet of hospital ships as a teenage Christian. He later founded Mercy Ships in 1978, inspired by a meeting with Mother Teresa and the birth of his son with additional needs. “ We operate a world class hospital on a ship – it's a powerful tool!”

The story is about a group of young doctors who provide medical care to the locals who live in rural villages via a hospital ship that sails around the little islands.

Mercy Ships delivers free, safe medical care to the world's least-developed countries. Our hospital ships are crewed by volunteers who treat dental and eye problems, cleft lips and palates, benign tumours, Noma, club feet, obstetric fistulas, burn contractures and various other conditions.

MERCY is a 1,000 bed hospital ship commissioned in 1986, with a military cadre crew of approximately eight Officers and 53 Enlisted personnel and a civilian mariner cadre crew of approximately 15 personnel while in a Reduced Operating Status (ROS).

In accordance with the Geneva Conventions, Mercy and her crew do not carry any offensive weapons, though defensive weapons are available.

We are sponsored by Mercy Health Ministry, which was established by the Catholic Church to oversee the healing ministry and Catholic identity of Mercy Health. The mission started by one woman is now 250,000 strong.

The Corporal Works of Mercy are found in the teachings of Jesus and give us a model for how we should treat all others, as if they were Christ in disguise. They "are charitable actions by which we help our neighbors in their bodily needs" (USCCA).

They wanted to convert a ship into a floating hospital, to bring safe, free surgical care to those who needed it most. They left their home in the United States, setting out into unfamiliar waters on a journey that would transform countless lives. There were six of them: Don, Deyon, and their four children.