Mercy Ships in Guinea
The Ship Left. The Partnership Grew.
When the Africa Mercy® sailed from Conakry in 2019, the story didn't end. What began with surgery and healthcare training aboard a hospital ship has grown into a long-term partnership helping Guinean healthcare professionals learn, lead and care for more patients across their country.
Impact in Senegal
Behind Every Number Is a Story
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40,610+ medical beneficiaries
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15,340+ life-changing surgical procedures
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133,810+ dental procedures
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4,400+ professionals trained in their area of expertise
Behind the Impact Are People
Every number represents a person, a family and a future that can look different.
One Surgery. A Life Returned to Service: Meet Amadou
Amadou spent his days caring for people in his community while living with a growing mass on his own face. When he heard that the Africa Mercy® had arrived in Conakry, the doctor who had spent years helping others finally found an opportunity to receive the care he needed himself. After successful surgery aboard the ship, Amadou returned home to a community waiting to welcome him back, ready to continue caring for others. For Amadou, surgery meant being able to return to the people who depended on him.
From Student to Dentist: Meet Dr Salématou Camara
Growing up in Guinea, Salématou saw how limited awareness and access to dental care could allow a small problem to become something much more serious. She chose dentistry because she wanted to be part of changing that. As a student at Université Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry (UGANC), she took part in the dental education partnership supported by Mercy Ships, including mentoring from an experienced dentist. After graduating, Dr Camara went on to practise dentistry and later volunteered aboard the Global Mercy™, gaining further experience while caring for patients alongside the person who had once been her teacher. Today, her ambition reaches beyond one clinic. She wants to help make dental care more accessible, particularly for people living in rural areas of Guinea. One opportunity to learn can become a lifetime of caring for others.
I want to be part of the people who can put a smile on people’s faces.
A Partnership Through the Years
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The Partnership Begins
Mercy Ships serves Guinea for the first time.
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2018–2019
Africa Mercy® | Conakry The Africa Mercy® arrives in August 2018 for Mercy Ships' fourth field service in Guinea. During the ten-month service, surgery, dental care, mentoring and healthcare education take place alongside Guinean partners.
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2019–Today
The Partnership Continues on Land Mercy Ships maintains a presence in Guinea, with the UGANC partnership expanding into dental, anesthesia, surgical specialty and biomedical education.
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2024
A New Dental Training Facility Opens UGANC opens its expanded dental training facility in Conakry, more than doubling its previous capacity for students to learn, practise and treat patients.
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Care Continues
The UGANC partnership supports more than 15,000 dental procedures for over 2,000 patients, showing that care continues years after the hospital ship's departure.
What Continues After the Ship Sails?
A New Generation of Dentists
When the Africa Mercy® left Conakry in 2019, the partnership with Guinea's only public dental school continued.
What began with students gaining practical experience during the field service has grown into a long-term collaboration with Université Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry (UGANC). In 2024, a new 1,500 m² clinical training centre opened, expanding capacity from six to 30 simulation stations, with 22 dental chairs where students can learn while patients receive care.
The ship left Conakry. The opportunity to learn, teach and care for patients stayed.
Help the Impact Reach Further
For someone waiting for surgery, your support can help make care possible today. For a healthcare professional strengthening their expertise, that same impact can continue with the next patient, the next colleague and the next generation.
