Support a volunteer. Power the mission.
Support a crew member
Behind every surgery are skilled volunteers who make care possible. Your support helps cover the costs of serving, so they can be there for the patients who need them most.
Our volunteer crew give their time and skills, from nurses and surgeons to engineers, cooks, and teachers. Many step away from paid work to serve on board. What they give is significant, and the cost of serving is real too, including travel, training, and everyday expenses. Your support helps close that gap, so their decision to serve isn't a cost they have to carry alone.
What volunteering actually costs
Living on board a working hospital ship for months comes with real costs, even when volunteers give their time and skills freely. Your support helps cover what it takes to get them there and support them throughout their service.
- Flights, visas, and the vaccinations required before a volunteer can even board.
- A cabin on board, shared in most cases, for the length of the placement.
- Three meals a day for several hundred crew, in a galley that runs around the surgical schedule.
- Fresh water, power, laundry, and the daily running of a vessel that's also a working hospital.
- Onboarding, safety training, and the administration behind bringing crew from around 60 countries to one port.
We are missing the feature here to show CREW (Fundraise Up Element?)
Mercy Ships was the best place for me to share my talents. There are no other NGOs that offer the opportunity to do this kind of work. Mercy Ships was a perfect fit for me.
Read the stories of our volunteers
Clinical and non-clinical, short placements and long ones. Every one of them paid something to be there.
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An african surgeon, not an african beneficiary
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A few weeks. For more than 20 years.
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Helping patients take the next step
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She came on board as an electrician. It changed where her career could go.
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She grew up on board. Then came back as a nurse.
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Her skills keep surgery working
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Two weeks of annual leave, spent operating
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The teacher behind the volunteers
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The ship that inspired his career became his mission
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He came for one week. Then everything changed.
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Bringing her skills home
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A front-row seat to healing
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The hospital needs engineers too
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The hospital can’t get there without the ship
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Her engineering career started somewhere unexpected
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He almost didn't apply
Ready to support someone who's answering the call?
Choose a crew member to support, or let us connect you with someone whose role or story speaks to you.
FAQs
Are volunteers paid?
Most of our volunteer crew serve without pay, covering their own costs to serve — a small number of mission-critical roles are paid, but the vast majority give their time and skills freely.
How can I support a Mercy Ships volunteer?
You can choose a specific crew member's fundraising page and give directly toward their costs of serving onboard, or reach out to our team and we'll help connect you with someone to support.
What does my support cover?
Your support helps cover a crew member's travel, required vaccinations, training, and the everyday costs of serving onboard for weeks, months, or years at a time.
Can I choose who to support?
Yes. You can support a specific crew member directly, or let us help match you with someone whose role or story resonates with you.
What if I don't know anyone on board?
Your national Mercy Ships office can put you in touch with volunteers who are currently raising support — including those in less visible roles like engineering, sterile processing, and the galley.
Will I receive updates from the volunteer?
Many crew members share updates on their fundraising page or by email during their time onboard, so you can follow their journey as they serve.
