Education and Skill Training

Mercy Ships builds local capacity through the training of national surgeons and nurses in new techniques and procedures appropriate for their work environments. Health care workers also receive WHO training in disease management to increase effectiveness of local health care efforts.  Local health care workers include medical specialists and generalists, dentists, ophthalmologists, surgeons, doctors, nurses, midwives and traditional birth attendants, community health workers, and medical students.

Health care workers in the developing world often lack resources such as medicines, equipment and specific tools necessary to deliver basic medical care. In addition to providing training and support, Mercy Ships helps meet these practical challenges through the distribution of appropriate medical equipment and resources, along with biomedical training in equipment maintenance and operation.

Lack of adequate facilities to provide health care is also a concern. Medical administrators with limited financial resources often have to choose between infrastructure development/maintenance and paying their workers.  Collaborating with local health care partners, Mercy Ships provides construction and renovation services that increase access to local health care while maximizing the impact of local health care resources.

Lack of knowledge about basic health care leads to tens of thousands of deaths each day in the developing world. Mercy Ships is committed to breaking the cycle of disease through prevention and knowledge.

Mercy Ships Community Health Education teams train students in basic health and hygiene, first aid and HIV/AIDS prevention. These students then teach others in their own and surrounding communities.

As a faith-based charity, Mercy Ships emphasizes a relevant message of lasting societal change based on biblical principles.  Local leaders, teachers and churches are encouraged to see themselves and their communities as agents of change with the abilities necessary for development. Conferences and workshops offer practical insights and ideas on issues like HIV/AIDS, micro-finance, and community cooperation.

Mercy Ships Community Development staff work together with locals to give on-the-job training and certification in basic carpentry, masonry, agriculture and water and sanitation. The fact that they are actively involved in Mercy Ships projects gives the local community a stronger sense of ownership. For the poor or disabled in developing nations, the opportunity to learn a trade or skill often comes second to survival. Mercy Ships invests in individuals through on-the-job training, classroom teaching and capacity building.

Mercy Ships partners with local agencies to help families and communities learn practical and natural food-producing skills, thereby directly reducing malnutrition and increasing food security. Improved crops and land stewardship result in more income and bring better health to the farmer, his family and his community. Agriculturalists address topics such as crop rotations and garden planning, seed sowing and saving, natural disease and pest controls, and water conservation and irrigation practices.

Literacy rates are directly linked to income level and quality of life. West Africa has the lowest literacy rates in the world. The average literacy rate – or the percentage of the adult population in the region who can read and write – is about 40%.

Because many adults who cannot read and write are often unemployable, they are frequently unable to provide for even the most basic needs for their families. Unable to pay school fees or buy uniforms for their children, illiteracy is often passed on from generation to generation, simply because they can't get out of the poverty cycle enough to afford education.