abstract:Mercy Ships is an international charity that was founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens. Mercy Ships currently operates the largest non-governmental hospital ship in the world, providing free health care, community development projects, community health education, mental health programs, agriculture projects, and palliative care for terminally ill patients.
One of the driving forces behind the trip is Scottish entrepreneur and Stagecoach co-founder Ann Gloag, who is on the international board of MercyShips.