‘Global Mercy’ is one of 2 hospital ships used by Mercy Ships (credit:I.Randriamandrato)

Mercy Ships have been transforming healthcare in Madagascar for 30 years. MAF has partnered with the charity since 2014, enabling the most isolated patients across the country access to free life-changing surgery. MAF’s Antsatiana Gino Randrianasolo explores how MAF’s aircraft and Mercy Ships are a match made in heaven…     

It’s been one month since hospital ship ‘Africa Mercy’ docked in Toamasina on the east coast of Madagascar, and the sixth time Mercy Ships have entered the country offering free surgery to isolated people with little or no access to safe healthcare.

During their 2026 service, the charity expects to carry out more than 1,400 surgeries and over 1,400 dental procedures, but they wouldn’t be able to treat such vast numbers of people if it wasn’t for MAF.

Mercy Ships will undertake 2,800+ operations in 2026 (credit: J.K. Wing Chau/Mercy)

Firstly, MAF enables Mercy Ships to identify the remotest patients with the greatest needs across Madagascar, regardless of geographical or financial barriers. Many patients languish in cut-off communities with no access to any transport, roads or basic services.

Lots of them have never left their community.

MAF bridges that gap by flying medical ‘patient selection’ teams to overlooked, vulnerable communities, saving the team days of exhausting overland travel.

Secondly, those found to be in greatest need of paediatric, facial, orthopaedic, eye, reconstructive, or female surgery, will be scheduled for an operation on the Africa Mercy over the next 10 months. The most isolated patients will be flown by MAF to the awaiting hospital ship where lives are transformed every day.

Many rural areas in Madagascar don’t have any roads (credit: A.G. Randrianasolo)

Twins in need of orthopaedic surgery

On 20 May 2026, twins Juvaniot and Juvanot who were born with bow legs, were amongst the first patients to benefit from MAF’s amazing partnership with Mercy Ships.

The twins, accompanied by their mother Zara, are from Antaravato – a remote village in northern Madagascar.

Instead of travelling one week by car on pothole-ridden dirt tracks, or one day by boat on choppy seas, MAF was able to fly the family from the northern town of Maroantsetra to Toamasina in just one hour!

MAF flies Juvaniot & Juvanot to Toamasina with mum Zara (credit: A. G. Randrianasolo)

Orthopaedic surgery on the boys’ legs will prevent chronic pain, joint damage, long-term mobility issues, and a lifetime of discrimination. Zara is relieved that their life-changing surgery is finally happening:

‘There is no doctor who can do this surgery for my children in Maroantsetra. Without this opportunity, I do not know how they could receive treatment. I want them to grow up well and be able to play and live like other children.’

MAF planes facilitate life-changing surgery (credit: Antsatiana Gino Randrianasolo)

Earlier intervention will change the boys’ future. In adulthood, it’s much more difficult to rectify bow legs once the limbs have stopped growing.

Juvaniot’s and Juvanot’s operations aboard the Africa Mercy were a success, and they are finally both on the road to recovery.

Langerie can see again

For years, Langerie – an elderly lady – couldn’t see properly and relied on her family for assistance. Her granddaughter Jenny who is accompanying her, takes up the story:

‘Before, my grandmother could do everything by herself. Now, someone always must guide her because she cannot see anymore. We are praying this surgery will help her regain her sight.’

Langerie (R) is accompanied by her granddaughter Jenny (credit: A. G. Randrianasolo)

The surgery Langerie received aboard the Africa Mercy, not only made her see again, but restored her sight to another level, explains Ashleigh Wong – Mercy Ships Ophthalmic Team Manager:

‘Her vision has improved significantly from only being able to see hand movements to now reading halfway down the chart to 6/12! That is the minimum vision requirement for people to be able to drive in Australia!’

Langerie successfully returned home a changed woman a few weeks later.

MAF and Mercy Ships – the perfect partnership

Ria Bos, Director of Mercy Ships’ Patient Selection, sums up the successful partnership, which connects cut-off communities to life-changing healthcare:

‘I think the work that MAF is doing is special – being able to reach those communities and get so close to the patients. We can’t sail the ship into the country, but that’s where our organisations meet each other.

‘Having the opportunity to fly to these more remote places, which are hard to access is really a blessing, as is our safe surgical platform on the ship where we can provide these surgeries and aftercare.

‘Together, we release them back into the community. I think it’s beautiful to see that partnership, and to see how we can work together.’ 

Ria Bos, Director of Mercy Ships’ Patient Selection

Ria Bos: ‘I think the work that MAF is doing is special’ (credit: G. A. Randrianasolo)

Pilot Wouter Nagel – MAF’s Flight Operations Manager in Madagascar – is an integral part of the partnership and feels privileged to fly Mercy Ships’ teams:

‘It’s been a very rewarding experience to fly for Mercy Ships. Since September 2023, we’ve done so many flights with them – including this year – that we’ll probably clock up over 400 hours by the end of this year which sounds a lot, but if you translate that into how many hours we’ve saved them travelling by road, we’re talking months!

‘Sometimes there are no direct roads between places, so the patient selection team would have to drive back to the capital for a few days before driving to the next destination. Instead of spending a week on the road, we can fly them within one hour!’

Instead of wasting precious time battling overland travel, Mercy Ships staff can arrive refreshed, knowing that every hour saved means more lives are saved.

Wouter: ‘It’s been a very rewarding experience to fly for Mercy Ships’ (I.Randriamandrato)

If you want to find out more about MAF’s partnership with Mercy Ships or our other work in Madagascar, sign up to our free online legacy event ‘Soaring Together’ on Tues 14 July 2026.