Casi el 90% de los habitantes de África tienen poco o ningún acceso a un médico calificado o a un hospital.
Con el apoyo de personas como tú, desplegamos buques hospitales para combatir esta abrumadora estadística.
Cirugías
En las naciones en vías de desarrollo, la falta de acceso a la atención básica de la salud puede tener resultados terribles. Naves de Esperanza ofrece de forma gratuita alivio a través de cirugías especializadas que salvan vidas y restauran la esperanza. Los pacientes se recuperan bajo el cuidado de nuestros profesionales en el buque hospital.
Maxillofacial
Craniomaxillofacial tumours, cleft lip and palate, and ear-nose-throat diseases are life-threatening conditions affecting children and adults throughout Africa. An uncorrected cleft palate makes it difficult, if not impossible, for a baby to suckle or drink from a bottle. Untreated benign facial tumours can grow to the point of suffocating the patient. Very often, when facing any facial deformity, the result is becoming a social outcast.
Plastic
Benign tumours, chronic ulcers, scars from serious wounds, and especially burn contractures (hardening of the skin that restricts movement) are all prevalent conditions in countries where machetes cause the most common fires, and most of the population uses firewood for cooking.
General
Due to superstitions, even hernias and goiters, which do not greatly impede physical activity, can lead to the sick being ostracized by their local communities, preventing children from attending school and adults from being able to work.
Blindness
Most blind people in the world -90%- live in developing countries where access to basic eye care is practically inaccessible. Ophthalmic surgeons from Mercy Ships perform critical surgeries for free.
Cataracts
Cataracts are the leading treatable cause of blindness worldwide. Not only that, but cataract blindness is curable, and vision can be restored through a low-cost intervention that takes about 20 minutes. Surgical interventions aboard Mercy Ships are carried out using the latest methods and technologies.
Corneal abnormalities and strabismus
Ophthalmic surgeons from Mercy Ships perform procedures to correct pterygium (abnormalities in the corneal area), strabismus, and eyelid deformations, as well as to remove deformed or non-functional eyeballs, replacing them with prosthetics.
Why it’s so important
Lack of mobility in a developing country becomes more than a disability. In many African cultures, those with birth defects or disfigurement from untreated injuries may be seen as cursed, and their physical anomaly turns a child or adult into an outcast.
Untreated Traumas
Many Africans who suffer traumatic injuries such as bone fractures do not receive proper medical attention, resulting in deformities and loss of mobility. Our orthopaedic team works to correct these deformities and restore as much mobility as possible for the patient.
Ponseti
Orthopaedic surgery requires general anaesthesia and a painful postoperative period of extended hospitalization. Ponseti method plaster casts can be used as an alternative or supplement to traditional surgical methods, requiring less or sometimes eliminating the need for surgery.
Why it’s so important
Lack of mobility in a developing country becomes more than a disability. In many African cultures, those with birth defects or disfigurement from untreated injuries may be seen as cursed, and their physical anomaly turns a child or adult into an outcast.
Uterine Prolapse
The exact causes are not yet known, but basically, women of any age can suffer from this dangerous condition, which involves the uterus loosening and floating inside the body. Surgery is almost always required to correct this condition.
Obstetric Fistula
Obstetric Fistula is a condition primarily caused by prolonged labour. Women in developing countries, due to a lack of adequate medical care, can endure labour for 2, 3, or even 4 days. The constant pressure from the baby’s body cuts off the blood supply to the pelvic region, damaging nerves and tissues, creating a hole that results in the leakage of urine and/or feces. As if the loss of their baby were not enough, the mother also becomes incontinent. Without access to sanitary products, urine leaks directly onto their clothing, leading people to reject them wherever they go. Obstetric Fistula surgeries repair these fistulas, allowing women to return to a normal life.
Improving the health of African women
In addition to Obstetric Fistula, there are many other obstetric conditions that women face in developing nations, such as uterine prolapse. This project focuses on three main areas:
1. Providing surgeries for patients from uterine prolapse or other gynaecological conditions.
2. Offering counselling to patients and their families to mitigate the emotional effects that may arise because of their condition.
3. Collaborating with local partners to conduct campaigns providing general information about prolapse and available surgical options.
Clínica Dental
Muchos habitantes de países en vías de desarrollo nunca han tenido el privilegio de ser atendidos por un dentista. Los cuidados dentales son casi inexistentes en la mayor parte del África Occidental y, en otros países que visita Naves de Esperanza, la situación económica hace que el acceso a ellos sea imposible para la mayoría de la población.
Education
The lack of oral hygiene and absence of dental treatment can lead to much more serious diseases, such as the condition known as Noma. The dental professionals at Mercy Ships works to improve oral health in developing countries through education on oral hygiene and training local professionals in the community.
Treatments
Mercy Ships operates dental clinics to provide care for those in need. Due to poor or nonexistent dental hygiene, extractions are common procedures. Additionally, we perform fillings, root canal treatments, partial dentures, and management of intraoral and extraoral odontogenic infections. Often, after receiving treatment, patients express their relief and gratitude by embracing the dentists.
Ayudando a las mentes que sufren
En las naciones en desarrollo, las personas que sufren de enfermedades mentales a menudo son marginadas por sus familias y comunidades. A veces, la mala comprensión de estas condiciones puede conducir a nuevos abusos. Pocas naciones en desarrollo cuentan con instalaciones que ofrezcan servicios de salud mental y lo que existe es por lo general insuficiente. Los trabajadores de atención primaria de salud son esenciales para la prestación de servicios de calidad y los programas de capacitación que realizamos para ellos mejoran significativamente el tratamiento.
Cuidados Paliativos
Por desgracia, no todas las personas que llegan a nuestros buques hospitales con una necesidad física o médica pueden ser ayudadas mediante atención quirúrgica. Para muchos, el buque llega demasiado tarde: su estado ha progresado más allá del punto en el que la ayuda médica puede curarles. Mientras los enfermos terminales sufren dolor físico, espiritual y emocional, sus familias también sufren junto a ellos.
El Equipo de Cuidados Paliativos de Naves de Esperanza ayuda a estos pacientes y a sus familias durante este delicado momento.
Formamos a los familiares y cuidadores para que puedan atender las necesidades físicas de estos pacientes. A menudo, los enfermos terminales son el principal sostén de sus familias. En estos casos, Naves de Esperanza trabaja con los familiares supervivientes para desarrollar nuevas oportunidades de ingresos. Seguimos el modelo de Jesús al atender con ternura a los pacientes moribundos y a sus familias en duelo, e invitamos a los líderes religiosos locales a ofrecer apoyo espiritual y práctico.
Conoce las vidas que cambiamos
Learning to eat: Cheikh’s story
The boy with the strong spirit: Serigne
Thanks for your support
Dona ahora
Como voluntarios en buques hospitales, viajamos para ofrecer servicios de salud gratuitos de clase mundial y atención quirúrgica segura. Nos dedicamos a fortalecer los sistemas de salud locales, marcando una diferencia en comunidades con acceso limitado a la salud.