Tomasina – Since early November, Fahendrena Vanessa Rose de Lima Body, a trained nurse from Munich University Hospital, has been volunteering with Mercy Ships (www.MercyShips.org) on board the hospital ship Africa Mercy in Madagascar.
This will have been the organization’s fifth field service in the country, and the 28-year-old will return to Germany in mid-December once it concludes.
For Vanessa, who was born in Madagascar, this marks the fulfilment of a long-held dream: to bring urgently needed medical support to her home country.
Vanessa Body first learned German as a foreign language during her school years in Madagascar.
Inspired by her cousin, who worked as a translator on the Africa Mercy in 2014, she knew early on that she wanted to pursue a medical career and, hopefully, volunteer with Mercy Ships one day.
After staying in Gmund am Tegernsee as an au pair in 2017, strengthening her German through a voluntary social year, she then began her nursing training at the municipal hospital in Bad Tölz.
She gained professional experience mainly in anesthesia and emergency care before moving to her current position at Munich University Hospital.
Vanessa speaks vividly about the critical healthcare situation in Madagascar.
“Anyone who needs medical care in Madagascar has to pay. Treatment, medication – everything is expensive, and most people simply cannot afford it,” she explained.
“If you have no money, you must accept your illness. There is no universal health insurance.”
While there are several hospitals in the capital Antananarivo, where her parents live, the situation for people in rural areas is far more challenging: long distances, underdeveloped road infrastructure, and unaffordable costs.
“Sometimes people die simply because there is no help available in the countryside,” she says.
“That is why the work of Mercy Ships is so important for this country.
“Thanks to donations, patients can receive surgery free of charge, and, through training programs, local healthcare workers gain skills that will continue to benefit communities long after the ship has left.”
Vanessa is grateful to finally be able to support her fellow Malagasy citizens in person: “As part of the anesthesia team on board, I can help overcome language barriers. For patients, everything about the ship is unfamiliar.
“I help them build trust with the medical team, create a sense of safety, and ease their fears. It is a wonderful service that I am honoured to provide.”
Vanessa will return to her job in Munich in mid-December. A few days later, Mercy Ships’ ten-month mission in Madagascar will come to an end.
“Without our volunteers, Mercy Ships simply could not carry out its work,” emphasizes Lydia Rieger, Managing Director of Mercy Ships Germany in Landsberg am Lech.
“This year alone, around 100 volunteers came from Germany and Austria.
“On International Volunteer Day, we want to highlight just how indispensable their contribution is – whether in medical roles, technical support, or numerous other functions on board.”
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