Mercy on the high seas - KIWI COUPLE SAVING LIVES

It’s a miracle seeing their patients walk down the gangplank cured

- Leena Tailor

Heading off to Senegal, West Africa, in February 2020, Kathy and Sinclair Carter were chomping at the bit to start helping people in need.

But just one month into their life-changing stint as volunteers onboard Mercy Ships’ hospital vessel Africa Mercy, the WhangamataÌ„ couple were told they were being shut down amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Then, they found themselves waiting out the Covid storm for five months, floating around the waters of Tenerife.

“It was devastating because we had to leave so many African people behind, who were expecting surgery,” says Canada-born Kathy, 62, who joined the ship as a technical administrator while husband Sinclair, 63, worked as an engineering officer. “That was the worst part, knowing we couldn’t help those people.”

Kathy and Sinclair – who both have children from previous relationships – tied the knot eight years ago and when they started to think about retirement, they were certain about one thing – they wanted to give back.

They found themselves drawn to Mercy Ships, an international charity that takes “floating hospitals” to the world’s poorest countries, offering those who would otherwise never be able to afford it, life-saving and life-changing treatments and surgeries.

Their first-month on-board the