Janna Hughes, a 29-year-old nurse from Llandrindod Wells, Wales, has recently spent time volunteering for Mercy Ships, an international charity which runs the world’s largest civilian floating hospital.

Working with a team of more than 450 volunteers from over 40 nations, Janna has played an important role in delivering free medical care, relief aid, community development and long-term sustainable development in Madagascar, where the ship was docked.

Mercy Ships, operates the Africa Mercy, a 16,000 tonne state-of-the-art ship which docks in different countries in Africa for up to 10 months at a time, to provide vital medical care to the world’s forgotten poor.

Reflecting on her time volunteering, Janna said: "Mercy Ships is an incredible charity, which completely relies on donations and volunteers to function. The experience was truly unique and I immediately loved the work and got stuck in.

"What makes Mercy Ships so special is the merciful nursing care, which is not based around ’tasks’ like in the UK, but rather focused on patients and family well-being. This was so important as many of the patients were physically disfigured and isolated from their own communities. Showing patients that they were accepted for who they were and bringing them into an environment of love was incredibly fulfilling.

"Mercy Ships also caught my eye as I love to travel and I found it very liberating to integrate with so many different cultures. I thank Mercy Ships for inspiring me to push myself in unfamiliar territory and for allowing me to make the most amazing relationships with both patients and volunteers."

Lea Milligan, Executive Director of Mercy Ships UK, added: "Mercy Ships would not be able to carry out its life-changing work without dedicated volunteers such as Janna who give up their time. The volunteers who support Mercy Ships come from all walks of life but share the same common interest in their quest to improve the lives of others. Ranging from cooks to surgeons to engineers to dentists, each individual volunteer is vital to the running of our floating hospital."

The Africa Mercy has just completed its field service in Madagascar, where over 90% of the population lives on just 75p a day. The ship will arrive in Benin next week for a 10-month service, where prospective patients will immediately be identified and begin a free screening and treatment process.

Janna has already put herself forward again for a field service in Cameroon taking place in 2017. She said, "Two months was just not long enough. I am aiming to fundraise enough money to volunteer for a full field service of 10 months next in Cameroon."