Mercy Ships Restores Hope with Life-Changing Surgery for Malagasy Boy
Three-year-old Armane from a rural village in Madagascar is now able to smile without shame following a successful cleft lip surgery performed by international medical charity Mercy Ships. The free, life-changing operation was carried out aboard the Africa Mercy®, a floating hospital ship currently docked in Toamasina, Madagascar.
For his mother, Roseline, Armane’s birth was both a miracle and a source of deep worry. After a difficult delivery in a remote rice field, birth attendants hesitated to show her the baby’s face. “I gave birth to many children, but none of them were like him,” she recalled. “When I finally saw him, I kissed him and cried. I was worried. People in the village said he was cursed, not human.”
Armane was born with a cleft lip, a congenital condition in which the upper lip does not form completely. While in high-income countries this condition is usually treated surgically within the first three months of life, access to such services is extremely limited in low- and middle-income countries like Madagascar.
Globally, an estimated 4.1 million people live with orofacial clefts, contributing to over 400,000 lost disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), according to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. In Armane’s village, his condition led to malnutrition and speech difficulties, and exposed the family to stigma.
Roseline did everything she could to feed and care for her son. “He could not suck on the cleft lip, he wouldn’t get any milk,” she said. “He was very weak; we had to give him vitamins, and he struggled to speak too.”
Hope came when Roseline encountered Mercy Ships volunteers and saw photos of other children with cleft lips who had undergone successful surgeries. Determined to seek help, the family undertook a four-day journey to Toamasina where the Africa Mercy® was docked.
“This is a surgery that takes just one hour, but changes everything,” said Mollie Felder, an American nurse who cared for Armane post-operation. “It’s not just about appearance; it’s about dignity, confidence, being seen.”
At the ship’s HOPE Center, a recovery and support facility for patients and caregivers, Armane and his sister found comfort and inclusion. “No one stared. Everyone was accepted,” said Denise Gorissen, a Dutch volunteer leading the center. “That environment of love helps healing begin before the surgery even starts.”
Following the operation, Armane’s recovery was smooth and swift. When he returned to his village, the transformation astonished the community. “Many people came to see him,” Roseline said. “They couldn’t believe it. They had thought this couldn’t be fixed.” When Armane’s father first saw him after surgery, he embraced him and said, “My worry is gone from now on.”
For the family, the surgery has not only restored Armane’s face but also their dignity and hope. “I’m so happy, so happy,” said Roseline with tears of joy. “My son will no longer be mocked. He will always be loved.”
