HE TURNED his back on an office job selling insurance and is now on a voyage of mercy to help some of the most impoverished people in the world.
Third Officer Chris McGrory, from Glasgow, is serving aboard the world’s largest charity-run floating hospital in Benin, West Africa, and will soon sail to Cameroon to continue its mission.
But first the boat, named Africa Mercy, will have to navigate through some of the world’s most dangerous waters where attacks by pirates can be an everyday occurrence.
The Africa Mercy is run by the charity Mercy Ships, which deploys hospital ships to some of the poorest countries in the world, delivering free healthcare to people in desperate need.
Mr McGrory is volunteering aboard for six months, gaining valuable experience on a ships’ bridge while also donating his time to a worthwhile cause.
He said: “I saw the advert for naval officers and wanted to serve with Mercy Ships to give my time and experience free.
“ I wanted to help others, but I also love my job and this volunteer role gives me more of the seafaring experience I need in my career, while helping to work as part of the wider team making a difference in people’s lives.
Once we got to Cotonou, where the ship is docked in Benin, and I saw the poverty and how people live, I had a sense of the place and understood more about what people face in their daily lives.
“But also how life can change for better in an instant because of what Mercy Ships can do, offering safe surgery and healthcare for free to kids and adults who have been isolated and struggling with different illnesses, injuries or disabilities.”
The 33-year-old worked for Scottish Widows in Edinburgh for four years before his life at sea.
He decided to train to be a naval officer, studying nautical science at the City of Glasgow College, graduating in March last year.
The Africa Mercy is a former Danish rail ferry converted into a hospital which houses five operating theatres and an 80-bed ward, with a volunteer crew of over 400 people. including surgeons, dentists, nurses, teachers, cooks, engineers and cleaners , all of whom work for free
The ship is sailing for a refit in the Canary Islands before returning to Africa.
Chris is fundraising for Mercy Ships, and can be backed at his fundraising page.
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