BELMONT — Three nursing students from Belmont Abbey College are part of a select group of five interns who will spend part of their summer bringing health care and the witness of God’s love to people in Madagascar.
They have been selected to work for two weeks with Mercy Ships, a global nonprofit that brings hospital ships providing free surgeries and other medical care to impoverished communities that lack access to health care.
Erik DikeThe three nursing students, all rising seniors, are Erik Dike of Wake Forest, Caroline Gutierrez of Gastonia and Emma Harris of Charlotte.
Harris is hopeful that the internship will be an eye-opening experience. “Here in the U.S. we are truly blessed to have access to medical care, while the people we’ll be serving often have to walk miles and miles just to find a doctor,” she said.
The three learned about the program in March, applied and discovered soon afterward that they would be joining the inaugural cohort of Mercy Ships’ nursing internship program, dubbed “The Mercyship.”
They will leave for Madagascar on July 27 and then board the hospital ship Africa Mercy, where they will work and live until Aug. 9. The Belmont Abbey students will be working alongside others from Baylor University and Texas Christian University. All the students are raising funds to cover travel and participation costs through GoFundMe.
According to a statement from Mercy Ships, the immersive work opportunity offers the chance to experience “healing through service.”
The students will shadow medical professionals working in rehabilitation, outpatient services and recovery at the Hope Center, a facility that supports patients as they heal.
They also will be exposed to Mercy Ships’ surgical specialties, including maxillofacial (jaw and facial bones), reconstructive plastics, pediatric orthopedics, ophthalmic surgeries and women’s health.
“We created The Mercyship to give student nurses a deeper understanding of global health equity and to inspire them with what it means to provide care with compassion,” said Merryl Mackenzie, hospital director for Africa Mercy Madagascar. “By integrating faith, clinical learning and cultural humility, this program nurtures both skill and spirit.”
The three Belmont Abbey students see the internship as a chance both to learn about their chosen field and to share God’s love with others around the world.
Gutierrez has traveled to Europe, the Caribbean and Mexico but has never been to Africa. Through her nursing studies, she’s developed a passion for working in labor and delivery.
“I’m excited about the trip because I have always wanted the opportunity to go on something like a mission trip,” she said. “This is the perfect opportunity because it integrates the way I feel called to love through nursing and my desire to serve others.”
Dike switched to nursing at Belmont Abbey College once he realized a passion for emergency medicine after originally majoring in mechanical engineering in Raleigh. Dike has never traveled overseas.
“As soon as I learned about Mercy Ships, I thought regardless of how challenging a trip like this might be for me, the impact that this program has on people’s lives is absolutely amazing, and I immediately knew I wanted to be a part of it,” he said. “They say you never know someone’s experience until you walk in their shoes, and this is a way for me to see what people in another part of the world experience.”
Harris has wanted to be a nurse since she was 11, and through her studies at Belmont Abbey College, she has decided she wants to work in a neonatal intensive care unit.
“I’m so happy to be able to have this opportunity to be able to help people that aren’t able to get the care they need and share Christ’s love with them,” she said.
Belmont Abbey College’s nursing program launched in 2022 and currently enrolls 50 students, with more growth expected in the coming academic year.
— Christina Lee Knauss