APO Group (www.APO-opa.com), the leading pan-African communications consultancy and press release distribution service, is excited to announce that its Mercy Ships Africa Celebrations campaign has won the 2023 PRovoke Africa SABRE Awards for Best Campaign in West Africa and Best Campaign for Not-for-Profit/Charities.

The SABRE Awards are the most prestigious and important awards in the public relations industry due to their global reach and recognition, as well as their comprehensive coverage of a myriad of public relations disciplines.

They recognise outstanding achievements and celebrate the best work in public relations across multiple regions and categories, including the Americas, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), and Asia-Pacific, with the campaigns being evaluated by a jury of industry leaders.

The campaign has been nominated as a finalist for the Platinum SABRE Award for Best in Show, the winner of which will be announced at the Africa SABRE Awards ceremony on May 18th, as part of the 2023 African Public Relations Conference in Lusaka, Zambia.

Mercy Ships is an international NGO that operates the largest civilian hospital ships in the world to deliver surgical care, and medical training. By providing free, world-class surgical, obstetric, and anaesthetic care, the organisation brings hope and healing to those who need it most across the African continent.

Despite the invaluable work that they do, the organisation remains relatively unknown to the wider audience, particularly when compared to other organisations. To elevate the NGO’s profile, APO Group developed a campaign that would expand the public’s awareness and understanding of Mercy Ships and the massive positive impact its work has throughout Africa.

By leveraging its unrivalled access to Africa’s journalists and news networks, APO Group set out to amplify Mercy Ships’ visibility throughout the year, covering the main landmarks in the NGO’s activities and placing the organisation in publications across Africa, Europe, and North America, in print and online, as well as on social media. In total, the campaign has achieved a PR value of USD$125 million, with over 4,000 pieces of online coverage.

"We are grateful for the recognition received from the SABRE Awards. The collaboration with the APO team has led to outstanding communications and, more importantly, awareness for the need to increase access to surgical care in Africa,” stated Jitze Kramer, Vice President of Mercy Ships.

APO Group has been working with Mercy Ships since early 2022 to promote the organisation’s profoundly impactful work across the continent, telling the story of how the docking of Mercy Ships’ vessels — the Africa Mercy and the Global Mercy — can represent change and hope for communities everywhere in Africa.

“Receiving this SABRE Award is a momentous achievement, and it highlights our commitment to promoting the life-changing work of Mercy Ships across Africa and beyond,” said Lindsay Farley, APO Group’s Vice President of Editorial and Content Strategy. “The Mercy Ships Africa Celebrations campaign has been incredibly successful in showcasing the organisation's remarkable impact on healthcare and communities throughout the continent. We look forward to our continued partnership and to keeping the spotlight on the meaningful work that Mercy Ships is doing in Africa."

With its success in the 2023 SABRE Awards, APO Group continues to demonstrate its expertise and commitment to helping its clients achieve their communication goals and positively impact communities across the African continent.