Mediterranean Rescues: fleeing for safety (2015)
In 2015 I was stationed at the Central Mediterranean with Dignity I, MSF’s own Search and Rescue vessel. For 6 months I documented the rescue operations of people fleeing to Europe mostly from Libya on rubber and wooden boats.
Europe or Death. Fleeing Libya through the sea
After being rescued at sea by Dignity I, Christiana, Omar and Mamadou tell stories of horrific violence they experienced in Libya. A version of this video was featured in Al Jazeera.
Dignity First
Madeleine Habib, the only female captain of the search and rescue boats operating on the Mediterranean recounts a story of how she became passionate about the cause of migrants crossing to Europe, and reflects on the meaning of the word "dignity" in this context.
Born at Sea
25-year-old Collins from Cameroon was in labor when rescued by the Dignity I crew, one of the along with 240 people were rescued that morning. Collins was an assistant nurse in a military hospital in Douala, Cameroon. After two years of working without getting paid,she and her husband decided to head to Banki, in the north of the country. The town was captured by Boko Haram, and Collins and her husband were kidnapped. After a couple of months, Collins managed to escape and started a 6-month journey that finally brought her to Libya.