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Our ship’s first month at sea

Doctor Francesco Borrelli from Italy stands by Save the Children's search and rescue vessel the Vos Hestia on the day of departure.

More than 800 people saved. More than 1,000 miles covered. This is the story of our Search and Rescue mission so far.

We’ve all read the news and seen the images – of overcrowded dinghies buckling into the sea, bodies floating lifeless in the waves, the anguish on survivors’ faces. Perhaps this harrowing yet familiar narrative no longer shocks us – and yet the crisis in the Mediterranean continues to worsen, its death toll rising year on year.

Donate now to help us save lives.

Two children a day

So far in 2016, more than 3,000 migrants and refugees have drowned crossing from North Africa to Europe. We estimate that around 600 of these victims were children. That’s more than two children a day, cast adrift on unseaworthy boats, who will never step on dry land again.

This is why, one month ago, we launched our search and rescue mission. After eight years working with refugees and migrants arriving on Italy’s shores, we felt a moral imperative to extend our expertise to help save lives at sea – and charter our first ship. Here, our Director of Operations, Rob Macgillivray explains how we got her in the water:

What We’ve Achieved So Far – In Numbers

  • Operations: 3
  • Miles covered: 1,000+
  • People rescued: more than 800
  • Children saved: more than 140, 120 of whom were travelling alone

A Moment of Respite for Children

The vast majority of children we’ve rescued tell us they’re travelling alone. Once plucked from the deadly waters of the Mediterranean – most of them unable to swim – their relief is palpable: their feet hitting our deck marks the first instance in which they know they’ve made it to safety, that they’ve survived.

On board, the children are given food, water, blankets – and specialist care from our child protection experts.

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Their time aboard our vessel is also a moment of respite and sanctuary, after jouneys across Africa which have taken weeks, months – even years.

Many girls we’ve rescued tell us they’ve suffered horrific sexual abuse at the hands of opportunistic gangs, before being cast off into the sea, and towards the unknown. Boys travelling alone, sent off by their families in a desperate bid for a better life, often describe surviving violence, even torture, and long journeys through desert lands without food or shelter.

The Children We’ve Rescued

12 year-old Maka* was travelling alone when his boat flooded and the engine failed. Safe aboard our rescue ship, he told us his story:

Morad* is a 14 year-old from Syria. Currently travelling with his sister, he dreams of seeing his parents again in Europe:

And then there was Mercy* – at two months old, our youngest passenger on board to date:
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The Team That Makes It All Happen

All of these children recieved the attention and advice they needed from our dedicated on board team, consisting of a doctor, nurses, child protection managers, translators and logisticians.

Here, three of our team describe what compelled them to come on board:

Why We Must Continue

Without safe and legal ways of claiming asylum before reaching Europe, people will continue to attempt this deadly Mediterranean crossing – so desperate to leave behind a past of conflict, poverty or persecution, that they are willing to put their entire future at risk. This is why we’ve chosen to launch our ship – and this is why we must continue to save lives at sea. Because whatever anyone thinks about immigration – and however familiar those images of shipwrecks and dinghies become – we must stop children drowning.

Please donate to help us save more lives at sea.

 

 

 

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