Tag: Missions

It is a tragic situation.

Over 25,000 people have lost their lives due to bombings, and hundreds of thousands are at risk of succumbing to hunger, a consequence of the brutal violation of human rights faced by the civilian population of Gaza. The plight has reached a critical juncture, with more than 1.7 million people displaced and tens of thousands injured in a territory devastated by Israeli bombings for over four months. In recent weeks, the peril of famine has escalated in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of children are now facing the specter of severe malnutrition, with some in imminent danger of losing their lives. The urgency of the situation demands immediate attention and humanitarian intervention.

At Open Arms, we refuse to stand idly by in the face of the inhumane conditions experienced by the Palestinian civilian population. In response, we have partnered with World Central Kitchen to challenge the maritime blockade of Gaza and establish a vital entry route for food and necessities, alleviating the dire needs of millions affected by Israeli attacks. Although this mission is highly complex, it is undeniably necessary. Our vessel, the Open Arms, is equipped with tons of food and water, and our dedicated crew is ready to assist the most vulnerable. However, we cannot embark on this humanitarian mission without your support.

Your contribution is crucial to launching this operation.

To uphold our commitment to defending the life and dignity of people in vulnerable situations, your support is essential!

Currently, the Open Arms is located in the Italian port of Salerno,

preparing to set sail in the coming days on a new mission, Mission 108, in the central Mediterranean.

We remember that in 2023, more than 2,756 people have lost their lives by drowning in the Mediterranean while trying to reach European shores. Without the presence of humanitarian organizations that are at sea, sometimes acting in place of institutions, the human lives lost at the bottom of the sea will be even more.

We continue to denounce the Italian government’s strategy of assigning disembarkation ports significantly more distant than those available, unnecessarily prolonging the suffering of those on board. This constitutes a flagrant deliberate breach of the Law of the Sea and International Conventions, which establish that shipwrecked persons must be disembarked in the nearest safe port.

If saving lives is a crime, there is no better time for you to join our gang.

After a few hours, we received further instructions from the Italian authorities, asking us to go and check the condition of other vessels that were a short distance from our ship. When we arrived at the indicated location, we were confronted with a complicated scenario of 6 precarious, heavily overloaded vessels in difficulty. At the request of the Italian authorities, we assisted them until the Coast Guard arrived. We then rescued 4 of these boats and took on board 185 other people who had set off from Sfax, Tunisia.

After the 6 rescues carried out on the same day, 299 people were safely on board the Open Arms, including 26 women (some in advanced stages of pregnancy) and 89 minors (including a 5-year-old girl), most of them unaccompanied. The main countries of origin of those rescued are Sudan, Eritrea, Egypt, Ethiopia, Syria, Tunisia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali and Egypt.

Despite our organization’s efforts to cooperate with the Italian authorities, the extreme right-wing government of Giorgia Meloni decided to assign us another port of disembarkation (in this case Brindisi), much further away than any other in Sicily or Calabria, regions close to the areas of operation, in a clear attempt to continue the strategy of harassment of NGOs working at sea and disregard for the suffering of the rescued.  

Finally, after 3 days of navigation, the 299 people rescued by Open Arms were able to disembark safely in Brindisi. 

TUNISIA ON THE WAY TO BECOMING A NEW LIBYA

According to the testimonies of people rescued in recent missions, Tunisia is on its way to becoming a hell on earth, just like Libya, with forced expulsions, abuses, abandonment of men, women and children in the desert without food and water, xenophobia and violence by the North African authorities against black migrants. 

But the EU institutions continue to fund their regime, as well as that of Libya, to do the “dirty work”. This situation will make many more people decide to risk their lives by crossing the Mediterranean, as it is impossible to do so in a legal and safe way. And this year, more than 1,895 innocent lives have been lost in the largest mass grave on the planet.

After the crew change and refueling, the Open Arms will once again set course for the Central Mediterranean on Mission 102, because saving lives and defending the dignity of people in vulnerable situations has been Open Arms’ mission for almost 8 years. 

But none of this would have been possible without the help and open arms of civil society, the people who help us on the ground, who spread the word about our work, and who support our work. Now, more than ever, we need people like you to continue to denounce what is happening in the Mediterranean and to continue to save the people that governments and the EU are abandoning at sea.

After bringing them aboard, we activated medical protocols for those who needed attention and requested a Safe Port from Italian authorities for them to disembark. Following their strategy of harassment and hostility towards civil society organizations that comply with international maritime law and protection of life at sea, Italy’s far-right government led by Giorgia Meloni decided to assign us Livorno as the disembarkation port, which is located 650 nautical miles from the rescue area – three times farther than the nearest Safe Port in Sicily, which should have been chosen according to international agreements. This is yet another example of cynicism and contempt for the suffering of the most vulnerable by Italian authorities.

During our journey to the port of Livorno, Open Arms located four other precarious and overloaded boats and provided assistance to the 149 people on board until the Italian coast guard arrived. Finally, after 5 days of navigation, the 117 people rescued by Open Arms were able to safely disembark in Livorno.

However, this year alone, more than 1,807 innocent lives have been lost to the depths of this immense mass grave. Summer has only just begun, and we face one of the worst seasons we could imagine. War and persecution in Libya and Tunisia combined with good weather will make many more people decide to cross, unable to do so through legal and safe channels.

That’s why, after a crew change and resupply, Open Arms will set sail again to the Central Mediterranean for Mission 101. Because protecting lives in danger is our mission, our commitment, and our obligation. Today, more than ever, you are very important in our team and we need you with us from mission to mission. Without your support, it will not be possible.

Author of the photos:
Joan Mateu Parra

Saving lives in danger is our mission, our commitment and our obligation. Because when lives are at stake in the sea, there are only two options: save lives or leave people to die. 

Since 2014 more than 26,912 people have lost their lives in the Mediterranean, making it the biggest graveyard on the planet. That’s where we’re going, to save the lives of vulnerable people who are in danger. Because rescuing means saving lives, but it also means guaranteeing dignity to people that, like everyone else, have the right to dignity, wherever they come from. 

Today, more than ever, you are a very important member of our team and we need you with us on each and every mission. Without your support, none of this would be possible.

In the hours immediately following the earthquake, a team from Open Arms and SAR Navarra (NGO specialized in emergencies and disasters) went on an Analysis and Evaluation Mission (EDAN) to the areas most affected by the earthquake in northwestern Syria, a place controlled by groups opposed to the regime of Bashar al-Assad and punished by 12 years of war.

Worst natural disaster in the region for more than a century

In the days following the earthquake, the team witnessed utter devastation and abandonment by the international community.

For this reason, and as a result of the strategic alliance with the Solidaire organization, and in collaboration with SAR-Navarra and the Association for the Support of the Syrian People, we carried out a first humanitarian flight to the area a few days ago with 24 tons of humanitarian aid, as well as electro-medical equipment, consumables, orthopedic and sanitary materials.

At the urgent request of Aqrabat Hospital, Al-Shifaa Hospital and Atmeh Charity Hospital, located in the Syrian areas most affected by the earthquake, we delivered medical equipment such as ultrasound scanners, surgical instruments and other materials to their medical teams.

And we went to the refugee camp in Jinderes, where thousands of homeless people are living in tents, and delivered basic necessities (kitchen kits and food) to 500 families. 

This was the first of what will be many more in the near future, and it was made possible thanks to all of you who responded to this emergency.

Given that the effects of this tragic earthquake will be felt for a long time, we expect to make several flights in the coming weeks. Therefore, your support is critical to saving lives in this humanitarian emergency.

Help us save lives in Syria.

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This is the tenth humanitarian flight fulfilled by Open Arms to respond to the emergency in Ukraine. It has been possible through the combined efforts led by Solidaire, in collaboration with DKV Integralia Foundation and the support of Saskatchewan-Ukraine Response Team on behalf of the Canadian government, province of Saskatchewan.

From today, more people and more than 90 families including the 26 minors and 8 babies on board, will be able to start a new life far from the atrocities of a conflict that began more than 4 months ago.

In 1972 the cry of pain of that girl, named Kim Phuc Phan Thi, who was only 9 years old at the time, reached the ears of millions of people. People who demanded justice and help for all the innocent victims and put an end to the horror of the conflict.

“That photo went through me in adolescence and I remember that it transformed me. I couldn’t understand how they could do that. It was one of the most dramatic moments of my life. Now, being able to take her on the plane, I feel like the circle is closing. We are repairing something, we are doing something,” says Enrique Piñeyro, who invited Kim to travel to Canada on this humanitarian flight. “Her flag is an anti-war flag. What we are saying is that wars are always the same, whether initiated by John F. Kennedy or by Vladimir Putin. It is a horror against humanity, all its ever been is bombing schools, civilians, hospitals, killing innocent people. They are always decisions of a politician who picks up the phone, gives the order to start hostilities and then ignores the real consequences”, concludes Piñeyro.

Kim Phuc Phan Thi has been a woman committed to peace and against all armed conflicts in the world for years. We are proud that she has accompanied us on our tenth humanitarian corridor, from Warsaw to Regina, Canada. “It moves me a lot. I am so grateful to still be alive,” says Kim on board the flight. “Fifty years have passed, it’s hard, but Enrique’s idea of ​​taking me back in time and turning this into a message for peace is so beautiful. I’m very grateful to him, to Solidaire, to Open Arms. This is my dream, my purpose, the reason I’m still alive.”

Since March, Open Arms has been able to safely place more than 2,000 Ukrainian refugees, mostly elderly people, mothers with children, and entire families who will be able to live in peace, in shelters.

“Kim’s photograph served, in 1972, to denounce the use of napalm against the civilian population during the Vietnam War. The photograph of little Aylan Kurdi, drowned when trying to reach the Greek coast with his family, led to the creation of Open Arms: this small non-profit NGO that has managed to rescue more than 62,000 lives in the Aegean and the Mediterranean in 6 years”, says Oscar Camps, founder and director of Open Arms.

“50 years after the painful photograph of Phan Thi Kim Phuc, we can ask ourselves: Can a photograph change the course of history? Today our organization, which was created from an image, flies from Warsaw to Canada, a place of refuge for the 236 people fleeing the war in Ukraine. We live in a world with 63 active armed conflicts, is it that the victims of all of them do not matter? How is it possible that images like the ones we see every day in the Mediterranean, in Ukraine, in Melilla, do not make us decide that enough is enough and ask to stop the systematic violence?” asks the founder of Open Arms.

Thanks to the alliance with the World Central Kitchen organization founded by chef José Andrés, our old Open Arms tugboat unloaded 24 tons of food in the Odessa region in Ukraine last Friday, an area particularly affected by the conflict due to the proximity of the fighting. 

It was not an easy operation. We have been sailing for days through the Mediterranean sea, the Aegean sea, the Black sea, the Mármara Sea and the Danube River. We have faced many technical, administrative and logistical adversities. Finally, we have managed to get food to the most vulnerable people trapped in one of the most deprived areas of the country.  

Concurrently, we have evacuated more than 1,500 refugees in seven different flights to Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and Buenos Aires, thanks to a humanitarian air corridor from Warsaw (Poland) in collaboration with Solidaire. Last evacuation took place a week ago with 238 refugees on board, mainly eldery people and women with children. Thanks to the different entities of civil society, people have been given a dignified welcome. New flights are planned in coming weeks.

Furthermore, since the invasion of Ukraine began, 29 trucks with more than 350 tons of humanitarian aid, with basic necessities for the civil population as a first response to the emergency, have arrived in the country to help the situation.

And we continue with the project Doctors for Ukraine (doctorsforukraine.org) in alliance with DKV, with who we offer free digital medical assistance to the population affected by the conflict in Ukraine.

We don’t forget the Mediterranean

Although all focus and media attention is concentrated on Eastern Europe, we do not forget the victims of other conflict areas and tragedies such as the ones in the Central Mediterranean. An invisible and often, silenced war.

With very few resources but a lot of determination, we have rescued more than 62,000 people. However, the sea continues swallowing innocent lives.

For this reason and to follow our commitment of not letting any life adrift, we return to the Central Mediterranean. This Sunday our sailboat Astral will set sail on a mission of observation, vigilance and denunciation of the largest mass grave on the planet. 

We count on you to protect their lives.

Today more than ever, we need your help to continue protecting the lives of those fleeing war, persecution and poverty. Without you, it will not be possible.

Thanks to the signature of a collaboration protocol with Caritas Italiana organization, the transfers have been coordinated jointly and they have guaranteed the reception of people in Italian territory and their assistance during the stay in the country. The support received by Pro style Foundation in Poland and from the entities Audax, DKV Integralia Foundation and Ergo Hestia is also key with their apportation of volunteers and translators.

Open Arms will remain in Warsaw (Poland) with a displaced team, to continue on the ground and understand the needs related to the conflict, with the objective of organize more humanitarian corridors thanks to the strategic alliance with the Solidaire organization that has a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane, capable of carrying 250 people in every flight.

Likewise, the operations team in Barcelona has continued for 2 weeks with the logistics coordination of ground shipments of essential materials for the civil population, under de coordination of the General Consulate in Barcelona.

We reiterate once again that our mission is to protect life. We are where we are needed to defend the rights, the dignity and safety of every human being. We hope that this tragic war, which has forced millions of people to move, will be an opportunity to rethink European migration policies to affirm, once it all, that lives are all equal and must be equally protected. 

Thanks to the strategic alliance between Open Arms and Solidaire and the collaboration of different reception organizations that provide spaces and families, last Saturday the 12th the first humanitarian flight of this corridor departed from Warsaw (Poland). A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for Barcelona and Madrid with 222 vulnerable people on board, among them were elderly people, families, women and children, who were moved with their families or in their host spaces.

For a few days Open Arms has been in charge of the logistical emergency coordination in the Barcelona metropolitan area for the land shipment of emergency medical supplies, basic necessities and food. All under the coordination of the Ukrainian embassy in Spain and in collaboration with different entities. Several trucks have already reached their destination, both in places in the interior of Ukraine and in cities near the border, and trucks will continue to be sent in the coming days to alleviate as much as we can the shortcomings of the civilian population, the most affected by this conflict.

But Russia’s indiscriminate attacks continue and we must keep supporting the most vulnerable in this emergency. Therefore, we ask that you help us to collaborate as much as possible in #EmergencyUcraine. We have opened a site dedicated exclusively to this mission where you can join our efforts.

https://www.openarms.es/ayudaucrania/

We count on you to protect their lives.