"In the Same Boat. The inflatable." Photograph by Francesco Zizola

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Ended:June 20th 2021, 12:00pm EDT

Minimum bid

€1,000($1,070 USD)

Charity percentage

77%

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Charity percentage

77%

The Prize

Strait of Sicily 09.29.2015

Migrant Search and Rescue Operations by MSF Bourbon Argos in the Mediterranean Sea.

I took this photograph during a search and rescue operation carried out by the first civilian, non-military ship launched for this purpose. The ship belonged to Doctors Without Borders, it was July-August 2015.

I was invited on board as a journalist photographer to document this strange transformation: doctors becoming sailors. The ship was specialized in search and rescue, equipped with a crew specialized in these operations and a team of doctors, from first aid specialists to psychologists who dealt with the most difficult cases of female rape victims, for example, or those who had lost loved ones, possibly children, during the crossing.

I stayed on board for three weeks and in three weeks I witnessed - in some cases I even helped - and then photographed the rescue of 3000 people. An extraordinary experience from a human and also a professional point of view, which gave me the opportunity to better understand the real difficulties of rescue at sea. Identifying a boat in difficulty (which is in itself a success) is just the start. Then you have to reach it, save the people and then assist them on a return journey that lasts several days.

In the travels of these people, I glimpsed the long wave of history, which brings men, women and children here in search of a better life and future, those born in areas of the world that we have long exploited and increasingly depleted of their wealth.

The world is getting smaller and more interconnected: what we do and consume here today has clear repercussions elsewhere, in places that are really not so far from us.

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The Cause

The aim of ResQ Onlus is to save the lives of castaways in the Mediterranean - often men, women and children attempting to escape conflict or serious humanitarian crises – using a rescue ship that lends its support to the operational civilian fleet. The association was set up at the end of 2019 by a group of friends and today has almost 600 members and thousands of donors who have joined forces to offer a concrete response to the humanitarian emergency that has been unfolding in our waters for many years. Following the Lampedusa shipwreck in October 2013, there have been at least 20 thousand deaths in the Mediterranean (and the numbers are certainly higher because many victims are never found). Since the beginning of this year, at least 500 people have already lost their lives attempting to cross this stretch of water.

We are working towards going to sea to carry out our first rescue mission in the summer of 2021. ResQ’s ship will be about 40 meters long, weighing between 450 and 500 tons, and will be fully equipped for rescue missions. On board the ship twill be a crew comprising professionals and specialized volunteers: seafarers, rescuers, doctors and nurses, cultural mediators, as well as the chance to host journalists and photojournalists who can document events.

We are very nearly ready but we need everyone’s help for the final push. We are looking a contribution that will help us to push the ship towards its launch, to fill the hold and the galley, to set sail and navigate the sea. The “C’è una nave” campaign will give everyone the chance to “board” ResQ by taking part in the CharityStars auctions and the crowdfunding initiative on the association’s website.

Website

resq.it

Item #P56727

In condition as donated.

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