Dilba was rescued by Doctors Without Borders on 5 February 2024 while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea on an overcrowded wooden boat in distress with about 130 other people. Mediterranean Sea, February 2024. © Mohamad Cheblak/MSF
Amer* and his brother Khalil*, 26 years old, were living in Damascus in Syria until 2021, where they left for Libya to attempt crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Amer* and Khalil* were rescued by MSF on the 30th of November 2023 from a fiberglass boat in distress. Mediterranean Sea, December 2023. © Mohamad Cheblak/MSF
Amer*, 31 years old, from Syria
“At some stages of my life, when I was suffering and about to give up and surrender, these little items gave me hope. They reminded me why I moved to look for a better future for me and my girlfriend, who is waiting for me in my home country. These items carry a huge amount of memories and meaning. I carried them when I crossed the desert and walked through valleys. The wooden piece has been damaged because of the heat and humidity, but I will fix it. My girlfriend gave me this notebook because I love writing poetry and literature.”
*name has been changed
Precious left her country in January 2022 due to the increase of violence and instable political situation. She spent 10 months in Libya, where she faced violence and detention. She was rescued by MSF in the middle of the night on 15th of October 2023 from an overcrowded rubber boat. It was her fourth sea crossing attempt to reach Europe. Mediterranean Sea, October 2023. © Mohamad Cheblak/MSF
Precious, 27 years old, from Nigeria
“I was scared of losing my SIM card, it contains the phone numbers of my family and loved ones. I protected it during the toughest moments of the journey; it’s the only link I have left with the people I left behind in my country. In Libya during the detention, I hid it in my T-shirt’s seams, and it worked, they did not find it. I still have it with me, and I am very grateful for that.”
Khadijah used to work as a waitress during weddings in Libya. She lost her first husband and parents in a bombing in Libya. After this and several other violent incidents, she finally decided to leave the country. Khadija, her second husband and their daughters tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea for the first time in July 2023, but they were intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard and imprisoned in a detention centre. Khadijah’s family was rescued by Doctors Without Borders on the 30 November 2023 from a fiberglass boat in distress. Mediterranean Sea, December 2023. © Mohamad Cheblak/MSF
Khadijah, 35 years old, born in Morocco but used to live in Libya
“The bags are precious for me, they contain various traditional herbs and plants (lavender, celery, clove, cress) that were prepared by my grandmother. We use them in Morocco to treat the hair and skin, and some of them to help the digestion. I have nothing left that would connect me to my family, especially my grandmother, except this. When we were on the boat, I didn’t care about losing my documents, but I didn’t want to lose the bags.”
Hamid is from the Punjab region, in Pakistan. He left his country in 2022, travelling first to Dubai, then Egypt and Libya. In Libya, he was working in a gas station before he attempted the sea crossing. Hamid was rescued by Doctors Without Borders, along with over 50 other people, on the 17 November 2023 from a wooden boat in distress. Mediterranean Sea, November 2023. © Mohamad Cheblak/MSF
Hamid, 27 years old, from Pakistan
“The ring and necklace I have with me are gifts from my two brothers. Having them with me makes me feel connected to my family wherever I am. When I put them on, I feel I am talking to my brothers, as if I could see them. During my stay in Libya, I didn’t wear the ring or necklace because I know they will be stripped away from me. But when I arrived on Geo Barents, the first thing I did was to put them on because here, it’s a trustworthy place.”
Dilba was rescued by Doctors Without Borders on 5 February 2024 while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea on an overcrowded wooden boat in distress with about 130 other people. Mediterranean Sea, February 2024. © Mohamad Cheblak/MSF
Dilba, 30 years old, from Syria
“I have photographs of my husband, my children, my siblings, my best friends, etc. The one that is the most precious to me is the one of my father, who passed away. I carry all these photographs with me to keep the memories alive. With the war in Syria, everyone went to a different place. I went to Kobanî. I had to quit university, leave my neighborhood, my friends, the place I grew up in. The war dispersed us and even though I haven’t seen them for years, with the photographs, their memories stay."
On 5th of February 2024, Doctors Without Borders teams rescued 134 people in distress from an overcrowded wooden boat in the Central Mediterranean. Mohammad was one of them. Mediterranean Sea, February 2024. © Mohamad Cheblak/MSF
Mohammad, 33 years old, from Syria
“This hat means a lot to me. It’s not a traditional hat but still it’s a beautiful one. I have it since I left Syria two years ago; it was given to me by my mother, and she told me to keep it with me. It has been my companion across the whole journey, even in detention. When I was detained in Libya, I used this hat to cover my eyes and sleep, so that I wouldn’t see the over-crowdedness and circumstances under which people were living. If I were to lose it, no other hat could replace it.”
On the 5 February 2024, Madrid embarked with her husband, their son and her mother-in-law on an unseaworthy wooden boat from the Libyan sores in an attempt to reach Europe. About 15 hours later, the four of them were rescued by Doctors Without Borders, alongside another 130 people, in the middle of the Central Mediterranean. Mediterranean Sea, February 2024. © Mohamad Cheblak/MSF
Madrid, 28 years old, from Syria
“My husband, Moataz, and I met each other a long time ago. He gifted me this watch when we first fell in love. Later on we got married, and since then, I haven’t stopped wearing it. I took the watch with me when we went to Libya, despite I was afraid to lose it or that it would get stolen. When I was in the detention centre in Libya, I had a skin allergy, but I kept it on. I wear it whether I’m asleep, washing or whatever I do, because this watch connects me strongly to him.”
Ziyad was rescued by MSF on 1st of May 2024 from a wooden boat in distress that departed from the Libyan shores. He left Egypt two years ago and this was his second time to try to cross the Central Mediterranean. Mediterranean Sea , May 2024. © Stefan Pejovic/MSF
Zeyad, 24 years old, from Egypt
“Scorpion, for me, has a special character. He is unique, like a lion or an eagle. The person who gave me this ring is also unique and special to me. The ring gave me a lot of hope. Not luck, but hope and strength when I was hopeless, when all the doors were shut. I will never leave this ring, even if I get married, I will put the wedding ring on another finger.”
