"It was my fifth day on a boat in the Mediterranean Sea with the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders, reporting on their attempts to rescue migrants stranded at sea. We'd set off a year ago from the Italian port of Civitavecchia, and in the 10 days I was aboard their ship, the Geo Barents, they saved 258 lives. These migrants some whole families, one teenager traveling alone, many young men,"
"The best respite was on the boat's helipad. The spot variously served as a jogging track and a place for yoga and meditation. There would be several staff members at any one time out running in the afternoons. One evening, the rescuers and I watched as these dolphins swam alongside the ship. Their leaps and games in the frothy water made our hearts soar. It reminded me that even in this sometimes cruel world, life and beauty persist."
Five days aboard the Geo Barents involved reporting on rescue efforts in the Mediterranean, where rescuers saved 258 migrants in a 10-day period after departures from Libya. The rescued included whole families, a lone teenager, many young men, and a mother with three young children who paid smugglers thousands of dollars for a chance to reach Europe. The rescue work was exhausting and traumatizing yet also inspiring, with crews potentially at sea for months. Crew members used the boat's helipad for jogging, yoga, and meditation, and dolphins alongside the ship provided emotional relief and a reminder that life and beauty persist amid hardship.
Read at www.npr.org
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