We left at the beginning of the month: the nurse and I arrived first, and the following day we were joined by the doctor and the photographer. Together, we spent five intense days in the refugee camp, dedicating ourselves tirelessly to all the planned activities.

Arianna Martini

The medical team visited hundreds of people: children, adults, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses. Some particularly serious cases required specialized care and hospitalization, which we decided to fully support, ensuring timely and effective treatment.

We delivered aid from our sponsorship program to the most vulnerable families, especially those caring for orphans. We carried out thorough visits to every single family we support, gathering updates on their needs and difficulties, but also stories of resilience and small improvements.

As always, a key part of our mission focused on the youngest: we distributed milk to malnourished infants, to those who cannot be breastfed, or who have lost their mothers. A simple but essential gesture for their survival.

We also visited our tent school: we administered a reading, writing, and math test to monitor the children’s progress, and at the end of the day, we organized a small celebration, awarding the most deserving students. Seeing their smiles, despite everything, was one of the most moving moments of this mission.

These were incredibly intense days – we returned to our base late every evening, exhausted but with full hearts. The satisfaction of being able to make a difference, even for just a short stretch of their journey, is what keeps us going.

I was supposed to continue on to Syria, but due to the bombings in Beirut – a necessary crossing point to enter the country – I had to make the difficult decision to return. Meanwhile, in Syria, our 15 young female engineers, part of the ESPERO program, presented their first project pitches. Although I couldn’t be there in person, I was able to join the event online – a moment of great pride and emotion.