Desperate refugees fleeing Syria, Somolia and many other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East attempt to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean sea, setting off in suspect wooden vessels and rubber boats from the shores of Libya. The trip is filled with peril. Many will not make it. An estimated 5,000 migrants died in the Mediterranean last year.
Janelle Eli found herself in the epicenter of this refugee crisis last fall as she spent a month aboard the rescue ship Responder. Eli, who grew up in Masury, near Youngstown, is the international communications director for the American Red Cross. She was part of a Red Cross/Red Crescent team providing urgent medical care, food, water, clothing, child care, blankets, and comfort to migrants saved from drowning.
Jenelle Eli, Lead, International Communications, American Red Cross