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Lestonnac Badalona: Proactiva Open Arms

  • Proactiva Open Arms

    Open Arms is a non-governmental, non-profit organization whose main mission is to rescue from the sea those people who try to reach Europe fleeing from war, persecution or poverty. It helps refugees in the Mediterranean Sea.

    It all started with some pictures of children that drowned on a beach. We thought: if we dedicate ourselves to this and we do it on our beaches, why are they dying there and why is nobody helping them?

    It was founded in 2015 by Òscar Camps and it carried out its first rescue action that year on September from its base on the Greek island of Lesbos, where the first volunteers arrived to collaborate with the organization in rescue operations.

    Proactiva Open Arms is located in Badalona, a beautiful city by the Mediterranean Sea next to Barcelona but it maintains a permanent base on Lesbos as well.

    They also work with an essential team on land: a group of psychologists specialized in crisis situations, emergencies and victims of terrorism who support the lifeguards at all stages of their work. They offer necessary psychological support in order to help manage the situations that the volunteers have survived, prevent the manifestation of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and help them return to their everyday reality, while ensuring their emotional stability for future interventions.

    Proactiva Open Arms acts where live is at risk: Africa, Central Mediterranean and Lesbos. Lots of people have saved their lives thanks to this NGO. More than 50.000 people have been rescued since Proactiva began.

    The Organization has got three ships: the Astral, the first one, which have rescued more than 14.000 people; the Golfo Azzurro, more than 6.000 people; and the Open Arms, that have rescued 5.000 people. Apart from these ships, Proactiva have rescued more than 32.000 people in the Lesbos Mission.

    Because of this, Proactiva Open Arms have been awarded with several international awards:

    • H.E.R.O. Award for Outstanding Team Contribution to a Maritime SAR Operation at the first edition of the UK-based International Maritime Rescue Federation’s (IMRF) H.E.R.O. (Honouring Excellence in Rescue Operations) Awards for their participation in saving the lives of over 200 people who had capsized off the north shore of Lesbos.
    • Award Pere Casàldiga to solidarity in 2016
    • European Citizen's Prize
    • Premio UNICEF 2017 Comité Español Transforma.

    We visited the Astral, the first ship of Proactiva Open Arms. This is our experience...