Shalom Prize 2020 for Italian surgeon who works tirelessly for the victims of torture from Libyan refugee camps. This year the Shalom Working Group awards Dr. Massimo Del Bene for his project „War Children Hospital“, a planned facility for children injured in war. The award ceremony will take place on April 25, 2020 in the summer residence of the Catholic University in Eichstätt-Ingolstadt.
Massimo Del Bene is a renowned plastic surgeon. He specializes in hand surgery. He was the first doctor in Italy to operate on both hands at the same time. By restoring nerve tracts, among other things, the hands can be made functional again.
In recent years, the 66-year-old doctor working in Monza has operated on many refugees who were previously tortured in Libyan camps. As Del Bene repeatedly notes with horror, the refugees in the camps in Libya are tortured on their hands and feet with the cruellest of methods in order to extort money from relatives and friends. They are deliberately abused in such a way that the consequences are felt by the survivors with every step and movement. Massimo Del Bene speaks of medieval torture methods and can provide a long and sad series of x-rays as evidence.
For the professing christian, talking about migrants who allegedly have no reasons to flee is just as infuriating as the fact that the states of the European Union let refugees drown in the Mediterranean or criminalize sea rescuers. He considers the dragging back of migrants to Libya to be untenable given the situation in the Libyan camps.
In order for hands to be successfully restored, it is important to operate on them as soon as possible after the injury. Unfortunately, however, the refugees often have to endure in the camps for months or years. If they then survive the crossing to Italy, they can be operated on by specialists like Dr. Del Bene.
Massimo Del Bene wants to realize his dream of a special clinic for children injured in war. The treatment of war injuries is usually emergency care and often only amputation remains. Today’s surgery offers much more possibilities for preserving the patient’s health. Since doctors cannot usually travel to war zones, such as currently Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan, it would be important to bring the children to Italy.
There are already concrete plans with professionals in Lombardy who are willing to volunteer to work in the planned War Children Hospital. The old hospital of Legnano is intended for the hospital. Dr. Del Bene is also in discussion with UNICEF.
Donations for a hospital for children injured in the war are urgently needed.
The awarding of the Shalom Prize will take place on April 25, 2020 at 19:30 in Eichstätt in the Holzersaal of the summer residence.
On April 24, 2020, also at 7:30 pm, the award winner will speak about his work in support of people tortured in Libyan refugee camps and the planned War Children Hospital.
The concluding service will be on 26 April 2020 at 10.45 a.m. at the Salesianum Eichstätt.
Donations under the keyword „Shalom Prize 2020“
Katholische Hochschulgemeinde, Volksbank Raiffeisenbank Bayern Mitte eG, IBAN: DE 34721608180109620320
Arbeitskreis Shalom 