The M.V. Louise Michel is launching a €250,000 public appeal to help keep its life-saving rescue vessel at sea in 2027.

Launched in 2020 thanks to continued support from Banksy, the crews have rescued or assisted nearly 4,000 people in the central Mediterranean. Our work is far from over, with deaths and disappearances rising again last year.

From December 2026, this support concludes, and Louise Michel will become a community-powered rescue mission, and we are asking you, our supporters, to help keep the crew and vessel at sea in 2027!

We need your help!

To prevent as many of these deaths as we can, the M.V. Louise Michel now needs a wider group of supporters, including members of the public, foundations and other donors, to help keep the crew and vessel at sea in 2027.

The need that M.V. Louise Michel was created to address remains. The immediate challenge is making sure the crew, vessel and experience built over the past six years are still at sea in 2027, backed by a movement of people and communities around the world who stand alongside people on the move.

More information

Every rescue starts with a crew and ship ready to respond when a distress call is received. It can mean hours searching for a small boat across open water, making decisions under intense pressure and providing on-board support for people who may have spent days at sea. The crew also has to live with the reality that it cannot reach everyone. Through six years of life-saving work at sea, the team has also developed an approach to survivor care that continues beyond the rescue itself.

The M.V. Louise Michel was launched in response to a deadly situation in the Central Mediterranean. Six years later, that need has not gone away. Recorded arrivals to Italy have fallen this year, but deaths and disappearances have risen, while civilian rescue organisations face growing financial and operational pressure.

Our €250,000 public appeal will contribute to the costs of rescue operations in the Central Mediterranean in 2027. Every donation goes towards the costs of keeping the Louise Michel at sea, and will be used where it is needed most. Join us today.

Find out more about the M.V. Louise Michel: https://mvlouisemichel.org/

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