Regina Egle Liotta Catrambone
My name is Regina Egle Liotta Catrambone. To most, I am Regina; to my loved ones, I am Egle. I was born and raised in Reggio Calabria, Italy, where I took my first steps within the Catholic community. From a very young age, I embraced the values of solidarity, acceptance, and openness as fundamental principles. As I grew into adulthood, I became deeply interested in social issues such as family planning and abortion, divorce, gender politics, and the social rights of all people, regardless of differences. I dedicated my time and efforts to challenging societal stereotypes and biases, designing and implementing strategies to promote solidarity and social equality. I believe it is the responsibility of each individual to actively participate in and motivate social change. Through trial and error, I gradually succeeded in breaking down fears and clichés, making my life a testament to active participation in change Traveling around the world, especially to disadvantaged and remote areas, I encountered diverse conditions, cultures, faiths, and traditions, and witnessed the vulnerability of many people.
Since 2013, with the foundation of MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station), an international humanitarian organization based in Malta, Germany, the UK, and Italy, my commitment has been directed towards helping those in need. With MOAS, we have saved lives at sea, established medical stations and provided Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) training against water and fires in refugee camps, and delivered nutritional food and medical aid to some of the poorest areas in the world.
In 2024, MOAS Italia became MAEC (Mediterranean Aid Education Center), and once again, I will do my best, together with all of you, to leave the world a little better than the one I inherited.
My story has been extensively documented by the international and Italian press on Knack, DPA Magazine, Der Spiegel, Wired, The Independent, Azure, CNN, BBC, Famiglia Cristiana, La Repubblica, Corriere della Sera, Avvenire, Vita, Huffington Post Italia, The Guardian and Times of Malta.
Awards
Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (2015), Premio Mamma Lucia ‘Donne Coraggio’ (2015); San Giorgio d’oro (2016), Trofeo del Mare (2017), Tessera Preziosa Mosaico di Palermo (2018).
With MOAS: Hero Award 2017 (International Maritime Rescue Federation, Category Team for Outstanding Team Contribution to a Maritime SAR Operation); Atlantic Council Freedom Award (2017); New European of the Year 2016; Special 112 Award by the European Emergency Number Association (EENA) 2016; Geuzen Medal 2016 – Geuzenpenning Foundation; Peter Serracino Inglott Award for Civic Engagement 2015; Medal of the Republic (Malta) 2015.
Together with Christopher: Global Citizen Forum Award 2015; 100 Global Thinkers of 2015 – Foreign Policy Award e il Premio internazionale della bontà nel 2015.