Dear Ms. Marguerite Barankitse,

For the first time I heard your story during my studies at UWC Dilijan when we were expecting nominates and guests come to us before the announcement of the Aurora Prize results in Yerevan. I was impressed by your bravery and your endless love to people that force you to make your best in order to help people to survive. It was such an honor to meet you in our college.

At the end of 2016, I got to know about one more woman who had this kind if passionate about helping people. Unfortunately, I knew about her active humanitarian activities from the news about her death. The woman I am talking about is Elizaveta Glinka, or, as she was better known, Doctor Liza. She died in a plane crash on December 25 in Black Sea on her way to Syria.

Doctor Liza just like you was giving a chance to live to people who could not get any help from anyone else. She knew that if she would not undertake actions, these people would die because they had nobody to rely on. She established the first hospice in Russia and created her own fond “Fair help” that carries out actions in supporting homeless, ill and all other kind of people who got into a bad life situation. In addition to that, Elizaveta Glinka was going to areas of conflicts bringing medicine to those places. Many times, she escaped from dangerous places caring injured people on her shoulders risking her life under the fire. 

On December 8, in less than two weeks before her death, Elizaveta Glinka was awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation for outstanding achievements in charity and human rights activities. In her speech after getting the award, she said that every time she went to a conflict zone she never knew if she would come back. However, this thought never stopped Doctor Liza from going to these dangerous places. She knew she was needed.

In her last journey in December, Doctor Liza supposed to deliver medical supplies Tishreen University Hospital in Latakia. She wanted to bring a hope before the New Year to people in Syria whose country was in a war. The whole country mourned after her premature death. So many people who got support and rescue from Doctor Liza became orphans.  

Once you said you are a citizen of the World. I think Elizaveta Glinka was the same citizenship with you. So many people found a hope thanks to you and thanks to Doctor Liza. However, after she died, a half of them lost the only one light source that was illuminating their lives. I believe there will be followers of Doctor Liza who will not let her work sink into oblivion but for now while the wound of lose is still bleeding, would you be the Sun of hope for all Glinka’s wards? Now they are lonely like never before.

Best regards,

Kseniia Petrova