The Qatari government may have pumped around €10 million into humanitarian aid programmes from Malta during the Libyan war, but the joint effort of the two countries is not about money and has left its mark on the individuals involved.

We have set an example...of how two nations can come together and address the requirements of children in need

The QML programme, as it has been named, started in April last year and ended this month. It brought over and saved 100 “forgotten” Libyan children for immediate medical treatment in Malta and the last families are trickling out.

The three-pronged joint programme also included 14 trips by sea to transport food, medicine and any other needs to the war-torn country, as well as bringing over 96 injured to Mater Dei Hospital.

But the third aspect, which started after the war, following a field visit to Libyan hospitals, concerned sick children, who could not be treated during the conflict due to the ailing state of its health system.

They were treated for kidney, heart, eye, bladder and orthopaedic problems, as well as epilepsy – and those who reached Malta survived and returned home.

The children were chosen on the basis of discussions with Libyan and Maltese doctors to identify those that could be treated well at Mater Dei.

Malta was responsible for health care and visas, while Qatar looked after the logistics, accommodation and air transfer also for their families. The team organised hotels and interpreters, managed doctors’ appointments and followed medical treatment until the end.

But it was not just about numbers and logistics for the Malta and Qatari team. They knew the names, ages and ailments of each and every child – and given the nature of their illnesses, it is not hard to understand how they have remained impressed in their memories.

“We knew the kids’ situation more than their parents because we were practically living with them. At times, we even picked up their medicines, or a carton of milk and other basic needs, looking after them from a social, spiritual and psychological point of view, bearing in mind some families were from remote villages in Libya and were totally disoriented,” according to Josianne Giusti, the assistant director at the Defence Directorate, within the Office of the Prime Minister. She coordinated the Malta side of the humanitarian programme.

“The families were scared. Their children were being looked after by doctors who had never practised medicine and they were unsure of the medical advice in Libya,” she said.

“By bringing them to a stable country and offering a second opinion, we reassured them and gave them hope.”

Ms Giusti vividly recalls the story of one girl, who needed cardiac surgery and travelled all night from the border with Algeria to reach Tripoli in time for a flight that would coincide with the visit of a Maltese consultant from the UK. The team had managed to find a slot in his list for the Libyan child.

“I get shivers when I think of how the family drove all night and of when we received the final call of many telling us they had arrived at the airport in time to catch the plane. There was a point when we thought it would not happen. We purchased the ticket and the story had a happy ending.”

But that was not always the case.

“We had planned the transfer of a five-year-old for a check-up and purchased the flight tickets. But she passed away before she arrived.

“We blamed ourselves, and spoke to the doctors to get reassurance because we felt guilty that we may not have acted fast enough. Had we known she was on the verge of dying, we would have brought her earlier. But on examining the child’s medical reports, the doctors told us the situation must have been worse than it was described and they put our minds at rest.

“You receive several medical reports and you have to choose. You pray you have made the right decision,” Ms Giusti said.

Fortunately, sad outcomes were countered by success stories: a six-year-old suffering from epilepsy and muscular problems is now able to walk thanks to physiotherapy sessions, special shoes and a walking aid.

The life of a 15-year-old with severe intestinal problems was extended by clearing out over 150 cysts that were constantly building up in her body in a first operation of the sort, said General Nasser Alkaabi and Lt Col Najeeb Aljalham from the Qatari side, who were stationed in Malta.

“We just opened the door... There are so many children we did not get the chance to help. We would want to continue to get another thousand. But at least, we have set an example for the international community of how two nations can come together and address the requirements of children in need,” they said.