Sally Becker

Sally Becker’s background

Moved by the images of suffering, Sally Becker set off to the war torn region of Bosnia-Herzegovina determined to try and help. The country was in the midst of civil war and Croats and Muslims were fighting for control of Mostar, a city which had once been a popular tourist destination. 50,000 people were trapped on the east side of the city, crammed into an area just twenty miles long. There was no electricity and very little food and the area was constantly targeted by snipers and rocket propelled grenades. No one could get in or out and people were dying for want of the most basic medical supplies.

Sally began by delivering aid to west Mostar and soon became a familiar sight as she drove in and out of the city in an old Renault 4. When she was asked to help a child trapped on the east side of the river she drove an ambulance across the front line and evacuated all the wounded children and their mothers. The mission was successful and Sally was dubbed the Angel of Mostar. She continued her missions throughout the war, bringing humanitarian aid to besieged areas and evacuating the wounded from all sides.

When the war spread to Kosovo Sally and her volunteers brought convoys of aid to the region but as the conflict escalated, the aid agencies pulled out and the borders were closed. Sally crossed the mountains on foot to bring medical supplies to a hospital in Junik, a town surrounded by Serb forces. She was asked to help sick and wounded children and their families to reach safety across the border but as they made their way across the mountains they were ambushed by Serb paramilitaries. While the rest of the group escaped into the forest, Sally stayed to help a woman and two children who were caught in the crossfire. They were eventually captured but the woman and her children were released the next day. After three days of interrogation, Sally was sentenced to one month in prison- but neither this, nor later being targeted by masked gunmen in Tropoye could make her abandon her task.

She continued her work throughout the conflict and later helped to set up centres in Albania and Kosovo for women and children traumatised by the war. In July 2012 Sally carried the Olympic flag for Peace and Justice alongside Mohammed Ali and Ban Ki-moon at the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympic Games.

Sally is a Goodwill Ambassador for Children of Peace and a member of the Advisory Board of the Humanitarian Intervention Centre (HIC) She is a Patron of Faith Matters.

In November 2014, Sally founded Road to Peace, a registered British charity working with organisations and individuals across the world to facilitate vital medical treatment for sick and injured children.

In 2017, she returned from Mosul after helping to rescue injured children fleeing from ISIS.

Sally’s rescue work has been recognised with many awards, including the Unsung Heroes Award, The Ross McWhirter Award for Bravery, The Variety Club Award and Woman of the Year, Blue Drop Group Sicily, as well as an invite to Windsor Castle where she was introduced to HRH Queen Elizabeth II.