Dangerous Crossing

When the war spread to Kosovo, Sally and her volunteers brought aid to both sides. Following a meeting with the Mayor of Pristina, Sally managed to get permission to take the convoy into Drenica where no aid was getting through. As the convoy prepared to leave, she spoke to BBC's Today program. Click here to listen.

As the war continued to escalate, the aid organizations pulled out of Kosovo and the borders were closed. Sally and her volunteers brought aid to Albania where thousands of refugees were fleeing from the fighting.. Knowing there were children in desperate need of help, Sally crossed the mountains on foot to deliver medical supplies to the hospital in Junik. She found sick and wounded children living in cellars beneath the rubble of their homes and was asked to take them across the mountains into Albania.

When they reached the border, the group was ambushed by Serb paramilitaries. While the others escaped into the forest, Sally stayed to help a woman and her two children who were caught in the crossfire. They were eventually forced to surrender and Sally was sentenced to one month in prison. Upon her release she traced the families to a refugee camp in Albania.

  • The Pied Piper
  • Dede and Doruntina

The photos were taken by Rafaelli Cierello who managed to escape into the forest. He was tragically killed in 2002 whilst filming in Gaza.