BACKGROUND Caritas operates 10 healthcare clinics in Gaza. During the war, Israel has blocked most humanitarian and medical aid from entering Gaza, leaving children to suffer from preventable and treatable illnesses. Caritas aimed to draw attention to the continued restriction of aid and deliver medical aid to children in Gaza. IDEA To highlight the restricted aid by converting Pope Francis’s popemobile into a mobile healthcare clinic for children in Gaza. Transforming the Pope’s popemobile into a healthcare unit for Gaza’s children carried a strong symbolic power. Named Vehicle of Hope, it became a symbol of children’s rights and the need for humanitarian aid in Gaza. EXECUTION In November 2024, the proposal was delivered to Pope Francis in Rome. A few weeks later, Pope Francis approved and blessed the initiative. In February 2025, Caritas located the popemobile used during Francis's 2014 visit to the West Bank and began converting it in a garage in Bethlehem. REAL-TIME RESPONSE In April 2025, before the conversion was completed, Pope Francis became ill and died. With uncertainty around who the next pope would be and if he would support it, the initiative needed to be publicly launched within a week before the conclave started. We pitched the story on the initiative to the New York Times correspondent in Jerusalem. On May 4, 2025, a week after Pope Francis's funeral, they published the story. It triggered massive global coverage – with a potential earned reach of 14 billion in the first 7 days. Timely tapping into the global support of Pope Francis's legacy, It was described as his last wish. The converted vehicle was unveiled to international press in Bethlehem on November 25. The unit is equipped with diagnostic instruments, oxygen supply, vaccines, and antibiotics. The Vehicle of Hope can provide primary care to 200 children per day. The Vehicle of Hope is awaiting permission to enter Gaza. RESULT Vehicle of Hope has generated extraordinary engagement and metrics. Earned reach: 18.5 BILLION (May-Dec 2025) Articles: 5.200+ TV & radio: 2.800+ Social echo: 61k Mentions: 103k Engagement: 1.67M Published in 187 countries Earned media value: $187 million (Source: Meltwater) The Independent and Reader’s Digest both named the initiative one of the top 5 feel-good stories of 2025. The initiative inspired other NGOs to build 7 mobile clinics for Gaza.