Comboni Sr. Alicia Vacas Moro, right, with Sr. Azezet Habtezghi, center, and a Bedouin family in the desert of Juda on the West Bank after the family s home had been demolished by Israel Defense Forces in 2013 (Courtesy of Sr. Alicia Vacas Moro)
Comboni Sr. Alicia Vacas Moro, a Spanish missionary whose ministry has focused on humanitarian needs in the Middle East, is one of 14 women receiving this year s International Women of Courage award, an annual honor by the U.S. Department of State.
Vacas, 49, a registered nurse and regional coordinator for the Comboni Missionary Sisters in the Middle East, was honored for work that includes establishing a medical clinic in Egypt for low-income patients and a ministry working with an impoverished Bedouin community on the Israeli-occupied West Bank.