Stockholm duo’s repurposed popemobile wins Grand Prix
- Jun 23
- 2 min read
This year's Lions Health and United Nations Foundation Grand Prix for Good went to a project that refitted the late Pope Francis’ iconic ‘popemobile’ into a mobile clinic for children in Gaza. Stockholm agencies Differ and Colony devised and produced the ‘Vehicle of Hope’ project for Caritas, the international confederation of Roman Catholic charitable organisations. The plan was approved just before Pope Francis died in 2025, with the vehicle refitted in Bethlehem to become a mobile clinic capable of delivering vaccines and medication to 200 children a day.
It was unveiled in November 2025 to international media, although amid an ongoing aid blockade, the Israeli authorities have yet to grant permission for it to enter Gaza. “Right now, the world is not in great shape, with conflicts raging, growing inequality and social division, with friends and family being torn apart,” said Jury President David Ohana, chief communications and marketing officer at the United Nations Foundation. “It feels like we need a timeout for humanity, and we need some audacious creative ideas.”
Ohana saluted the bravery of ‘Vehicle of Hope’ in that context. “Someone came up with it. Someone had to approve it. And someone then called the Pope! And ultimately they made it happen,” he said.
The vehicle may not have been allowed into Gaza yet, but it has inspired other non-governmental organisations to build seven more mobile clinics, all ready to provide aid as soon as they are allowed. Ohana said this was the most powerful reflection of what great creative work can achieve in the current, troubled geopolitical landscape.
“It is this sector, this industry, that can make a massive difference right now. It’s good people who refuse to accept the status quo, and who choose hope instead of hate. Pope Francis personally endorsed this idea in the final months of his life,” Ohana added. “Conflict around the world can be stopped, but it will take a full court press of clinical will as well as the best thinking and ideas from around the world.”
“It’s an idea of courage, an idea of care, and a simple message of people helping people,” Ohana said. “The world could use a lot more of that right now.”
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