Marina El Khawand was 18 when she saw her home town of Beirut shattered by the giant 2020 port explosion and decided she needed to help.

Today, at 24, she is among five laureates at Thursday's Young Activists Summit awards at the UN in Geneva, and described how the trauma of that day spawned a movement that has helped provide free medication and consultation to thousands in need.

"I needed to do something," said Khawand, who was starting her second year of law school when the explosion ripped through large parts of Beirut.

In the chaos of the blast, which claimed more than 220 lives, her family urged her to leave the country to continue her studies abroad.

But she told AFP in an interview that she decided to volunteer at the explosion site for a few days before leaving.

"I was traumat

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