A new coat made this refugee feel first class!
This week in Calais we gave out 300 brand new winter coats to refugees who sleep outside. It wasn’t a minute too soon as temperatures are dropping and the nights here are long and cold. The highlight of my day was a guy who found the coats were brand new and said “Today I am smart, I go first class!” He asked me to take his photo, so here it is. The other major benefit of new coats is we buy ones that are waterproof, breathable, have warm linings and a hood. It matters when you are outside 24/7. I …
In Calais, refugees help volunteers too
We were out distributing snug packs in Calais today, and with the weather getting chillier people were really happy to get these warm gloves, hats and scarves. Quite a few pulled them on straight away, and were asking what we thought of the colours. One guy with a football scarf was asking “What is Bradford City?” laughing and pretending he had to know before he could wear the scarf. Luckily we had some football fans who could put him straight, and he seemed happy! Despite the chill there was a wonderful atmosphere, with music playing and stories being told, and …
Abdallah’s Story
Abdullah grew up in a village in West Darfur, surrounded by the horrors of war. Life was incredibly difficult for him and his whole community, and at the time they relied on the help given to them by aid organisations. As a kid, Abdullah would look at the people helping and admire them. “Starting then, when I was very young,” he says, “I wanted to work for an organisation like that when I grew up.” However, one day when he was in his late teens, Abdullah was on his father’s farm in West Darfur when the Janjaweed militia …
Exhausted refugees needed protection today
Today we distributed fleeces at a site in Calais, and everyone was keen to get one with the weather turning colder. Fleeces are popular because they’re warm, but also lightweight and they dry out quickly if they become wet. “Good for winter,” one friend said to me. “It’s hot, but easy to wear.” These kinds of clothes are so important to have right now – we gave out about 200, and everyone seemed happy. The weather was fine after days of rain, and there was even a bit of sunshine. The mood was good throughout, and we decided to …
English Channel Tragedy: What Really Happened?
It wasn’t an accident or a mistake. Accidents and mistakes happen in minutes. Seconds even. It wasn’t an error of judgement, or a panic reaction either. It was a sustained period of consciously and deliberately ignoring desperate calls for help. A 12-hour period, beginning when the authorities were first notified of a boat in distress, and ending when rescue finally arrived. Twelve hours during which 32 lives were lost. Twelve hours of people ever so slowly freezing to death, giving up and letting go of the remains of a boat, and then slowly slipping under icy cold water. One by …
The story of a coat in Calais
I was on a distribution the other day and spotted an amazingly big, warm winter coat with a furry lining. It was so cosy I really hoped someone would get the benefit of it, but no one wanted to take it – I think they were wary of having to carry it round with them. As distribution ended I was standing by the back of the van when a man came up to me and asked if we had anything left. He had only just arrived in Northern France , and seemed worried about the cold. I got into …
Meet Ryan, an award-winning young refugee and volunteer!
This is Ryan, a 15-year-old refugee, who has just received an achievement award for his exceptional contribution to the community. Ryan has lived in a hotel near Stansted Airport with his mum, dad and two brothers for over a year as they wait for their asylum claims to be processed. In East Herts there is a project set up by Hertfordshire County Council Services for Young People that the Stansted Care4Calais have been involved with. It has weekly two-hour sessions for refugees children aged 11-17 to learn life skill and do things outside their hotels. From the beginning, Ryan saw …
Coats urgently needed!
Care4Calais is asking for men’s coats this winter, because cold and wet conditions are descending on the North Atlantic and the refugees face life-threatening exposure in the coming months. Cold weather alone makes life very difficult for the people of Calais, but rain and sleet make the problem so much worse. That’s why we need your help. A good winter coat keeps a refugee warm and dry, and enables them to access the other services that our wonderful Care4Calais volunteers provide during the day – even when the weather is bad. Since many of the men in Calais …
B’s story
A few weeks ago something great happened at Care4Calais. Our small team has been joined by our first employee who is a refugee. B came to to the UK from Afghanistan just over a year ago under the ARAP scheme, and has joined us to run purchasing. “It’s fair to say I did a very different job in Afghanistan,” he laughs. “But I love the team here, and I love the UK. When I came here, the one thing I wanted more than anything was to be a part of society, to work and contribute and play my part as …
In Calais, small things can mean so much
This is me with an amazing friend from Eritrea, who I’ll call Yonas. He’s only young, still in his teens, and he’s been through awful things to get to Calais, but he’s so full of smiles and energy that it’s always a delight to see him. Today he was smiling extra brightly because I gave him the tiniest thing – an earring! We were out distributing hoodies today, and I was asking how he was. He doesn’t speak much English, but we always manage to communicate with a bit of pointing at things I was admiring his rather striking …
