How it feels to Care4Calais: Words from Our Volunteers

Without our volunteers, we could not exist. Everything we do, we do because of your kindness. We asked you why you wanted to donate your time to helping refugees, and we were blown away by the grace and breadth of your responses. We are so lucky to have your support. Thank you.

Here’s just a small selection of what you said to us.

“I felt helpless, I couldn’t stand how refugees were being talked about in the media.”

“Refugees aren’t victims, they people with equal rights and freedom of speech.”

“Refugees are people and have just as much right to live safe, happy, comfortable lives as anyone else.”

“I don’t want to be passive about things which happen in our world.”

“I am a fellow human being moved, angered and saddened by the circumstances other human beings find themselves in.”

“You acted and you did something to help: so do we.”

“If my family and I had had to experience what these refugees had, we would most likely not have made it. I have never known hardship or persecution, and I can’t turn my back on people in such awful circumstances.”

“I want to be able to help people who need help, to restore hope and dignity to them.”

“When the government can’t or won’t act, it’s up to us to take a stand.”

“The refugee crisis cannot be solved by one individual or organisation – it is society’s responsibility as a whole. When the government makes it illegal to give food to refugees, that’s a sign that society is broken, and we need to stand up for what is right. I want to be one of those voices.”

We put all of your responses together, and you can see the central cause at the heart of all that we do.