This wonderful gift brightened our day in Calais
Yesterday we were going through our mail at the Calais warehouse when we noticed a mysterious, lumpy package from the UK. Opening it, we found dozens of EU-plug phone chargers, a power bank and a bag of Euros and cents – and a note explaining where it had come from. It turned out they were from some young refugees – all under 18 and travelling by themselves – who had crossed the Channel. Realising the stuff was unusable in the UK, they had saved it all so they could send it back for refugees in France. Connie, a former C4C …
Meet Katie, our Yorkshire force of nature!
“The word I’d most associate with supporting refugees is joy. Yes, joy! “Because you see joy on the faces of people when you make them feel safe and wanted, and you feel joy at being part of a team doing good things. That’s why our Care4Calais team celebrates when things go right, and if people are hostile to us and refugees, well, when they go low, we go high. “If the far right are doing hateful things in our area, we say RIGHT! Let’s have some picnics! Let’s throw a party! Let’s do things that are filled with love! “You …
A game with the kind cricketers of Dunkirk
Today I was watching a highly competitive cricket match between Afghan refugees in Dunkirk. It’s getting quite muddy now so I suppose their matches are going to become more difficult, but today they were doing ok. Some of them are really good players. I got talking to a young Afghan refugee called Ali about the T20 Cricket World Cup, which is is being played in Australia at the moment. He explained they were all following Afghanistan’s progress, “because for us, cricket is like football for you. It is everything to us. “That is why it’s good Care4Calais brings the ball, …
Winter coats urgently needed in Calais
When I tell friends and family that I’ve been volunteering in Calais, they always ask me why? They don’t understand. They think refugees just stroll into Calais, and hop into boats to cross the Channel, so what’s the need? Well, let me tell you about the need. There are about 2,000 refugees in northern France, and many of them wait for weeks, months, even years before they can reach safety in the UK. Where do you think all those people live? They live in underpasses, roundabouts, industrial estates and any land they can find. They are constantly being moved …
For the Love of Bikes
Today I was helping on the cycle repair station at our distribution in Calais when a young Sudanese guy called Abu rode up on a distinctly battered, wonky-looking bike. He must have noticed me looking because he said, “You like it? I bought it today. One thousand Euro!” I must have looked surprised because he burst out laughing. “Tour de France bike! But now I just fix,” he said. Of course he hadn’t paid for the bike at all. As I helped him straighten the spokes, he explained that he had found it as a wreck weeks ago, and …
Meet Katey, our amazing lead volunteer in Croydon!
Katey has a wonderful, warm way with people, and somehow always seems to remember the names of the people she helps, even after meeting them just once. This means a lot; when she talks to refugees you can see their smiles breaking out to match hers. “As volunteers we just try to show refugees that there’s hope in the world, and they don’t have to suffer alone,” she says. “We see a ripple effect; if you someone feel better, they’ll make others around them feel happier too. And you feel amazing to see the effect.” Katey began volunteering in Calais …
Wishing luck to one young Afghan refugee
Yesterday I was helping out with English classes at a distribution when I got talking to a young Afghan refugee. He was about 18, the same as me, and we were getting along well when I somehow managed to get a little cut on my finger. The boy, who I’ll call Tariq, suddenly disappeared, only to reappear a few moments later with a sticking plaster. It was such a moving thing to do – he had been through so much, but he could still notice and help with my little problem. I have only been in Calais for a week …
Fantastic news from Calais!
Fantastic news from Calais! A court in northern France has finally ordered the authorities to lift their ban on distributing food to refugees. These bans have been in place for two years and prevented us from giving food to hungry people in all but a few small areas – areas that kept changing, making our operation very difficult. The court heard that although a La Vie Active single French state-endorsed agency, was allowed to distribute food and drink, in reality it did not distribute enough food for refugees to get three meals a day. And that meant they were going …
Meet Claire, the extraordinary English teacher
Claire is a kind, unassuming woman who works as an English teacher in the UK. When she found out that we offer English lessons to refugees at our distributions, she thought her experience might mean she could help there. And she was right. As she talked to people who were hungry to learn, you could see her energy and warmth inspiring them. Some had pretty basic English, and she’d start just teaching the alphabet. With others she’d explain how sentences work. At one point I noticed Mohammed, a young man from Sudan, shyly waiting for her. He seemed ok, …
Helping new arrivals as the weather worsens
Last night, in my home on the south coast of England, I listened to the sounds of the search and rescue helicopter circling overhead. As I looked out into the darkness, I couldn’t help but think of the men, women and children that could be out in the sea, exhausted and terrified in tiny boats, a short distance away. It was an utterly helpless feeling. As autumn has drawn in sea conditions have become worse, and the risks greater. September was a very busy month for our ERT, and October is proving to be just as busy. Last week …
