Dunkirk update
Hellish conditions on the ground are making life utterly horrendous for refugees in Dunkirk right now. With winter fast closing in, we’re seriously concerned for their welfare. The camp that was established after the brutal eviction of the old site in September has grown a lot in the last six weeks, with many women and children among the new arrivals. We think there are now about 900-1000 people living here, either in warehouses, or in tents pitched close together on the concrete surrounding them. You can see from this photograph, taken this weekend by one of our volunteers, just …
Meet Mohammed, who is building a new life
Mohammed is a gently-spoken new dad, who dreams of opening his own hairdressing salon. The 24-year-old left Iraq just over two years ago, when his village was destroyed by war. He and his entire family – his parents and eight brothers and sisters – headed for Turkey, but the others were caught and deported back to Iraq. Mohammed carried on alone. “I’m from a village, between Mosul and Erbil. Our village was totally destroyed to the ground because they say it’s a war place. “That time when my family was arrested, that was the worst time in my life. I …
Watch: A morning in the life of our team
We nailed it this morning! 50 family food packs made up by 11am. Our amazing team in Calais are working super hard to keep people fed. Let’s see what tomorrow brings! Please support our urgent appeal to see people through this terrible time. …
Watch: Fear in the camps – a refugee speaks
Refugees are living with constant fear about their health, food and water as COVID-19 takes away the little support they had. Hamid in Calais talked to us about how he felt. You can help by donating here. …
Covid-19 survey: Food and shelter fears worse than ever
Over the last two weeks we surveyed 150 refugees across Calais and Dunkirk to gather data on the impacts of Covid-19. We want to assess both our own response and most-needed actions. The results are interesting. Almost half (48%) of those we talked to have only been in Calais for three months or less. This is a reminder of how transitory the population is – particularly given that for the last month there have been rigid travel restrictions in France and the rate of new arrivals has dropped. Only 14 people told us that Coronavirus was a primary concern for …
Meet Qusay, a student with a bright future
Qusay is a student of Mechanical Engineering at Brunel University in London. He is due to hand in his dissertation this week and hopes to get a First and go on to study for a PHD. The 26-year-old arrived in the UK just over four years ago after a journey from his home in Ahwaz, Iran, which included being shot at, rowing for nine hours across the Aegean, and living in a makeshift tent in Dunkirk for three months. Qusay left Iran at the age of 22 after campaigning for rights for the minority Arab group he belongs to drew …
Volunteers left helpless as refugees yearn for the basics
Today a quiet Iranian man approached me. He asked if we could distribute hand sanitiser. I sighed thinking of the evenings spent writing to companies begging for donations of sanitiser, but had to explain that we don’t have enough. It’s just too expensive to buy right now. He innocently said: “But we need it – there is sickness and we can’t wash our hands.” I felt so guilty because I was wearing gloves and would be washing my hands many times that day. The inequality was a gulf between us. ‘Helpless’ is an understatement for how I feel right now. …
‘This has changed me’: Outgoing volunteer shares her story
Heidi has been with us in Calais for just over two weeks. The theatre-maker from Liverpool was among the first group of workers in the UK to have their work closed last month and she decided to go to Calais immediately. Before she left, she told us about her experience. “I work in the Everyman and the Philharmonic theatres in Liverpool, and they had to close because of the rule about mass gatherings. “I was planning to come out anyway. I’d booked a week, and then all this stuff kicked off, and my job closed, and I thought I can …
Man badly burnt by French police CS gas attack
I’ve seen a lot in in Calais over the last four and a half years, but yesterday something happened that took me back to the worst of 2015/16. As many services have shut down, we often get asked to take people to hospital. It’s hard as we are a small team and busy, but had to help a young man who had been sprayed in the face with CS gas by the police. This has become common in Calais, but as I got closer I could see, rather than the red eyes and puffy face I expected, serious burns covering …
WATCH: What do refugees think of the food packs?
On food distribution yesterday, we asked the refugees what they think of the food packs we give out. This is what they told us. Refugees and migrants in Dunkirk and Calais are under threat from Coronavirus (COVID-19) and also from lack of food. Please support our emergency appeal here. …