Jenga – Care4Calais style!
Today in Calais I met a rock star. I was playing Jenga with Adil, a Sudanese refugee in his twenties. It was our special Care4Calais version of Jenga, which doubles as a learning English quiz. The questions are things like ‘what’s your favourite colour?’ and ‘who’s your favourite person in the world?’ Multi tasking and having fun. Some of Adil’s replies were so funny. Could he play an instrument? Oh yes, electric guitar – didn’t I know he was a rockstar back in Sudan. Naively at first I thought he was serious, and he roared with laughter. Next – his …
Mastering the Art of the Hijab
When you’re supporting refugees, you learn that if a lady asks if you can get her a hijab, you need to be flexible. Last week I got a request from a woman refugee at a hotel, so I grabbed a few of my own spare ones, plus a selection of scarves. I guessed correctly that people might be shy about asking, but when they saw that we could help with them, several would come forward; by the end I had given out all the ones I took. But I still hadn’t sorted out the lady who first asked. She was …
Meet Faisal, refugee and aspiring journalist
When he lived in Afghanistan, Faisal dreamed of becoming a journalist, but boys his age were being forcibly recruited by the Taliban and similar outfits. Although he held out, keeping his head down and hanging onto his ambition as long as he could, he knew thart if he didn’t leave, he would eventually be forced to join “them”. And so he packed his dreams and a few possessions, and set off to make the long journey to Europe, where he believed he would be able to lead the life he wished for. I met him in Calais when …
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 …
Inspiration for 2023 and beyond!
It has been a tough year for anyone who cares about refugees, but there are so many good, compassionate people out here who support them, and make good news. We can forget to pause and reflect on the success stories and good news. So here to consider in this quiet time between Christmas and the New Year, are ten inspiring refugee stories from 2022 to warm your heart. 1 Omar wins Student of the Year! Omar, who we first met in Calais two years ago, had no formal schooling. He couldn’t read or write, let alone use a PC, and …
Meet Elizabeth, a hero changing refugee lives with tech
This is Elizabeth, a really wonderful person who has literally changed the lives of some refugees in the North East. She helps many of the refugees we support here get access to computers, which can make a huge difference to them. We always want to help when people ask us for tablets, laptops and computers, and one of our volunteers, Sarah, noticed that Elizabeth had donated some to Care4Calais. Sarah got in touch, and now we have a great relationship with a rather remarkable woman. Elizabeth runs a computer repair and assistance service, and is often asked by customers if …
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 …
Never forget: A vigil for the Channel drownings
On 24 November last year, 32 men, women and children died in the English Channel when their flimsy boat sank in the freezing cold sea, and British and French authorities ignored their desperate calls for help.. Those authorities face countless questions about what happened that fateful night, but a year on the victims’ families are still waiting for answers. They have been let down appallingly by the British and the French states, and at the very least they deserve explanations about what happened their loved ones. For the victims and their families, we demand justice, and we will never let …
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, …
