A plea for refugees from Kirsty, sixth-former and volunteer
This story about volunteering with refugees in Calais was written by Kirsty, a sixth-form student from South Yorkshire (on the far right in the picture). Before volunteering with refugees in Calais, I had an idea of what it would be like: what I would hear, see and learn. These preconceived ideas were mostly incorrect. For example, a common belief is that the camps are full of violence and separation between groups. This is in fact a complete reversal of the truth. I was overwhelmed by the camaraderie and community spirit all around me. As someone said to me, “Why …
Panic and fear now gripping refugees in Calais
Today in Calais I talked to Ali, a 20-year-old refugee who was so confused and frightened by the news from the UK that it broke my heart. Ali had spent all weekend reading about the Illegal Migration Bill becoming law. “Why doesn’t the UK want me?” He asked. “Why don’t they understand?” Ali fled Sudan when his family were killed, and he knew he would be killed too if the militia found him. All he wants is to be safe. But now he’s in an impossible situation. In France, the police take his tent every few days. He …
What food donations do for Calais refugees
Today in Calais I met a refugee who’d just been through a terrifying and harrowing ordeal. His face was very badly sunburned, he was stiff and limping, and he seemed exhausted. He told me that the day before he’d tried to cross the channel in a small boat with some other people. Out at sea he had called the UK coastguard, but they had not sent anyone to help them. In the end they had drifted for seven hours before making it back to France. The poor man – he looked about 30, and I’ll him Asem – asked me …
Why we must not forget the Rwanda plan
One year ago today, five refugees sat in an airfield waiting to be forcibly deported to Rwanda. The government wanted them to be a kind of showpiece, the first refugees sent to Rwanda under the new scheme which had been announced that April. Under the brutal plan, any refugee who came to the UK but was deemed “inadmissible” by the government could be deported to Rwanda with no chance of ever returning to the UK. Since May 9 that year, we had been aware of 130 shocked and traumatised people being taken into detention. Our team worked closely with many …
Donate to refugees and make this difference
Today we gave out more than 150 pairs of new shoes in Calais. There’s a particularly desperate need here right now, so people were really pleased and relived to pull them on. Lots of refugees had shoes that were falling apart, and in the hot, dusty conditions this means their feet burn and small stones cut their feet. If all you have are battered old sliders or flip-flops, it can be even worse. At the distribution I noticed quite a few guys had managed to find sun cream, and were sharing it with others whose exposed feet were burning up. …
Distributing urgently-needed tents in Calais
Today our volunteers in Calais have been truly amazing, handing out tents to deperate people after new mass eviction in Calais left hundreds of refugees without any shelter. French police entered the site this morning, herding crowds of frightened men, women and children onto waiting buses to be driven away to holding centres. Many did not have time to pack their things, meaning they left behind valuable items and documents. The eviction was all the more painful to the people at the site because it came just 24 hours after one of their friends, a young man from Sudan who …
Helping refugees affected by the Sudanese war
Today I learned a heart-breaking lesson about how important our phone charging services are. When we’re giving out food and clothing, we also provide big banks of charging points, and sometimes we give out charging packs too. This afternoon Adil, a 17-year-old refugee, asked to borrow my phone while his was charging. “I will show you a picture of my home,” he said. I thought he just wanted to show me where he was from. In fact he found Facebook and showed me a photograph a ransacked and damaged house. It was his actual home in Sudan. Staring at the …
Meet Pavel and Monir, our farmer-refugees
The Sutton Community Farm in south London is incredibly kind to the refugees we support, donating baskets of delicious fresh fruit and vegetables for us to distribute in hotels. This is great as there is often a shortage of wholesome fresh food provided. Sometimes refugees go down to the farm with Seema, our South West London volunteer, to help carry the baskets of goods. The farm volunteers are so friendly, and at the weekend one of them, Sonia, noticed that Pavel and Monir were interested in the work that was going on. She downed tools to give them a guided …
Refugees abused and attacked in Knowsley
“The gang attacked me when I was out walking in Liverpool with my friend. First they shouted insults, and when we didn’t do anything, they spat on us instead. When we still did nothing, they threw a heavy bike at our backs. “Then we ran for our lives.” “My name is Fadi, and I am 20-year-old Syrian refugee. Until recently, I was living in the Suites Hotel in Knowsley on Merseyside, which was attacked in February. “My ordeal happened a few weeks after that. My friend Abbas and I were walking near some shops when we noticed five men watching …
Refugees to do triathlon for Care4Calais!
Seven of the amazing refugees we support have formed a triathlon team to raise money for one of our community projects. It’s a truly international team, made up of people who mostly didn’t even know each other before they found themselves in the UK. There’s Sofia and Ernesto and their two children, who fled El Salvador to escape gang violence and extortion. Then there’s Adil from Sudan, Joseph from Chad and Arsema from Eritrea, who are all fleeing war, slavery and trafficking. Between them they will swim, cycle and run together at the spectacular Blenheim Palace triathlon on the weekend …