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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Tariq’s story
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 …
Home Office gives pregnant refugee Rwanda letter
Delina, a Eritrean refugee who fled to the UK, is 37 weeks pregnant. Despite this the UK Home Office is, shockingly, trying to force her onto a plane so they can deport her to Rwanda. The Home Office has previously said that it would not send pregnant women to Rwanda under its new scheme. However, we have seen paperwork that shows they knew Delina was pregnant, but still served her with a letter saying she would sent to Rwanda. This is an incredibly brutal example of the carelessness of the Rwanda plan, and the horrific human suffering that it causes. …
Ramtin’s story
Today we were distributing SIM cards to refugees in Dunkirk when I met Ramtin. He’d just arrived at the site with his wife after fleeing from Iran, and he said he was feeling like he was “in a very bad situation”. A few weeks ago he had been living a normal life as a financial manager in Iran. Then he had heard about a protest against the government, and wanted to go along, just to make his feelings known. But the police had grabbed him and put him into detention, and even though he’d been released, he knew they …
Naji and Ali’s story
Today I got talking to two friends called Naji (on the left) and Ali. Naji had a bike that he used to get around on, Ali walked with a crutch because he has a damaged leg. “It was when he was trying to get into a truck,” Naji explained for him. “He fell into the road, and was hit by a car.” Ali had basic medical treatment for the injury but it was clear he was still in pain. Naji helps to look after him now. They left Sudan together, and have travelled all this way in each other’s …
Almost 1000 refugees rescued from the Channel this month
Early this morning we were out a food distribution in Calais when I noticed a group of Sudanese refugees looking very subdued and downcast. I was a bit worried about them, so decided to see if everything was ok. As I got closer, I realised that all their clothes were wet. Not just caught-in-the-rain wet, they looked as if they’d been completely soaked from head to foot. When I asked what had happened to them, they explained there had been “a problem with the boat” and made plunging signs with their hands. I understood; they had experienced something that has …