A busy day in Dungeness
Yesterday we welcomed about 74 refugees who came ashore in two boats at Dungeness. Many of the people on the first boat were from Afghanistan, and several of those we spoke to on the second were from Eritrea and Syria. The second had a lot of families and very young children, and had been at sea for many hours; some of those aboard were freezing cold, and their hands were shaking so much they couldn’t even open packets of biscuits for themselves. It is hard to see people like this, and it’s a great help to them to offer …
Charlotte’s heartfelt plea
This week I sat holding the hand of a terrified young man. I’ve known him since he first arrived in the UK as an asylum seeker nearly two years ago. I’ve watched him gain confidence as his English improved and he made friends. And, although he’s been waiting in limbo for his application to progress, I’ve seen him slowly start to feel safe. He has learned to trust us, and is now a dedicated student at our weekly English class. This week, though, something was up. His usual keen laugh was replaced with a shrug. Those mischievous eyes looked …
Ramadan Mubarak
In Calais, many refugees are observing Ramadan now, and it’s not easy for them. Abdul, a refugee from Sudan, told me that back at home, it was hard to fast all day too. But he loved food and eating, and when the sun went down, it was good to choose what he would break his fast with. In France, that was different. For one thing, the sun goes down later, so the days are longer. But worse than that, it’s difficult to make sure there is anything at all to eat at night. He just tries to get through …
A visit from Dr Rosena
This week we were delighted to welcome to Calais Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, the Shadow Cabinet Minister for Mental Health and MP for Tooting in London. She spent the last few days working with our team and talking to refugees. She found out how refugees’ mental health is impacted by the appalling conditions that they’re forced to live in. When she went out on distributions – food packs in Calais clothing packs in Dunkirk – she was shocked by some of the horrors they endured. Three children she met had hardly eaten for almost two days, and wouldn’t have been eating …
Pauline and Shon’s story
When asylum seekers arrive at their dispersal accommodation or hotel in the UK, they’re given a Primark T-shirt, pyjama bottoms, and some flip flops. And that’s it. All that these often-traumatised people are entitled to when they reach this country, the fifth-richest in the world, looking for safety. Such meanness and unfairness is a big reason why I volunteer to help refugees and asylum seekers here. My name is Pauline, and through the pandemic I’ve been volunteering with Care4Calais at hotel and dispersal accommodation. The hotel I look after has around 250 people in it, many sharing rooms. Mostly …
Helping refugee children walk on air
I’ve just the most amazing day with some of the refugee children I help out with. A brilliant inflatable theme park called Inflata Nation donated a play session for our refugees, and it was incredibly uplifting to take these innocent children there, and see them smiling, laughing and playing – finally being able to do what all children should be doing! There was one little moment that stood out for me. A nine-year- ld boy who I’ve known since I started volunteering was hot after playing, and he came up to me to ask for a glass of water. …
Happy Christmas!
Christmas arrived with a big bang this weekend as our Care4Calais group in Reading held a brilliant Christmas party for refugees. There was such a wonderful spirit of love and friendship between everyone, and I really felt that we all brought the true meaning of the season to life. We had a jolly Father Christmas who gave out pyjamas to the children, and a puppet company who put on a special Christmas show that the children loved. With lots of lovely, warming hot chocolate, and plenty of indulgent nibbles, it was a wonderful introduction to an English Christmas for these …
Refugees and volunteers together: a true community
Before the Taliban picked on him, Abas had a good, happy life in Afghanistan. In his late-twenties, he had a loving family and a good job working in international trade. Then one day, the Taliban got wind of his relationship with the West, they called him an infidel, told him he should give up his job, when he refused, they came to his house to kill him. “I had to escape through the neighbour’s house” he remembers. “I ran to the house of a family friend and with their help I managed to escape over the border to Iran” …
Danika’s story
“I am a refugee. That’s still my identity, even 29 years after I left my home. It’s what I know and who I am. I am a fighter and voice for those who have none.” Meet our friend Danika, warrior for the rights and humanity of the Paris refugees. Care4Calais has supported her for over five years now and she is our main partner in Paris. This is her story: “The war in the Balkans spun my life around and turned me into a refugee. Not something I ever expected. I’d had a pretty normal childhood until then. We lived …