Last month I was back in Calais and Dunkirk, northern France. And, once again, I witnessed people living in makeshift camps in freezing weather and muddy conditions. In April it rains almost every day whilst the average temperature is only 10°C with frequent winds and nightly lows below 4°C. In winter, it regularly drops below freezing.
At the Dunkirk distribution site I had a surreal conversation with another volunteer - debating whether the toddler we were watching (photo) would be more or less traumatised by her time in these horrendous camps (photo) than the 11-year-old who’d just come to the site with her mama and baba. We were both heartbroken knowing either child was living in such cruelty and destitution. Imagine feeling so unwanted!
Our grassroots partner charities are a lifeline. Distributing aid from vans (photo: Mobile Refugee support in Dunkirk) they’re doing all they can to ensure people at least have a tent, a sleeping bag, a blanket, some extra layers of clothes, access to first aid, water to drink and wash with, and some food. They also provide information - like emergency numbers - activities for children and teens, and they’re observers and documenters of the frequent police camp ‘evictions’ (which happen on a relentless weekly cycle) and any associated violence.
When these charities are low on donations people have to go without. Take ‘J’. Although he’s very young, he’s not a minor so he’s not prioritised for anything. Without state support, or a tent from a charity, he sleeps in the open - no shelter, no protection.
“Thank you,” J. told our team, clutching the tent and sleeping bag we’d brought. “For a long time I was sleeping under a bridge without anything. The cold at night, the rain - it was impossible. Now at least I have something.” Hardship and inhumanity as a deterrent. Disgustingly, this is what passes for policy in the world’s rich countries.
But you give us hope! By supporting forRefugees you show that another world is possible. Whilst so many seem determined to stoke division and hatred, you’re with a growing number of people choosing dignity, kindness and humanity.
