JVN Blog

Leonie talks about her visit to the refugee camp in Calais and how we can all do something to help.

Last Thursday, in my role as Vice Chair of the Faith Forum for London, Vice President of the United Synagogue and Director of the JVN, I made the journey to visit the refugee camp in Calais with various other faith leaders. We were there in order to see the situation first-hand – a situation for which we all share a mutual abhorrence. We were accompanied by a crew from ITV and met with Yvette Cooper MP, previous Shadow Home Secretary, to discuss the situation and what can be done to help.

There are over 6,000 mainly males on the Calais site, known amongst them as ‘the jungle’, with an average age estimated at 25; a mixture of mostly Afghani, Kurdish, Eritrean and other African nationals, with around 400 people from Syria. Despite the terrible situation, the obvious lack of facilities, the endless wandering and waiting, the sense of looming foreboding and hopelessness… most were keen to speak with us and share their story, and remained hopeful. There are three portable mosques and one church in the camp. Men and women are separated. There are several displaced teenagers too.

Of those I spoke with, the few men from Afghanistan (pictured) upset me the most and touched my sensibilities as a Brit. Three guys had spent 13 years between them working with the British army in Kandahar, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The man in the picture with glasses spoke impeccable English and was a US Aid worker. He had only arrived two weeks ago but again had been promised sanctuary in the USA having worked for US Aid for nine years!

They lost their homes and were promised safety and security in the UK; they have some papers and ID numbers but nothing else, yet they still maintain hope of being awarded asylum in the UK. I just felt that we had let them down. This is the current challenge: identifying those who need asylum and those needing support, when there are so many individuals.

I am in admiration of the huge numbers of volunteers and NGOs working in the camp to improve conditions and the current living situation of the many displaced people dwelling there. However, it is soon to become very cold as winter sets in, and unlike most of us – who take basic requirements such as hot water, central heating and warm clothes for granted – these items are not really in evidence there, and therefore there is a desperate need for supplies of warm clothing, sleeping bags, tents, portable light-weight camping items, etc. We sent out an email last week detailing some of the locations and times where donations can be made to these causes, but if you did not receive this please email info@jvn.org.uk to be sent this information.

Also, do you have any skills you could use to help? Are you, or do you know, any immigration solicitors, doctors, or Arabic and French speakers who might be able to help the efforts in the refugee camps. Adam O’Boyle coordinates the volunteer network that has been identifying, processing and screening cases. Please get in contact with him if you can help by emailing adam.oboyle@googlemail.com. They also require volunteer medics and doctors to accompany refugees to hospital and help administer medical assistance – if you are qualified and can give your time in this way, please contact Gareth Walker, the International Programme Manager, by emailing gwalker@doctorsoftheworld.org.uk.