Why did we visit Calais?
All the media attention towards Calais and immigration caught our eyes and ears: It made us think about the mighty migration problems Afghans have faced during the last 35 years. We have been criminalised, prosecuted and marginalised when we were forced out of the country by the futile wars, and the influx of militant groups from the East and West of the Global corners that destroyed us from every angle.
Now we have the ability to do something for our country, we have made it our moral duty to serve the people of our nation to the best of abilities. In this case, we realised we can help these people by providing them basic needs and raising their voices so they are heard by the Afghan government and the wider community.
What did we see in Calais?
The ‘Jungle’ is situated right next to the highway. One of the entrances, which we went through, was under a highway bridge into a land filled with bushes that are tall enough to provide cover but not tall enough to provide shade from the sun. As we entered the jungle we were greeted by the foul smell of the toilets, which I am sure tempted everyone to run the opposite direction, but without a word being said, we carried on walking. The rest of place was filled with people of different nationalities, looking tired, hungry, frustrated sitting under the burning sun. There are said to be around 4000 migrants living in the Jungle. The only facilities for them are 8 make shift toilets and 3 water taps. Also they get one meal per day during the early evening, for which they have to queue for up to 3 hours. Almost all of the people live in camping tents, which are very fragile and do not hold in strong gusts and do not provide adequate cover from the rain. There are some shelters which have some degrees of permanence: they resemble large tents, their structure is made up of timber and are covered by tarpaulin. On the soft floor inside the tents, lay wooden pallets which are covered by blankets. In small tents made for two people, usually sleeps 4/5 people. The living conditions in the Jungle are optimum for diseases to thrive in.
What did we do?
On our first visit to Calais, we took very little: some clothes, food and medicine. They were donated by the four of us who visited. Shocked by the conditions, we made a promise with the people that we will be back and we will help them. As soon as we came back, we launched the appeal and the response we got was positive and promising. By the 20th of August, we were donated £955, around 400 pieces of clothing and some basic medical supplies (Ibuprofen, Paracetamol, antiseptics and sterile bondage).
What did we do with the money?
With the money, we paid for the shuttle service for our two vehicles and bought a tent. We also bought foods from the Wholesalers and the Manger was kind enough to give us some discount. The foods included bread, biscuits, tinned fruit, tinned beans. We also bought soaps because the need for it is critical to prevent skin diseases and other infectious diseases. The unspent money shall be spent to purchase supplies for our next visit in mid September. More details of donations and costs are available on the excel document attached with the receipts.
How did we distribute the Aid?
As it is evident from some of our photos, we used the tent we bought to set up our base. From the base, we distributed one piece of cloth per each person in the queue. We were helped by the people in the jungle to maintain order during our distribution.
For the food, we made ‘tent packs’ which included 4/5 products of food. Because the food supplies we had were very small, we concluded that this was the most efficient way to distribute the food so everyone gets something. Also, there were some families with women and children who wouldn’t have got anything if we had a queue system.
In the final part of our day, we distributed the medicine. We stored the medical supplies in a ‘shop’ which had adequate shelter from the wind and the sun. Our volunteers who are First Aid trained were able to give the painkillers, advising the patients on the directions, dress open wounds and give basic advice on prevention of diseases.
What happens next?
The aid we have delivered was not sufficient. The food was enough for a day, the medicine for a week and the clothes for a month. Hence, more visits are essential. Our next planned visit is in the middle of September, in time with Eid-al-Adha. We need people to donate more clothing and blankets to provide protection against the cold weather, more food and medicine. More than anything these people appreciate your presence down there, the feeling that someone cares about them more comfort anything.
If you are willing to visit Calais and need help, please contact us, we will be more than happy to assist you on your trip. Also, if you would like to join on our next visit or make a contribution please get in touch. The campaign for our next visit will be launched very soon.
Book1-charity notes – You can find out more about the expenses here.
Rahmanullah Hayat
Afghan Youth Movement UK (AYMUK) 