Lou's reflection from Dunkirk

Dunkirk Blog

Three weeks ago I saw an appeal from Elaine looking for Volunteers to go to Dunkirk in France to help support and give out aid to the women and children in camp over there.

I was available to go and really wanted to support in any way I can.  

So it was sorted.  I was off to Dunkirk in 10 days with a small team from People in Motion.

Nothing would have ever prepared me for what I saw and experienced over there, it was life enhancing, life changing, harrowing and beautiful.

The first day we arrived Mel and I drove off the ferry in Calais and headed 30KM down the motorway to the Grande Synthe camp.  We saw the Calais camp on the way, we hadn’t imagined the Calais camp was so close, that it was out in the open surrounded by ‘normal’ life.  The shock hit us quite brutally.

As we hit the Dunkirk camp to meet Elaine and the team we saw many of the people mostly men who were ‘living’ in camp.  They approached the car, full of hope and need, asking for boots and tracksuits.  We mainly had clothing for women and children, but a young boy on a bike had a coat off us, as he put it on proudly, he rode off shouting “ thank you England”  He was smiling from ear to ear.

We couldn’t do much on the first day as we were pretty exhausted from the journey and we needed to get our heads together to prepare, so we headed to our little French country apartment for a team meeting and brief on what the plan was for the week.

So it gets to Sunday, we were up bright and early, the morning was grey and miserable, we headed over to the Calais warehouse to unpack the car, sort out what we were taking to camp and unload the minibus that Nat, Doug and David had brought over, filled with tents, and blankets, clothes and boots, and food.  

As we were unpacking we heard the Gendarmerie were away from camp so took the opportunity to get into camp as quickly as possible to get as many supplies in as we could.

As I walked into the camp for the first time, I heard a man shout “ Welcome to the Jungle”  

I don’t think that statement will ever leave me.  Here I was, stood in the middle of a refugee camp, surrounded by smiling happy people, children, women, men, volunteers, aid workers.  The phenomenon of what I was about to experience hit me.

If I wrote about what I experienced every day in camp I would be writing a 10,000 word essay, so I’m going to try and keep it short and brief but imply the power of what happened as best I can.  A few things of what I saw and did over there.

We set up a family who had just arrived to camp, they had slept the night before on the streets of Calais.  A husband and wife, their 3 small children, all under the age of 6.  As we cleared the rubbish from the ground, the mother breastfed her baby in the mud.  We had to clear some space so we sawed down a tree, we put up the tent, this family had arrived with no possessions only hope, hope that they will get to England.

Everyday we walked around the camp with our bags laden with clothing for the women and children, trying to get around as much as possible, but it was so so hard, hard because of the mud, hard because of the cold, hard because of the weight, hard because the families were so welcoming and always wanted to sit with us and share stories to laugh and joke and bring some sunshine to their very very desperate lives.

We met people and families from all sorts of life, doctors, lawyers, nurses, people with family in the UK that they are desperately trying to get to, pregnant women, mothers, fathers, grandmothers, brothers, sisters, aunties and uncles.

We gave out gas, clothing, food, little toys for the children, bubbles, scarves, wellies, blankets.  In return, the people we met fed us, tried to even clothe us, gave us tea and enriched our lives with their positivity, hope and love.

Now I have witnessed some things in my life.  I thought I had seen it all.  But nothing like I said could prepare me.

For a 10 year old boy to come running up to me begging for water because the police in Calais had started tear gassing the people on the street. Him and his father running off as the police chased them around the corner.

To see the police shoot at a group of 5 people including two women, just because they want to leave their war torn country and live in peace.

For women to ask everyday for us to help their children by taking them across to the UK.

For a man to look into my eyes with such sorrow because his child had slept on a frozen pillow.

To speak to a man in England who has asked me if there is any hope or chance that eventually his family will meet him in England.

To walk through human faeces to get to a tent with a family with three pregnant women,

To have a proud father tell us that we have changed his world because we got him a small camping heater

And for a middle aged woman to sob and sob and sob to us as she retold her story of how she and her 3 year old down syndrome boy and 14 year old daughter with learning difficulties walk from Iraq.

I can not tell you what the hardest part of this journey was for myself, i’m sure there is lots that I have left out, not because I have forgotten but to be in camp everyday for 5 or more hours there is a lot to see and hear.

Maybe the hardest part of the whole experience is me sitting here, my heating is on, I have running water, I have my car, I have my wifi, I have my bed.  Knowing that just an hour away on your doorstep, the most beautiful generous welcoming people are living in complete and utter squalor.  Children are walking through raw sewage, pregnant women are living in tents, not knowing where they will give birth, children are freezing every single night, proud fathers are crying themselves to sleep at night because they want to do best by their families by leaving war torn countries filled with terror and end up stuck in a no man's land.

These people I met can’t go forward and they can’t go back.  The have left the worst of the worst to live in the worst.

It breaks my heart that these PEOPLE are there, but we can hopefully make a change,  we can do our very best to provide them with what they need.  we can lobby our MP’s, we can raise awareness, we can raise money, we can fund volunteers to help, we can take them the clothes, the blankets, the boots they most desperately need.

Please do not sit and read this and say there is nothing I can do.  You can do anything you want if you want to.  The plight of these people are living on your doorstep, in your world.

Account of a week in Grand Synthe

This week People in Motion had a group of volunteers travel to France and spend a week at the Grand Synthe camp. Conditions continue to worsen here as the cold and the rain destroy the camp. People are living in tents in water logged, muddy field.

We week started off with Elaine, Lulu, Mel and Orly travelling down alongside Natalie, Doug and reporter Anu Sharma. The group started the week with the distribution of our 'dignity bags' which were packed with warm clothing and essentials for women and children. During the week they worked incredibly hard helping new families coming into the camp to set up their 'home', handing out Gas and other much needed supplies and providing emotional support to the women there.

Here are a few updates from throughout the week:

Mel:

Been in Dunkirk camp all day today. What a day.

I can honestly say the people in the camp I have encountered are the most beautiful, kindest, wonderful human beings I've ever met. They have nothing but are so grateful and welcoming and loving. 

A new family turned up, a mother and 3 children, one of which was an 8 month old baby. The night before they had slept on the streets after travelling on foot for 20 days to escape war. The mother was at one point kneeling down in the mud breastfeeding her baby. We had to cut back a few branches from a tree to make room for their tent which we helped them put up.
After that, we helped set up another tent for new arrivals before sitting and spending time with people.
I am completely overwhelmed. I don't know what to say. These beautiful human beings have blown my mind with their determination and their courage against the odds.

Very sad day today. We got to camp this morning with the intention of distributing dignity packs. As we got out of the car, we realised how bitterly cold it was and another volunteer approached us saying children everywhere in camp were crying as they were so cold and people were ill. We decided then to go looking for camping heaters as this is what is most required. We spent hours trying to find somewhere before eventually deciding to settle on finding gas for heat and bought 140 cans. We took these back to camp to distribute to families. We went deep into camp and the conditions families are living in are horrific. But they still manage to smile and want to welcome us into the little they have. We met a beautiful collection of families with young children doing their best with what they have, playing with and loving their children constantly. Despite the fact they are living in sh*t and mud.
We met so many people through the day dithering in the cold, ill, one guy had an abscess, his face was swollen and he was clearly in so much pain.
Something nice to say, there were a group singing and making music to entertain themselves. They signaled for us to join and dance with them, so we did. They were so happy we joined them. Highlight of the day.
This place really has changed me as a person.
All of us have cried tonight through total disbelief, frustration and sorrow.
I cannot express how beautiful these people and children are in words. 

Lulu:
So if it wasn't for this amazing organisation. I wouldn't be knee deep in rubbish, mud, human faeces. I wouldn't be seeing children shivering in temperatures below 0 degrees. People begging me for candles and gas and clothing. I wouldn't have met beautiful people who, even though they have left the worst conditions any of us could ever imagine, they've walked for days and days and days to get to France. To live in a tent with little shelter, no heat, no comfort, no sanitary protection, no clean water. The children in camp were crying today. They haven't slept because it was so cold last night. To see a man look me in the eyes with such pain and sadness because he has an abscess but we can't get him to a dentist. I can't even explain how much it hurt me. We distributed gas today after going on a massive adventure to get it. We walked through the mud and filth to try and get it to families. When a little boys eyes bright up and shout "we got gas" to be so grateful for something that cost only €2. To be invited into a families "home" sat on a mattress huddled around a tiny fire to keep warm. So generous and so grateful for a can of gas. The little boy sang to me. I asked if they wanted anything tomorrow. They asked for cooking oil and bubbles for the children. Nothing else. Today has been physically, mentally, emotionally and psychologically exhausting. But in it I see the little bit of hope these people and I am grateful for the support off my friends and family. But especially Mel and Elaine, Without these two it would be a million times worse. Please I do not want to beg but, if these proud people fleeing war torn countries people who are pharmacists, doctors, teachers, brothers, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters can ask me for a €2 can of gas. Surely you can help by giving just a little? We need more gas and more candles.

Elaine:
Minus 3 today in camp. Frozen mud. Frozen rubbish. Frozen families. Frozen babies worn out from a sleepless night crying with the cold. So cruel. We tried to buy heaters in a desperate attempt to warm people but couldn't t source. We settled for distributing gas to families. Tonight minus 6. God protect these people. They need it.

Mel:

Another emotional day in Dunkirk camp. We visited a family with young children we met yesterday with donations. The temperature was -3 and the children had no dry socks for today before we got there. In the pictures attached is one of the beautiful children. A gorgeous little boy. His father was very upset and showed his boy's pillow which he was sleeping on which was frozen solid. The whole family were very upset and desperate, more for the sake of their children than themselves. Heartbreaking.

We then met a large group of families living together young children and three of the women were pregnant, one expectant mother very poorly with a cold. They were so desperately sad and in need of more clothing. They followed us to the car and another volunteer's van and and were given what we had. Pictured below.

The camp was covered in ice, mud and faeces. We met many people who appeared very defeated, struggling with the weather conditions. 

Last night a 2 month old baby went to hospital with hypothermia. 

We set off this afternoon to get supplies we were short of from Calais. En route back to Dunkirk we found a caravan shop and bought two mini camp heaters which we took straight to both sets of families we met this morning. They were so incredibly grateful it was unreal. I wish I could capture that emotion in words. 

I keep crying because I really do love them so much. We all do.

Elaine:

Just got ourselves caught up in a situation in calais miles from camp. Saw a boy about 10 tear gassed . His father bought him to us for help at which point the gas was everywhere. Rubber bullets flying. Bit shook up. What a mess. This is only gonna get worse if the world continues to ignore these people's plight

We though we had seen and heard it all. But nothing prepared us for what we have just seen. We met a woman on her own no husband with two children a 3 year old with down syndrome and a 14 year old girl with learning difficulties. She carried him all the way here after fleeing Iraq. My words have left me. The woman sat and sobbed with us. The three of us are for lack of better words. totally shell shocked

Lulu:

What a difference a week makes. As we head back to England we are physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted. The words don't come easy anymore. I am truly broken. Every single part of me hurts. But when I am broken, I only rebuild myself and get stronger. The scenes I have witnessed this week will never leave me. Each day was filled with such sadness and horror. What you see on the news is nothing compared to what it is really like. The smell, the taste, the touch will always linger. I am in a very bitter sweet place right now. Bitter to leave but sweet with the knowing we made a difference and we will carry on making a difference. If 1 and 1 and 50 make a million, then I hope like I always do that WE can make the change. To Mel and Elaine, I cannot express in words how grateful I am to have started this journey with you. To everyone who has supported from the UK. Thank you.

Photos provided by Anu Sharma, Lulu, Mel and Elaine

Welcome

Welcome to the People in Motion blog. Please follow us to keep track of what we are doing and any current plans and calls for help.

We finally have our website up and running, please take a look and share it with any friends and family you think may want to get involved www.people-in-motion.co.uk.

This week a group of volunteers have been back to the Grand-Synthe camp where conditions have worsened and people are really struggling. The camp is a mud filled field where families are sleeping in tents and relying on the donations provided by individual volunteers and small organisations. People are ill from the cold weather and lack of nourishment. The group achieved so much this week, moving in a new family and providing them with all they need, buying and distribution gas as well as our dignity packs which were so well received. It has been incredibly hard for them, but they're been amazing. The reports from the camp are heartbreaking and we will be updating on this during the coming weeks as the next group of volunteers take over.

Thank you so much to our supporters for really coming through for us, after a call out for financial donations to help us buy warm clothing for the refugees we managed to purchase 90 pairs of fleece lined leggings, tops and hoodies for the women in the camp. THANK YOU for having beautiful souls.