Report from the Calais Refugee Camp - Sophie Dowle and Collect4Calais

Sophie Dowle (Arabic and Islamic studies, 2014) talks about her recent trip to the Calais refugee camp with a group of fellow students from the University of Oxford:

‘In 9th week of Hilary Term I, along with a group of 14 other students from Collect4Calais, an Oxford University based organisation, went over to the Calais refugee camp for several days. We took over a dozen crates of donations over with us, including food, clothes, and some books donated by the Pembroke College Library.

We spent three days volunteering with Care4Calais. We helped to sort donations in the warehouse and distribute donations in the camp. Members of the group also helped with moving shelters from the southern part of the camp, which was being rapidly demolished by the authorities, to the North of the camp, which the demolition order did not cover.

We spent considerable time speaking to refugees in order to understand the issues that they face as well as to identify how best to spend the money that we had fundraised. We came across a first aid centre run by volunteers. They were desperately short on supplies for coughs, flus and throat infections- the most common ailments in the camp. We decided the money we fundraised would be most effectively spent on medication for these illnesses and others.

The camp was 90% male, many of the residents were also fairly young. The young men and boys were always keen for a game of football, so we spent some of our money on sports equipment too. The generous donations from the Oxford community were hugely helpful and important. Thank you to everyone who supported us.

We were told repeatedly the biggest need is for a proper understanding of the situation to be spread to end brutality towards the refugees and encourage legal cases to be considered, and a solution to be reached. Please take a look at our blog and Facebook page where we will be publishing volunteer opinions and refugee stories.’