The Warehouse in Calais — a model to duplicate
POUR LIRE CET ARTICLE EN FRANCAIS, CLIQUEZ ICI
I just came back from Calais in the “Warehouse” where 8 NGO (6 english, 2 french) are sharing a warehouse but also, their skills; their resources and their volunteers to get an answer, or at least a part of it, to the humanitarian crisis of the refugees that is happening there.
The organisation of the place, which, since the beginning around 2015, has received more than 20,000 volunteers, from few hours to some years, has a lot to teach us and most of these teaching are duplicable in other NGOs. I wrote down what I could. I am sharing it here.
Welcoming Volunteers
Every morning, when the warehouse opens, a morning brief is held. All the volunteers are placed in a circle and someone from the White Office, which deals with the reception of the arrivals (volunteers, donors, etc.), is in charge of making it. This happens in 5 parts:
1. A small stretching exercise to deal with the cold to begin
2. A word to the new volunteers to tell them to then go to the White Office to sign the insurance papers and have a tour of the warehouse after the morning briefing.
3. An update on the news (police evictions, problems with a refugee, decision taken by the NGOs, etc.)
4. A reminder of the internal rules of the place: tolerance and respect are the key words. No racism, sexism, LGBT intolerance, etc. are accepted. Reminding it every day, makes these messages stronger and more present. It is very striking. It is also recalled that if someone feels uncomfortable for any of these reasons, he or she may react alone or can also talk to someone at the White Office or the Yellow Office (the office that deals with the volunteer life)
5. Presenting the tasks of the day: Regardless what NGO a volunteer came here with represent, once he enters the warehouse, he is part of everything and can help with any task of any NGO. Every person in charge of an area gives a quick explanation and tell how many people does she/he needs today.
After the meeting, everyone disperses and goes to one of the areas where the more precise briefing takes place. What is remarkable is that none of the tasks require expertise. The “Warehouse” welcomes everyone, without qualification and without a minimum of time (except for the Women Center and Refugee Youth Service associations). We learn quickly enough and after 2 or 3 months we can become in charge of an area and manage volunteers. The number of short term volunteeres (a few days), medium term (a few weeks) and long term (a few months) is naturally well divided. Many arrive for a few days and finally stay longer.
Here is the list of areas :
The kitchen
The kitchen is an industrial kitchen, so there are official hygiene and safety rules to follow. We prepare an average of 1200 meals a day and 2000 on Thursday (additional distribution in Bruxelles).
They need an average of 10 to 15 volunteers in addition to those in charge of the cooking. You can chop vegetables, clean dishes, prepare hot tea, etc. The “manager” takes care of the recipes and the preparation. Almost nothing is baked in ovens as it would be too long. The dishes are preatty similar every day. It is often a curry with rice, because you have to be able to cook quickly, a large quantity of meals, that can be easy served in distribution and that appeal to more than 28 different nationalities. The challenge is quite important.
The kitchen is cleaned every night and cleaned entirely(floors and walls) twice a week.
The ingredients are mainly bought wholesale with the budget of the NGO.
The main task is to chop the vegetables. Onions, garlic, salad, bread croutons, apples, etc. Despite the volume, the recipes are sophisticated.
Preparation of the distribution
Two NGOs make distributions. Each is responsible for a number of distribution points. Each one always goes to the same places. RCK distributes several hundred meals at the same time. And they only distributes meals. Utopia 56 is in charge of smaller points and therefore distributes at the same time clothes, hygiene products and electricity (generator to charge phones and connect a wifi box).
Utopia 56 therefore has a list of all the elements needed. Every morning, we count what remains from the day before and we complete to have the same elements every night. Except for some hygiene products that are replenished only once a week.
Newcomers’ kits are also available, including a tent, a sleeping bag, a blanket and a mattress, which are distributed to everyone arriving in Calais for the first time. Forty are prepared daily.
The distribution
On the clothing side we must distinguish 3 cases: garments that are available in large quantities that are easily distributed, garments that are only available in a certain quantity that are distributed case by case according to some criteria; and those whose quantities are too small that are not distributed at all to avoid a sense of injustice or favouritism to those who cannot get any.
Shoes for example are “rare”. But we have some. So, a car comes a first time at noon to take “orders”. We checks that the shoes are broken. Wet shoes are not replaced because there are not enough. We take the order, go back to the warehouse to get the right size and we come back to give them. The old shoes are recovered to be sure to avoid traffic.
Before the evening distribution, a brief is given to remind the security rules and the current context (problems, relationship with the police, individuals to watch, etc.). There are several safety rules between volunteers:
- the tricolor fire can express if it’s okay or if there is a problem. Red we go off, orange, we pay attention. Green ok.
- Have you seen Gary? Gary is synonymous with problem. If we see someone in trouble we can ask him the question. If she/he answers yes, then we can go somewhere and quietly discuss the problem. If he answers no, he can ask the question back, to find out if he does not have a problem.
- “I do not feel well, I want to go home.” Means that we have seen something that deserves to leave. Volunteers always have priority over distribution. If it’s not right, we take off. The van is always in easy starting position. We don’t care the material if something is going wrong.
During the distribution, we avoid to get crowds. It is also important that volunteer avoid being too physically close to people, asking personal questions to refugees and having behaviors that might suggest favouritism.
An other team drives between the 2 distribution points and can, at any time, for example, pick up a kit of newcomers. They also have contacts with other NGOs in the warehouse if someone asks for information on the asylum application for example (The Legal shelter) or if the person is a minor (Refugee Youth Service).
After the distribution, we make a debrief where we talk about what went good and bad and what the refugees told us. A whatsapp group exists to keep updated everyone from following up days to days.
Sorting donations
Donations often come in bags. Everyhting is mixed. They are put in the warehouse where pre-sorting will be done: clothing man, woman, child, shoes man, woman, child and bedding (tents, sleeping bags, blankets etc).
Then we sort:
- a first person checks that the garment is not dirty, ( it will be washed) nor pierced ( it will be sew) not too damaged ( it will be set aside for tissue recycling / outsourced).
A second sort is done to check that the garment is accepted. The refugees are cold, they are pursued by the police and many want to go to England with smugglers. They are therefore looking for warm clothes, light, dark, which dries quickly. We avoid fluo colors, text messages that evoke sex, drugs, countries (which could be taken as evidence in court), too long or too heavy clothes that dry badly (rawhide, velvet etc).
- A third sort is made to measure the size and to be kept in the right box. We don’t follow the size on the clothes. We have our own scale of S, M, L depending on the width we measure. Tshirts, sweaters and jackets are measured under the armpits
This is then placed in boxes which, once filled, are counted and emptied into even larger boxes. NGOs making the preparation of the distributions help themselves in the big boxes.
The clothes refused in the 2nd sort are either given to other local NGOs or sometimes taken over by volunteers in England who sell them to the wholesalers. A “charity shop” also exists on site for the volunteers to buy these things.
Sometimes when we get very expensive stuff (Gucci, sleeping bag at 400 €, etc.) we sell them on eBay, and we buy other materials with.
This whole sorting system also exists for shoes (sorted by size) and bedding business (thin, thick blankets, tents, sleeping bag, etc.)
Returning stuff
We sometimes sort out clothes and bedding already carried by refugees. This in 2 cases:
- The refugees managed to get to England and we got their things back by people still here
- They got gagged by the police and their stuff, full of gas that sting the eyes are unusable.
In these two cases, we lock them 72h in plastic bags to kill the scabies microbes, we wash them and they go back in incoming stuff to sort.
The sawmill
During the winter, wood is distributed so that migrants can warm up at night when the temperatures are negative. Pallets, recovered through local partnerships, are cut into 30 cm plots.
The wood is distributed in large bags of malt, sugar or other that they recover after each distribution: we only give the wood, not the bags. One team disassembles pallets, another flattens the nails, then we make piles of wood that are sawn into pieces of 30cm long approx. Longer burning wood is often bought to supplement otherwise the fire would not last long. Bags, with variable composition between pallet wood and hardwood is prepared according to the weather or wood available and distributed every day.
Training workshops
In anticipation of long-term volunteers, courses are held regularly to conduct continuing education. A schedule displayed at the entrance offers the program.
The one on “field distribution” takes place twice a week and is mandatory for who wants to go on distribution. We can see the do’s and don’ts, the major risks we face, how to minimize them on one side, and how to report them on the other side.
But also other workshops where I did not go: first aid, description of the French police force, right of volunteers, legal training on asking asylum in France, what to do for the refugees after coming here, etc.
The well being of volunteers
The welfare of the volunteers is central to the operation. There are several help channels:
- Debrief after the distributions
- the Bureau Orange is available all day to come and talk about his feelings
- a Psychologist cell for volunteers is held every Friday. Recommended for volunteers beyond 2 months. Psychologist come 3 hours on appointment at the warehouse
- The Solidarity Support Network: psychologists are available for the “trauma of return” by mail, Whatsapp and Skype
The volunteer corner of the warehouse
It is a sink, a coffee and tea corner and toilets, but the walls are full of information. You can find :
- information on migration
- classified ads
- information about the NGO
- the introduction of other initiatives
Extra information
Also note that :
- Once a week the coordinators of each NGO in Calais and Dunkerque meet to discuss. The NGOs linked with the Government are not accepted
- The media caravan makes material for social networks. Advocacy, fundraising etc
- In the summer there are (too) many volunteers but when a quota has been set up, donations of money, equipment and the presence of volunteers in the off-season have dropped dramatically. So they took it off.
- Volunteers sleep where they can. some NGOs rent bungalows all year long in a campsite 15min drive. Morning and evening trips are organized with the vehicles available. Citizens also host some volunteers. remarkable !
Conclusion:
Many organizational techniques are reusable. For the warehouse management, but not only. The way in which NGOs went together, divide the work and organize themselves in one single place is remarkable.
Looking forward to discuss it.
