I took my nine-year-old daughter to a refugee camp. This is what we learned.
In September 2015, spurred on by headlines about living conditions in the ‘jungle’ refugee camp in Calais and by the horrendous picture of a child washed up on a Turkish beach, over 700 people used JustGiving to set up Crowdfunding Pages. In total, they raised more than £1 million to support refugees across Europe.
Deb Wrightson was one of those crowdfunders. Here she shares her story and the lessons she learned, along with three other JustGiving crowdfunders who headed to camps in Calais and other parts of Europe.
Deb Wrightson runs her own child-minding business. She has been to Calais twice, bringing her young family along from their home in Sunderland.
There are no language barriers between two children playing, whether it’s completing a jigsaw together, making a path with rocks, or playing a guitar. Play is a universal language — it is beautiful to see.
Taking my children into camp has been really positive both for my children and for the refugees we met. On our first trip we met a three-year-old girl called Noor. She was incredible. She has such strength and character, I have worked with children for over ten years, and I don’t think I’ve ever met a more confident little girl.
Noor was with her dad. Her mam and baby sister were stuck in Syria, still in danger. Noor’s dad was trying to get to England so he could send for his wife, and she could travel safely with the baby.
We have been to Calais twice with two van loads of donations. We took pallets, wood, tents, sleeping bags, blankets and cooking equipment to help create a shelter in camp.
We distributed food and toiletries on the streets and in camp. We gave a bike to one man, which made him very happy. He gave us a big smile and a hug for that bike. Such a small thing compared to what he needs, but like so many others, he was grateful for what little we could give.
Noor played in my van and pretended to drive to England. “Get in, we’re going to England!” she said to her dad.
She was safe in a van five minutes from the tunnel, 30 minutes from England — a country where she thought she could be safe. I had to lift Noor out of my van and hand her to her dad so we could leave. She screamed and couldn’t understand why she couldn’t come with us. I couldn’t stop crying and shaking.
We are friends, we’d spent an incredible time together and she had played with my children. I don’t understand why she can’t come home with us either. It absolutely broke my heart leaving her.
We returned the following week with clothes, toys and gifts for Noor and her dad, but they had left. Her dad just couldn’t see the point of staying and Noor needed to be somewhere safe. They are now in a refugee camp in Germany. We speak a couple of times a week and they are safe. But they are just being held there because that is the safest place they have found.
Clara Markiewicz, aged 18, travelled to the camp while she was in her gap year
There are practical things that the camps can really benefit from, such as safe wood burners, rope, nails and hammers.
I really wanted to get involved so I teamed up with a wonderful project called Musafir’s Collective (which means ‘travellers’ in Urdu). We bought safe wood burners to distribute and cooked lots of warm food to give out. We wanted to keep as many people as possible warm in the oncoming winter.
I called my fund ‘Flowers in Jungle’ after a flower that was given to me by a Pakistani refugee. He wanted to give me a gift to say thank you but had nothing to give so he picked me a flower. It really touched me so I thought there was no better name!
I've been to the camp twice already and have seen for myself the terrible conditions these people are living in — most are in shabby tents that aren't suitable for any condition never mind the freezing cold and rain — and I just can’t sit at home in my warm house this winter without doing as much as I can.
There are practical things that the camps can really benefit from. So far, we’ve bought and distributed 12 wood burners, bought building materials like rope, nails and hammers to help people build more robust shelters and have cooked several meals (one of which helped to feed over 400 people).
Kate Mellersh is part of the group Witney Donations for Refugees.
I think we would have collected far less money if we hadn't had the facility for easy online donation.
I was amazed by the speed and generosity of the contributions to our JustGiving page. I originally set it up just to make it easier to give amongst a small group of friends, but we raised nearly £1,100 in just over a week!
The donations enabled us to buy 30 hygiene packs containing all of the essentials for men’s hygiene and 20 new waterproof coats, which we delivered to the camp in Calais via a local aid provider.
We donated the remainder of the money we raised to small projects which were helping refugees on the ground. Lighting the Way provide sustainable and safe solar lanterns to refugees - and particularly children - in Calais. We also helped Caravans to Calais purchase and transport a caravan to the camp, and gave a large donation to an appeal by a very small local team of helpers in Lesbos, Greece.
I’m really grateful to JustGiving for making all of this possible. I think we would have collected far less money if we hadn’t had the facility for easy online donation.
Jonathan Brown drove his Tranist van to Leros in Greece.
I’ve paid for the coffin and undertaking for the body of an eight year old boy who drowned. This place has confronted me with things that I could never have imagined.
The money that I raised helped us drive a Ford Tranist LWB van, filled with aid, to Leros, Greece.
I originally intended to stay for two weeks but so the demand for the van was so great I ended up extending my stay.
I worked with several volunteer groups and NGOs (UNHCR, MSF, Leros Solidarity Network, Boat Refugee Foundation and other independent groups of volunteers) to move essential supplies, clothes, shoes, tents and hygiene kits between storage depots, facilities and the distribution points to refugees.
The van has been used as a makeshift ambulance at times, when the local service has been overstretched. The police have also asked me to move items between the port and detention camp.
The situation in Leros is dire; the numbers of people arriving are increasing daily and the island is struggling to cope. At one point there was a week-long ferry strike which meant refugees couldn’t leave the island, and with around 5000 refugees currently stuck there, you can imagine the problem I'm sure.
I have spent my own money on living costs here, as well as sponsoring a Syrian family of seven with a badly injured son, who were robbed of all their money in Turkey. They are now in Germany thank goodness. I’ve also paid for the coffin and undertaking for the body of an eight year old boy who drowned. This place has confronted me with things that I could never have imagined.
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