Mobile Refugee Support

UPDATE FROM THE GROUND

As you can see from the images above (taken by MRS), people are living in inhumane conditions, families with children are packed inside these dangerous warehouses, and there are more people arriving every day.

Photos by Mobile Refugee Support who do great work in Grande Synthe, supplying everything from emergency aid to phone charging and WIFI, as well as distributing food weekly in collaboration with Refugee Community Kitchen.

Message from MRS: This is the reality for hundreds of displaced people currently living rough in the Dunkirk area. Due to the reduction of the areas of woodland, and the few barren winter trees offering nothing in the way of protection, people are now seeking refuge in several large abandoned warehouses.

These warehouses are filled with loose concrete, scrap metal and rubbish. Despite this, they have found themselves acting as a temporary home for hundreds people including dozens of small children. As pictured below, the tents lining the base of these warehouses are packed extremely tightly, with little room for more.

Over these last two weeks we have seen vast amounts of new arrivals each day. Having been harassed and detained every step of their journey, many people arrive with little more than the clothes on their back and a handful of possessions.

Our team have been working around the clock, distributing hundreds of tents, sleeping bags and essential items. With the eviction of other small camps across France and Europe taking place regularly, we are expecting even more new arrivals over the weeks to come.

We need your help now more than ever.

Help support MRS & RCK by donating or volunteering this winter

GROUND UPDATE

Dunkirk Refugees

There are up to 700 people, including many families, living rough in Dunkirk. We've encountered at least 70 children under the age of 10.

WE NEED YOUR HELP! We are feeling a lot of financial pressure as we are currently serving over 1300 meals a day. We're supporting those 700 people, plus 300 more in Calais as well as providing food to over 100 people living in unofficial camps in the region. And more people are arriving daily!

From brutal heat to pouring rain, and almost constant evictions/clearances by the authorities, this summer has been miserable. Tensions are high as large groups of people try to live together in a very limited amount of tents (hundreds were confiscated last week) or survive under shared pieces of plastic tarpaulin. Despite these horrible conditions people continue to show resilience.

We are so grateful for our volunteers and our sister groups Help RefugeesL'Auberge des MigrantsDunkirk / Dunkerque Refugee Women's CentreRefugee Info Bus حافلة المعلومات للاجئين مسیر راهنمای پناهندگانUtopia 56Refugee Youth ServiceMobile Refugee Support and everyone else who is tirelessly providing support and solidarity through these deplorable conditions.

Besides increasing numbers, Eid is next week and we'd like to make it special, so right now we need funds more than anything.

Please spread the word and donate what you can!