Calais has seen refugees come and go for years. Its proximity to the UK and the many transport links to the island attract those who often flee war and terror and wish to build up a new life in Great Britain.

“The Jungle” refers to the refugee camp just outside Calais where between January 2015 and October 2016 thousands of desperate people lived. As a church we have been involved in supporting those living in the encampment to access basic human needs.

Waste management in the Jungle

Without a proper infrastructure, waste was a big issue in the camp, and became a health risk. Starting in September 2015, we as church fortnightly sent over 900 volunteers doing waste management to clean the living areas of the refugees and kept doing so until the camp was closed in October 2016.

Installation of cleaning facilities

Through the generosity of people in our church we were able to place two sanitation units in the camp, providing a safe, clean space for people to get clean water, wash themselves and have a look in the mirror – something that they didn’t have before. We placed the first unit in December 2015, and a second one in February 2016. In total both containers have been used 324,000 times by the population in the camp (based on average use of 15 litres per person per day).

Translation Support

Volunteers from our church with knowledge of French, Arabic and African languages such as Tigrinya and Amharic went out to help local organisations distribute information in the camp and provided translation support with asylum applications and family reunifications.

Supporting the Calais Distribution Centre

In October 2016, the Calais “Jungle” camp was demolished by the French authorities. For some months we have continued sending a team of volunteers to help the local distribution centre with organising food, clothing and other essentials for other refugee camps and centres in France, Greece & Syria.

Local projects

After the closing of the camp and the relocation of thousands of migrants to other centres in France and to the streets of Paris, we are currently focusing on our UK projects to welcome refugees and help them resettle in our country.

If you have any specific skills – such as DIY, languages and interpretation – or resources and contacts that you think could contribute towards our Refugee Response, please see how you can get involved.