I volunteered in the Calais "Jungle" - ask me anything!

[NurseintheJungle]

NC for this one as it may be outing.

I am a RGN and I volunteered in the migrant camp also known as "The Jungle" multiple times for 2-4 weeks at a time until it was closed. I have also volunteered in Lesbos and Greece. Please feel free to ask me anything you like! However if you make racist comments prepare to be challenged!

are you female? did you receive any intimidating or unwanted attention from the males in the camp? (my basis is the newspapers stating this at the time)

Yes I am female. No unwanted attention at all, the men were very gentlemanly and offered me their seats, food, cigarettes etc. I never felt intimidated at all, though I did always leave the camp at night fall before the police turned up.

Why did you feel the need to do it?
What was happening at home/in your life that either freed or drove you to do it and did it help you?

(And thank you, what a truly kind thing to do)

My grandad was a refugee from Eastern Europe in the 40s, he walked to Calais then smuggled himself on a boat and claimed asylum, so I really get the persecution that many (but not all) of those trying to reach the uk have faced. I have 2 children so it was heart wrenching for me to leave those for periods of time but they knew why I was going and would give me toys and old clothes to give to children in the camp. I guess my desire to help came from a place of understanding and empathising with their needs.

That’s interesting, so you felt a kinship with their plight because of your grandparents.

I like the word kinship!

Do you usually care full time for your dc? If so who stepped in and how has that impacted their lives? What positives (or negatives) did the volunteering have on your life?

I have a partner and we worked full time before I started going. I took unpaid leave from work to go so it did affect our finances however my partners grandmother was also a refugee from Eastern Europe so he completely understood my desire to go (though it's not something he personally wants to do).

I think my children have a wonderful awareness of different cultures and plights of different countries around the world, as they've grown I've explained in more depth the reasons why I have been and why I intend to go and volunteer for longer periods of time in the future. When they are adults I really hope they will join me. They have missed me when I am away but they have been understanding, even from a young age.

The only other negative I can think of is the emotional impact it has on me, I feel so outraged by the lack of willingness of Europe to provide safe and legal ways for refugees to transit here and hearing peoples stories about their boat journeys has given me nightmares at times.

On the whole though it has been an overwhelming positive experience that has made me grow into the person I am today. My only regret is that I cannot offer more assistance because of time/financial restraints. I wish I had gone sooner - I put off my initial trip for 2 years for fear of judgement from other people.

I also found seeing unaccompanied children in the camp and having to leave them there very distressing 🙁

Thanks for starting this thread.

In your honest view what do you think is likely to happen to the refugees/asylum seekers in the 'Jungle' in the short, medium and long term future?

Thanks OP.

In your honest view what do you think is likely to happen to the refugees/asylum seekers in the 'Jungle' in the short, medium and long term future?

Initially the camp was completely dispersed, people went to rough sleep in small groups in France and 100s of unaccompanied children were lost. 2 years later and there are approx 500 migrants in Dunkirk, and many more camps that are smaller is size dotted around northern France. Many will make the uk, and many will die trying....

100s of unaccompanied children were lost?

It’s all so heartbreaking and I imagine will stick with you for a long time

100s of unaccompanied children were lost?

Yes, it was well written about in mainstream media at the time. Children were particularly vulnerable to be targeted by human traffickers and organ harvesters and there was not sufficient accommodation for them all let alone any formal record keeping of the number of the children in the camp directly before it was closed, however 1/3 of children being tracked through the process went missing and have not been found since. For your ease here's several links on the topic.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/calais-jungle-closed-children-unaccounted-official-closure-camp-refugees-a7381626.html

www.thesun.co.uk/news/2064624/desperate-refugee-kids-left-wandering-lost-around-calais-jungle-and-forced-to-sleep-by-side-of-road-after-migrant-camp-is-wiped-out/

www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/26/operation-to-clear-calais-refugee-camp-finishes-ahead-of-schedule

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/calais-jungle-camp-child-refugees-missing-demolition-youth-service-migrants-uk-a7435771.html

Can you describe a typical day?

Can you describe a typical day?

Sure! I would generally get up at 08:00, shower at the hostel I stay in, and go out for breakfast in Calais. I would then drive to the warehouse and pick up essential stock for the first aid caravan such as burns packs, steristrips, sterile water and gauze, strepsils, paracetamol, ibuprofen, cough medicine, socks, toothbrushes etc.

I would normally get to camp at around 09:45 and risk assess - is it safe to enter, is it safe to take my car into camp? Usually it was safe enough to drive straight in and park my car near the first aid caravan. I would unload the car and go and buy a chai from inside the camp.

The morning would be quite slow, women and children tended to come in the morning for a mixture of things - dressing changes, sore throats, "Jungle cough" etc. After midday the men would generally come with "Jungle cough", flu, scabies, burns and cuts from falling off lorries, tear gas injuries. Anything more complicated we would refer to a local health centre, and I would take people to the local hospital in my car if there was any emergencies. I would triage approximately 100 people in a 10 hour day, it was pretty relentless!

At 19:00 we closed down the caravan and went for something to eat from one of the restaurants in the camp, then I used to sneak off for a shisha before driving home at around 21:00. After a long day we would generally go for a beer and more food and I would go to bed at around midnight. I'd get up the next morning and do it all again, 7 days a week just isn't enough.

Hmm... I've got a weeks annual leave booked in August... I wonder if I could go back to France 😳 now I'm talking about it I'm getting the urge to go back.

Were you able to arrange for migrants to be seen in hospital if they needed this? Were they eligible for medical care in France eg if they needed surgery, outpatient specialist care, expensive medication? Or only what charities could provide?

How long had migrants been travelling for from their home country to reach the jungle?

Were they surprised that Europe wasn't welcoming them? Had this trickled back so they were aware of what they would face in Europe?

Where did unaccompanied children sleep?

Oh you answered some of my questions in your last post already :)

Did you need to keep clinical records similar to those you would make in UK?

Did you have any laboratory services available eg for blood tests?

Were you able to arrange for migrants to be seen in hospital if they needed this? Were they eligible for medical care in France eg if they needed surgery, outpatient specialist care, expensive medication? Or only what charities could provide?

Yes they could get more complex care from the local hospital
*
How long had migrants been travelling for from their home country to reach the jungle?*

Depends on where they came from and which route they took. Eritreans for example were very likely to get detained in Libya for months at a time, whereas Syrians coming through turkey generally made it to Calais within a few weeks.

Were they surprised that Europe wasn't welcoming them? Had this trickled back so they were aware of what they would face in Europe?

I think a lot were shocked by the large amount of hostility, especially towards those fleeing Syria etc.

Where did unaccompanied children sleep?

They were prioritised for one of the permanent housing units in the camp. We strongly encouraged them to claim asylum in France but many already had family in the uk so they didn't want to.

Did you need to keep clinical records similar to those you would make in UK?

Goodness no it was a first aid service by and large. There was basic details kept about those having paracetamol etc but not for plasters and strepsils!

Did you have any laboratory services available eg for blood tests?

No this needed to be referred on and I would take people to MSF for such tests.

Did you volunteer through an agency or NGO? How did you get in contact with the relevant people?
What skills other than nursing are in short supply in the camps?
Which countries were represented amongst refugees and volunteers?

Did you volunteer through an agency or NGO? How did you get in contact with the relevant people?
A friend of a friend shared a post, my friend shared it with me and asked if I wanted to go with her, so I said yes. I went through a community interest company.

What skills other than nursing are in short supply in the camps?
Cooking
Teaching
Warehouse sorting!

Which countries were represented amongst refugees and volunteers?
Migrants:
Syria
Iraq
Afghanistan
Nigeria
Eritrea
Somalia
Sudan
Ghana
Libya
Ethiopia

Volunteers:
Everywhere from America to Malaysia and every country you can possibly think of! We had refugees volunteering in the camp too, they often provided translation services.

I currently work on the legal side of asylum in the UK. Interesting that you mention a lot of Ghanaians in the camp, considering the comparatively low numbers claiming asylum in the UK (5 years working around the topic, and I think I've dealt with maybe one or two?).

Q: did those you came across volunteer their stories/reasons for travel/reasons for planning to seek asylum with you? Did you find their stories typically beleivable/compelling, if not did you ever challenge them on their stories? Similarly, if individuals volunteered their reasons for preferring to travel to the UK rather than stay in France, if their reasons were false (everyone gets granted in England is a common line I've years!) Did you ever challenge them/try to explain the reality to them?

I currently work on the legal side of asylum in the UK. Interesting that you mention a lot of Ghanaians in the camp, considering the comparatively low numbers claiming asylum in the UK (5 years working around the topic, and I think I've dealt with maybe one or two?).

I didn't say there were lots of Ghanaians, just that there were Ghanaians.

Q: did those you came across volunteer their stories/reasons for travel/reasons for planning to seek asylum with you?

Sometimes they chose to.

Did you find their stories typically beleivable/compelling, if not did you ever challenge them on their stories?

I took everything on face value, thankfully I'm not involved in the legal side of things and have no intention of being. Whether they lied, or I thought they were lying, made no impact on the care they received.

Similarly, if individuals volunteered their reasons for preferring to travel to the UK rather than stay in France, if their reasons were false (everyone gets granted in England is a common line I've years!) Did you ever challenge them/try to explain the reality to them?

I did explain to people that it was very hard to get asylum in the uk despite what they may have been told by friends etc. However most did not want to hear this for obvious reasons.

Thanks for taking the time to answer. I had colleagues who went out to assist and help people register their claims. Obviously because they were known as being from the UK govt they had different experiences relating to my questions, so it was interesting to here from someone more detached from the legal process.

I can see that you've volunteered in other camps - from what I've heard Lesbos and other camps are under-resourced compared to Calais. Would you say that was the case, and did that have an impact on the care individuals received, or the length of time they decided to stay in the camp?

Would young unaccompanied children be taken out the camp and put in foster care?

If an unaccompanied child claimed asylum in France as you recommended, would they definitely get it being a child? Or might they be refused?

Was there a process where children could apply to come to UK if they have relatives here, or were they relying on being able to get themselves across somehow?

Were there any tensions between different nationalities in the camp that you were aware of?

Did you get a feel for why they were unwilling to register in France? Was there a perception that Britain was easy to claim refuge in? Or that benefits were bigger/easier to claim or did they have family in the UK? I will confess that I have found seeing French speakers with little or no English determined to get to the UK perplexing. I understand the desire to flee conflict and or poverty, we all want a good life for ourselves and or children but once you are in a safe, wealthy nation what is the push to risk life to get somewhere?