That mass of people on the boat are refugees coming into Europe.
On December 3rd – 6th I will have the opportunity to go to the Calais Refugee Camp in France with some of my friends here from G42 Leadership Academy to help build permanent shelters, serve meals, and to do whatever else they need help with. We have been in contact with one of the directors of the camp and have been welcomed to help. Calais Refugee Camp is home to 6,000 refugees from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and surrounding conflict areas. Most of the refugees stuck there are seeking asylum in the UK, but the Eurotunnel has been closed off and now refugees have nowhere to go.
According to the Independent, “The refugee camp in Calais has reached “crisis point” as heavy rainfall has turned it into a “swamp””. Elaine Ortiz, the founder of the Hummingbird Project says, “There has been lots of bad weather. The tents, if [the refugees] are lucky to have one, are not holding up because the camp is becoming a swamp. The strong winds, she said, meant tents were being “ripped to pieces””. Ortiz pleads to the Independent for help to build shelters, “We need as many builders on the ground as possible [to construct shelters]. We need to think creatively about how to get as many shelters up as soon as possible.” She also says, “We know already there are a lot of unwell people due to the weather. This is going to continue and only get worse. We fear that people will die. For people to be outside in the freezing cold weather, it is inevitable that some people will lose their lives.”
I will be going there with the main goal to help build these shelters. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the refugee issue, but let’s get two things straight 1.) This is currently one of the worst humanitarian disasters and 2.) Whether these people are economic migrants, or refugees it doesn’t matter, there are broken hurting people including children living in ‘The Jungle’ that need water, food, and shelter.
I need to fundraise $350 by December 2nd to go. If you feel called to donate please click on this link to donate through PayPal at: https://www.paypal.me/AndySengsavang and if you have any questions you can email me at andysengsavang@gmail.com. Any little bit of money would help. They are short on volunteers and if these shelters don’t get built people will die. Please help to send me there. A lot of people don’t have the ability to go, but I do. I’m currently living in Spain and France is easily accessible.
The $350 will cover:
- Travel, round trip ticket from Malaga, Spain $155
- Car Rental and Gas $40
- Lodging for 3 days $40
- Food $30
- Supplies (Boots, Gloves, Etc.) $50
- Emergency Money $35
- Any extra donations will be given to other members of my team going with me
Here are some articles regarding the crisis in Calais:
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