Nursing the Refugees of the Calais Jungle Camp

I’m a Registered Nurse and I want to give Nursing and First Aid care to the refugees of “Jungle Camp”, Calais this February. 

I’m going to travel from Devon to Calais on Friday 26th February, bringing much needed supplies and some volunteer medics with me. We will then provide First Aid and other permitted healthcare in a caravan on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th to the refugees staying in what is now known as the “Jungle Camp” near Calais. We will be doing this for as many hours as possible until the French police suggest we leave. 

No matter what your political views are, this camp holds thousands of people who are desperately in need of nursing and first aid care now. I am a member of a group of volunteers who provide these services, free of charge, to anyone at the camp. A team of Doctors also works during the week, but there is currently no cover at the weekends – when I will be going. There is a caravan that we use to provide our services. Refugees sometimes queue for hours to be seen, but we do the best we can with the donated resources available. 

One of the most common ailments is wounded feet because many people, including children, are without shoes or socks. Over the next few weeks, I will be canvassing local hospitals for additional supplies of wound dressings (often thrown away when they are out of date but still perfectly usable). I will also be seeking warm clothing, blankets, shoes and socks. Typical temperatures at this time of year in Calais are between 0 – 5 degrees celcius. Most people are sleeping in old tents or shelters made from pallets and plastic sheeting.

Your incredibly valuable donation, no matter how small, will be used to cover the necessary costs of the trip. This includes large vehicle hire (fully insured), channel crossing, fuel, and basic accommodation at a nearby hostel. We will be packing the vehicle full of supplies, and we are providing our services and time for free. Any money raised over and above that which is required will be used to purchase additional supplies for the refugees at specially negotiated rates until the car is completely packed! Anything left will go to Doctors Without Borders (Medicins San Frontiers). I’m obviously going to try my hardest to get the large hire vehicle either free or at cost. My own vehicle is tiny and isn’t up to the job. 

So please, if you can, help to support us on this trip and let’s give these people some of the basic care we so easily enjoy and perhaps take for granted in UK. If the knowledge that a refugee has clean wounds and is less likely to get a life-threatening infection for another 48 hours isn’t enough, I’m providing some rewards as a little thank you. 

Thanks for reading this, and I wish you well.