Help Refugees started as nothing more than a hashtag #HelpCalais in August 2015 as a group of friends looked to raise £1000 and collect donations to take down to Calais. Within a week, we had raised over £50,000 and had partnered with L’Auberge des Migrants to start the biggest aid operation in Northern France.

Though Calais and Dunkirk have slipped from the news agenda, our team on the ground estimates that there are now more than 1,500 people living in the forests in Northern France. At least 200 are unaccompanied children.

Along with Refugee Youth Service and L’Auberge des Migrants, we have created a multi-agency Child Protection team in order to supplement the already overwhelmed  system in the region. We are committed to upholding children’s rights and advocating for them to be respected, holding the French and British Governments to account and making children’s voices heard.

Our teams still distribute thousands of items every week, from 1000 blankets and sleeping bags, to hundreds of hygiene kits, clothing and countless shoes. While it is impossible for people to settle, and refugees are facing increasing aggression from the police, our services continue to be a lifeline for some of the most vulnerable people in Europe.