There is a global refugee crisis. Many people think the UK is not offering proportional asylum in comparison with European counterparts. Refugees have risked their lives to escape horrendous conflict and violence only to be left living in dire, unsafe and inhumane conditions in Europe. People are asking how they can help. Here are some suggestions:
Add your voice
Help Refugee Action send #2000flowers and sign their petition.
Donations of Emergency Supplies
Refugees in Calais – including pregnant women and unaccompanied children – are living in appalling conditions. The lack of clean water, sanitation and shelter is causing a huge number of health problems among the residents of the camps.
Voluntary supply convoys are leaving regularly from all over the UK.
You can drop off donations (see list right) at Flux, High Street, Dunbar and Zero Waste Dunbar, Station Road, Dunbar.
You can donate items on the list shown below on Saturday 12th 11 – 2 at the Washhouse in Portobello
Donations will be given to CalAid Edinburgh for distribution. If you can’t donate and would like to help support financially then please follow the link https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/calaid-edinburgh.
You can also donate directly to CalAid Edinburgh who are collecting donations every Tuesday and Thursday 2- 7pm at Studio 24, 24 – 26 Calton Road, Edinburgh
Help Calais & Greece Wishlist – add to your basket next time you shop at Amazon.
Financial Donations
Refugees in UK
Refugee Action – the organisation gives advice about claiming asylum, the asylum process and asylum support.
Refugees in Calais
Doctors of the World Calais Campaign – Doctors of the World is the only charity providing medical help on the ground in Calais, with two field clinics in the main camp and a team of volunteer doctors and nurses providing essential medical consultations, counselling and psychological support services.
International Organisations
International Rescue Committee: improving living conditions by setting up camps
Medecins Sans Frontieres – Through mid-August, the international aid group has rescued 11,482 people at risk of drowning through its search and rescue operations on the Mediterranean Sea. The organization also is providing direct medical services to refugees in locations throughout the Mediterranean.
Mercy Corps – The organisation has just completed an assessment in Greece and is in the process of formulating an aid action plan.
Migrant Offshore Aid Station: dedicated to preventing migrant deaths at sea.
Red Cross Europe: providing emergency health services at central train stations
Save the Children – The organisation says some 5 million Syrian children are in need of assistance, including more 1 million Syrian children who have sought refuge in neighbouring countries. Funds are used for food, clothing, care and protection as a result of the ongoing war. The group is distributing essential items such as nappies and hygiene kits.
UN Refugee Agency UNHCR provides basic and necessary humanitarian aid for Syrian refugees and helps the most vulnerable refugees with urgently needed relief – cash for medicine and food, stoves and fuel for heating, insulation for tents, thermal blankets and winter clothing. By helping refugees in the surrounding region, UNHCR hopes to reduce the number of desperate Syrians resorting to smugglers and falling prey to traffickers to reach safety elsewhere. Since January alone, 1.8 million refugees received food aid, 500,000 children were enrolled in school, and shelter in camps was provided for more than 460,000 refugees.
World Vision: providing food, water, shelter, education and psychosocial care