Emergency fund and Personal Support

I am now returning to the Jungle after spending nearly 10 days between Ireland and UK.
I was for 4 days in Dublin at the Health Conference organized by SIPTU team.

Then I went to London to spend 3 days with one of my favourite Syrian in his new home. I relaxed and learnt more and more about their culture, I never finish learning from them. I cook pasta from scratch and had a lovely dinner with Abu Omar and Alice. It felt good to finally be able to look after myself.

I took another train and went up to Sheffield to meet Hussain and his group of students. I was very pleased to meet again with one of the most competent volunteer. I hope I inspired his group to take more action to easy the situation of refugees all over Europe. If we cannot stop the war and cease fire, we can at least try and improve the existence of those who survived.

I was in Sheffield for 5 hours before going to Manchester to meet with Malaz (the special need boy), his father and other Syrians that made it across. It is always a pleasure to see them. It broke my heart to have to leave them again. The boy did not want to say goodbye and started crying as I put my shoes on. Glad to know that at least there is a system there in place, which help them to get housing and schooling. Hopefully next time I go, they will be in a new house and not crammed up in the small flat with dangerous stairs.

After 4 amazing and ‘relaxing’ days in Manchester it is now time to head back to the Jungle.
While I have been away, around 100 of the unaccompanied minors, close friends of mine, have reached legally the UK, my two favourite families (the Somali and the Syrian) with my two favourite kids (aged 4 and 3) have reached safety. The Somali family is now housed in Lille after I went with them to the Offi and managed to speed up the process of their asylum application. The Syrian family, that had been trying to reach UK to be reunited with 2 brothers already settled in the country, have finally made it. After 4 months of trying every night, the mother, the teenage daughter and the little three years old boy have finally made it across all well and safe. I have not managed to speak to them, but the father of the family has confirmed to me that they are across!

I do not know what it will be like to go back knowing that all my favourite (and most vulnerable) people are across.. I have the feeling of staying in UK. After 10 months living as a refugee myself, I am now tired, much skinnier than when I first arrived, exhausted to the bones and without a penny in my pocket. Nonetheless I feel that I cannot turn my back to those whom are still stuck there.
On Monday, the last ever eviction will start. Around 8000 people are still stuck there and around 1.200 unaccompanied minors (including a very high number of young girls) are still there, with No-where to go. The French government is unable to provide a safe and adequate accommodation for all those children. I and other have tried to put pressure on the UK and the Irish governments to do more and to take responsibility for at least part of those minors.

The UK as shown no compassion. Only the children that have already family in the UK and it is in their right to be reunited with their families are the only ones that will be saved from the camp. For their 800 (and more) friends, once again, it is NO CHANCE. Imagine to be a 10 years old boy that has lost EVERYONE in his life, living in the camp for more than 4 months, in a tent that leaks with rats and adult stranger sleeping next to you, to turn up to the registration of the Home Office and find out once again that you are not lucky enough to go. You have lost everyone, how can you have a family member in the UK? You probably had to see your whole family die, cross uncountable countries, end up living in a slum with people that keep asking you ‘where is your family? Do you have family in the UK?’ bringing back over and over again the trauma of losing everyone that loved you.

I AM GOING BACK FOR THEM.

For Imran, 10 yo, without family, lost his smile, his bike is the only thing that bring a bit of life back to him. For Habibti, the Sudanese lady, continuously being sexually abused in her country, being treated less than an animal, that doesn’t lose hope and keep trying. For my Syrian friend that have lost hope long time ago, that keep pushing themselves finding strength in our words of encouragement. I am going back for all those grown-ups man that come to me as if they were children, lost and depress, not knowing what to do, with the million unanswerable questions about their future. I am going back to help those without chance, without hope. I am only a 24 years old woman, not professional or influential in any way, with just enough strength to listen to the people needs and respond to them.
I just hope the police will let me in during this hard times, allowing me to support once again those people that have become my friends and family for the past year!

Bring it on Monday. We are not scared because we are together. We will keep being together and we will keep supporting those in needs, not just in the Jungle but in the whole Europe because this is a World Crisis. Not only a BRITISH or FRENCH.

I want to thank all the people that I have encountered in my time overseas. The amazing SIPTU team, their compassion and passion that have inspired me to become even more active towards finding solutions to the problems that afflict this world. They are the TRUE ACTIVISTS and peace makers, an example for the generation to come and for mine. They have hosted me, treating me like a queen and gave me an opportunity to talk in front of more than 100 people about the real situation of people living in the ‘Jungle’ camp of Calais. I hope that my words have affected them as those stories have affected me. Hopefully something good will come from it, not for me but for those 1.200 unaccompanied minors living in those unhuman conditions.

I want to thank Hussain and the students of Sheffield University. Also there I have met people that truly care about the problem and I am sure they will get more involved after the few talks we had.
At last, but not least, I want to thank Juliet Kiplin and her team of amazing church people that always open their doors to me no matter where!

This is the last time I am asking for financial help (at least I hope).
I right now have 20 pounds in my bank account and a very heavy week to come!

PLEASE FRIENDS AND FAMILY, NOW I PERSONALLY NEED YOUR HELP.
If I manage to raise more than 500£ I will be able to sort emergency accommodation for the displaced people.

What we know from the authorities is as follow.
Monday 24th October 60 buses

Tuesday 25th October 47 buses

Wednesday 26th October 40 buses;

will arrive to a warehouse 200 meters away for the jungle in Calais.

There will be 4 lines, one for minors, one for families, one for 'vulnerable' people and 1 for adults (no queue specifically for women).
They want to register and send 3,000 people per day (there are 1,440 minutes in a 24 hour day) to CAO centers in France.
People will get to choose between 2 regions in France.
They say that people will be given approximately 1 month to decide if they want to claim asylum in France or not.
They say the dismantling will take 1 week to complete.
No volunteers will be allowed in the camp without a pass.
After Friday 28th October any migrants who are seen in Calais will be stopped by police, asked for documents and if they do not have a passport then they will be put in a detention center.
If they have fingerprints in another European country they will deported to this country.
As France is still in a state of emergency the police do not need a warrant to enter a premises and search for people.

PLEASE HELP ME HELPING THEM! Any donation small or big is extremely appreciated!

THE EVICTION STARTS TOMORROW! DON’T BE LATE. DO IT NOW!
THANKS ONCE AGAIN TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!

Thanks for your support before and now!
Hope this time people push a little bit more and get this message viral!
PLEASE DONATE AND SPREAD THE MESSAGE!

Thanks for all the support!
With love from Federica and the Jungle Residents.