Urgent Appeal for COVID-19 Herbal Solidarity with Refugees

For the last five years, Herbalists without Borders UK has maintained a presence in Northern France supporting refugees and migrants risking their lives to cross the British Border. This winter we have helped more than a thousand people with upper respiratory conditions.

We now collectively face our biggest challenge yet - a global pandemic. Refugees in the region have no option to self isolate with most living in tents in squalid conditions with poor sanitation and exposure to the elements. As well as experiencing relentless chronic stress from police violence and other challenges of living “in the jungle”.

We believe we can make an effective intervention if we act quickly and deliver a blanket flu pack distribution to all refugees in the area.

We have launched this urgent fundraiser to increase our production of herbal medicines and self care resources to distribute in the region.

We aim to produce and distribute 1500:

• Hand sanitisers
• Cough syrup
• Chest rubs

Donations will go towards the cost of packaging, creating and distributing these 4500 medicines in stand alone packs with translated instructions.

Circumstances are moving quickly. It may be that refugees will be housed in shelters or ‘containment centres’. We may not be able to access them, or even travel to France.

However, we have made the decision to commit to this course of action and if situations change and we are unable to undertake this work directly in the field, then all medicines made will be either used at a later date in the region, or will be redistributed to other projects and people in need.

Medicine makers are also needed in these critical times. If you would like to join the group of people making this medicine please email [email protected]. People are needed to make vital ingredients such as infused oils that we will use in mass production. Donations of medicine from herbalists are also extremely welcome. We will be producing a guide of what people can do and how to get involved.

Right now, please donate whatever you can afford to extend your solidarity to refugees living in Calais and Dunkirk to help them survive this pandemic.