What is ‘Durham for Refugee’s’ essentially about? Is it more about raising awareness, or educating people on how to help the situation?
Durham for Refugees is a new student group, and our essential aim is to do what we can to help refugees throughout their journey: from fleeing their home to reaching their host country. We fundraise, take students to volunteer at refugee camps (most recently, this Christmas, in Greece), campaign and raise awareness- and we see our overall goal to both raise money and educate people on the situation. Another big part of what we do is work with Durham City of Sanctuary, an amazing organisation who welcome refugees to the area. They organise English lessons and conversation classes to supplement the ones offered by the council, which are great opportunities for people who’ve just been settled here to practice their English and get to know people. We’ve recently teamed up with some Arabic students at Durham and now an Arabic student is going along to help each lesson– it’s more of a language and culture exchange than a strict lesson, and a really good example of how Durham students can contribute to the lives of refugees, even in the tiniest way. Of course, raising money is also a key part of the society- last Sunday, for example, Trevs charity ball donated over £2,000 to City of Sanctuary, and this Saturday we will be collecting money at the Empty Shop gig, but we are more than just a fundraising organization.
What has the society been promoting and organising recently?
We had a Newcastle demo. Aside from that, we had an event on the 2nd February when James Clarke in collaboration with the PPE society, was part of a panel of people speaking about issues relating to refugees including James’ experience working in Greece. On the 9th February we held a really exciting event called “A Taste of Syria”, with three Syrian families from the community preparing and hosting a meal for over a hundred students in St Johns with music and dancing guaranteed. Again, please see our fb page for details, and to keep updated!
Have any of you travelled and volunteered in the areas in need? If so, what were your experiences?
Lana gave the following description of her first experience of a refugee camp to those at the Trevs charity ball, and it is a sobering account:
“Initially we’d planned to go and volunteer in Calais. When we got there, we heard about Dunkirk, a smaller, more neglected camp. The refugees in that camp were mainly Kurdish, with some Iranians and Afghans. Because Dunkirk was a smaller camp, it didn’t, and still does not receive the same attention as the camp in Calais did. Our experience on the first day was as far from what we had pictured it to be previously as possible. The conditions were indescribable. We had underestimated the number of people in the camp, and their lack of resources. The aid that we took the first day was barely enough for 10 people. With each aid trip to Dunkirk, we watched the conditions become worse and the population become bigger. By December, the number of people in the camp had almost tripled, there were a lot of women and children, contrary to what we are constantly told by the media. The camp used to be an old football playing ground, so you can imagine where there was grass, now there was only mud. With the rain and snow, the amount of mud increased, and at one point, it was almost knee-high. The conditions were inhumane; I still cannot comprehend how the camp was allowed to be for more than a year. There were 40 portaloos, 2 water taps and no working showers between more than 1000 men, women and children. A lady I was speaking to asked me whether I had anything to remove head lice. She had not been able to wash her children for more than 2 weeks. Many people started to suffer from chest infections, burns and skin conditions that were extremely difficult to treat due to substantial lack of medical help and attention available at the camp. After a while, police began to forbid the entry of new tents into the camp, as well as aid, in an attempt to stop the population increasing any further. Many campaigns and more than a year later, a new camp was opened, a slightly more ‘humane’ one, with sheds to sleep in instead of tents. The situation is far from improved though, the organisations in Dunkirk are still desperate for volunteers to go in and help.”
How can I get involved?
Come along to our events! If you haven’t already liked our Facebook or Instagram pages please do- it’s the best place to keep you updated. Even clicking interested helps to spread the word to others who might be, and its also where we’ll advertise upcoming aid trips. If you’d like to be more involved we have a specific “volunteers and ideas” facebook group where we post more specific requests for volunteers or donations- and its also a space for everyone to pose suggestions and begin conversations. We have been so encouraged by the support we’ve already received and for what we can achieve, and are keen to continue working with other Durham groups such as Amnesty and People & Planet and Durham Left Activists, as well as local bands and artists for both artistic and musical exhibitions and fundraisers- so if you are part of a society and would like to collaborate, please get in touch. Membership should be going live really soon, so keep your eyes peeled for how to join!
***A message from Durham for Refugees***
The refugee crisis that we face today is the largest since the second world war. It is hard for us to imagine the sheer numbers of people who have had to flee their homes. Nearly 12 million people have been displaced from Syria alone; over half of them aged under 18. Refugees face dangerous journeys across land and sea. In only the first 2 weeks of this year 226 people were estimated to have died trying to reach Europe. Crossing the Mediterranean is dangerous, especially in the freezing conditions at this time of year, and people are forced to attempt it in small, unsuitable boats. Many refugees are forced to live in camps across Europe and the middle east. The conditions in these camps are often terrible. With people sleeping outside in sub-zero temperatures, and a huge lack of supplies or funding. People who were doctors, lawyers, shopkeepers and students suddenly have to put their lives on hold. The camps are meant to be temporary but people end up staying there for years. One of the major factors contributing to this is that countries are tightening their borders, and only offering limited aid. After the closure of Calais, the UK government pledged to allow underage refugees to be resettled here. However, many unaccompanied minors were sent across France to accommodation centres, far from their families, who are waiting in the UK. If a refugee does manage to finally reach the UK, the process is still difficult. Until their refugee status is confirmed, they are not allowed to work, and have to live on less than £5 a day. Some are sent to detention centres, in which the conditions are truly horrible, and detained indefinitely. We need to remember one important fact; they are people, humans, each of them with families, friends, and a story. Refugees have faced a terrible ordeal, and we believe it is our duty as human beings to help them.