The Organisations Supporting Asylum Seekers In France & The UK 

Dua’s Monthly Read for July is Small Boat, a powerful novel that fictionalises events around the real-life drowning of 27 people in the English Channel in November 2021. Those who lost their lives – always referred to as ‘migrants’ in the press – were crowded into a sinking inflatable dinghy and made increasingly desperate calls for help – in French, English, and Kurdish. But no help came.

As the global conversation on migration and asylum descends into hate-mongering and political point-scoring, there are currently around 700 refugees living in and around Calais. People often sleep rough or stay in makeshift camps with no running water or toilets. What little they own – such as sleeping bags and a small number of clothes – is regularly confiscated by the police, who are determined to prevent a permanent camp from forming.

Below, you’ll find a list of organisations providing practical, medical and psychological support to those seeking asylum on both sides of the Channel.

Care4Calais

Care4Calais’ volunteer team visits camps in Dunkirk and Calais to provide food, drinks and firewood as well as simple but vital services such as phone charging. They work with other volunteer networks in the region to provide basic healthcare, and help asylum seekers navigate the immigration system when they arrive in the UK.

Art Refuge

Art Refuge uses art and art therapy to support the mental health and wellbeing of people displaced due to conflict, persecution, poverty and climate emergency, in the UK and internationally. Ongoing projects in the UK and France include art therapy, exhibitions and crisis support.

Refugee Community Kitchen

“We are volunteers. We chop. We stir. We serve. We believe food is a human right. Everyone deserves food that we’d be happy to eat at our own tables.” The Refugee Community Kitchen serves hot meals to displaced people in Northern France and homeless people in London and Edinburgh, providing a safe place for people in need to meet and connect.

Doctors Of The World 

Doctors of the World has supported refugees and migrants in and around Calais since 2003. The vast majority of refugees and migrants seeking asylum in France are not aware of their fundamental right to healthcare. They often find it difficult to access care due to language barriers and lack of financial resources. At Doctors of the World health centres, they can receive the free health services to which they are entitled and information on French health laws and regulations.

Reclaim The Sea

Reclaim The Sea runs trauma-informed programmes that help people form a new relationship with the ocean. Many of the participants have endured dangerous journeys, leaving lasting emotional and physical scars. Swimming, surfing and paddleboarding lessons are designed to build confidence, overcome trauma and create a new community for those seeking asylum in the UK. 

Small Boat is Dua’s Monthly Read For July – discover Vincent’s full video interview with Dua here, or listen to it with the Service95 Book Club podcast here