In addition to basic facilities, the volunteers also want to offer some distraction. “We will also offer coffee, tea and board games so that people can forget what situation they are in.”
Many transmigrants continue to try to cross the Channel, even though it is very dangerous. “I regularly hear of people drowning or boats being stopped,” says Lierman. “Some try twenty or thirty times. But the story that they are no longer able to reach England is not entirely true. It still happens.”
According to him, conditions in the camps around Dunkirk and Calais remain difficult. “People want to get out of there as quickly as possible. There is a lot of misery, hunger and lately also flooding. Tents are sometimes flooded.”
The care providers themselves do not try to put pressure on the refugees, but they do engage in discussions if there is a demand. “When they talk about England, I honestly say that it is not the promised land. But then they often answer that it is still better than at home.”
The organization will travel to Dunkirk again at the beginning of next month. They are looking for additional volunteers to support the relief efforts.
