Another gloriously sunny day up here thank goodness. Very productive, several Kurdish men joined the team today & oh boy do they work, magnificent.. total focus & incredibly efficient, good lads. We achieved our target of 10 house kits being carried down the track today, all bar 1 were for the Eritrean end of the camp, the last went to an Afghan couple who had picked a terrible spot right by the toilets for their tent, they told us the rats keep them awake all night, they will put their kit house together up on higher ground. As the camp becomes daily ever fuller the problems of finding space for even a small dwelling grow. Today after a fire the HelpCalais group gave out fire exinguishers, candles in tents ... enough said.
Every morning after dropping Sid at the construction site i head for the warehouse to fill the van with specific items that i have been asked for the day before, it could be bedding, a pan to cook in, a spoon to eat with or a bowl to eat out of, a coat, baby clothes, nappies, gloves & always shoes - such simple requests. These proud people should not be living like this. Today I found, as if by magic, not only a bicycle but boxes containing about 400 wind up led lanterns that were hidden away in a dark corner of the warehouse, these were speedily distributed but we need more... alot more - light in the dark evenings is a godsend. The smallest task takes ages to achieve here, everywhere one goes one is followed by calls of "Mami, bring me shoes, i no have shoes, house, i no have house, come look my tent it no good - Mami, help Mami." and so the day commences.
Over 5000 refugees & a tiny pool of dedicated volunteers, alot more volunteers who seem to treat the place as some sort of festival site much to our utter disgust.
Laura & Sid x
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