FLAGSHIP PROGRAMMES
Calais Appeal
National Network
France
Address
56 rue clement aderCountry
City
FranceTelephone
+447308522050E-Mail (2)
manager@laubergedesmigrants.orgE-Mail (3)
funding@calaisappeal.orgWebsite
Click HereYear of Establishment
2008Contact Person1
Alice CorriganJob Title 1
CoordinatorOrganisation Type
OtherFields of Activity
OthersGeneral Information
Calais Appeal is a consortium of seven independent charities working in the France-UK border zone, the eldest since 2008, the youngest since 2020. Each organisation provides life-saving aid and services to displaced and undocumented men, women, children and unaccompanied minors who cannot access their rights. The charities co-founded this coalition in 2022 to build capacity and formally share resources, combine their skills to raise their voice and reach common aims. They also advocate for safe and legal routes for displaced people to apply for asylum in Europe and the UK. The seven charities are; l’Auberge des Migrant (fiscal host), Calais Food Collective, Collective Aid, Project Play, Refugee Women’s Centre, Refugee Community Kitchen and Utopia 56.Mission and Objectives
Daily - Help displaced people to survive in the France-UK border region by meeting their most basic needs, through the provision of vital aid and services. This includes assisting the most vulnerable groups -single women, families, children and unaccompanied minors- and also responding in emergency situations. Advocacy - Improve the reception of displaced people in the region by carrying out local and national advocacy towards both politicians and the general public. Safeguarding - Facilitate the arrival of volunteers coming to work in the field, and provide training as well as access to welfare resources. Coordinate the Safeguarding Network to respond to incidents as a collective using inter-organisation protocols. Capacity-building - Strengthen the capacity of civil society by liaising with institutions, foundations and other stakeholders to secure resources to mobilize for the continuation of the Calais Appeal and its members. Work sustainably to create long-term change.Main Projects / Activities
Each charity have their own activities (explained further in the attached document pages 3+4) Shared activities operate through the following axes; - Safeguarding and Welfare Network. /// Train teams from network associations in safeguarding issues (well-being, mental health, systems of oppression, etc.) Address incident reports effectively while ensuring the safety of victims and/or witnesses. Grow the network by integrating new partners to collectively respond to these challenges as best as possible. - Capacity-building Working Group. /// Ensure the continuation of Calais Appeal and its members through raising funds together and share according to the MoU. Improve individual members capacity to fundraise. Increase awareness of Calais Appeal and their charitable activities through building relationships with various stakeholders including potential funders - Communications and Advocacy. /// Inform the public, press and policy-makers of the humanitarian situation in Northern France. Call the public, press and policy-members to act on issues affecting displaced people in the border region. Bring the UK-France border to the agenda of press outlets, individuals and institutions who influence policy in order to instigate long-term change.How can you contribute to the Network in your country?
- share our knowledge of co-founding a consortium and collaborating for common goals. Finding consensus, overcoming challenges and building cohesion. - make information about displaced people in the border zone more transparent generally in France, to help other organisaitons make informed decisions. - connect with other charities supporting displaced people in northern France and sharing vital information (especially about safety at sea) in order to save lives and help displaced people know what to expect when they arrive in Calais, reducing misinformation, power of smugglers and reducing the work of our charity members.Why do you want to join the ALF Network?
- We are a member of the Bond UK network and also Safe Passage, as well as the Crossborder Forum and CIVICUS. We have discovered that being a part of networks and collaborating to them is mutually beneficial, helping us to both share information and skills and also learn. - We are especially looking to learn more about influencing policy - our USP is that the charities are on the ground every day supporting displaced people, so we have great knowledge and access, yet we struggle to work successfully to transmit this information to the actors who need it in order to support humane policy change. - Working in the UK-France border zone is very much an uphill struggle, we need help and connections with others in order to be stronger and share common goals (also a big inspiration of why the charities started the consortium to begin with). We think we can find parts of this within the ALF Network and members. - It is time to start talking about the bigger picture, regarding the UK-France border zone. The 2024 UK elections could be a chance for improvement, yet simultaneously those in France pose a potential danger to our work and to the people we support. We are not only fighting against government policy, but also against discrimination, racism, ignorance and indifference, and we need to connect with others in order to create a real movement to be in any hope of successfully calling for lasting change. One topic we hope to bring to the network - provision of water by the French State in the border zone - the State agreed -thanks to data we provided and a court case we were involved in along with other charities- that it is their legal responsibility, yet there has been no timeline of when taps will be implemented. Until then, a Calais Appeal member is distributing 3,000 litres of water every day. This is a campaign where we can see a real potential outcome but need help to reach it. (strategy advice, legal contacts, mentoring, information etc.)Additional Information
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