DONATION APPEAL SUPPORT BARAC UK HUMANITARIAN AID AND

     

DONATION APPEAL  

SUPPORT BARAC UK HUMANITARIAN AID AND  

SOLIDARITY WORK WITH REFUGEES IN FRANCE   

"To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity." - Nelson Mandela   

 

BARAC has been coordinating regular monthly aid convoys to Calais since summer 2015 to support people who are refugees stuck in limbo in horrific conditions in Calais and in Dunkerque. In addition to the regular distribution of food, toiletries, clothes, camping equipment and other essential items including addressing cultural and religious needs, we have carried out solidarity and fact-finding visits.  

There are four key ways to help support our humanitarian aid and solidarity work with refugees in France:  

1. Donate to the BARAC UK Humanitarian Appeal by visiting the GoFundMe page here: https://www.gofundme.com/nvbvy8qc. Alternatively send a cheque made payable to ‘BARAC UK’ with the form below to: Zita Holbourne, BARAC National Chair, PCS National Vice President,  PCS HQ, 160 Falcon Road, London, SW11 2LN.   
2. Drop off essential items to our distribution point at PCS HQ. Please address items (see list of items needed below) to: Zita Holbourne, PCS NEC, C/O Harvey Jacob (for Calais), PCS HQ, 160 Falcon Road, London, SW11 2LN.   
3. Sponsor transport & travel. For details on how you can sponsor a future humanitarian visit please contact Zita Holbourne, BARAC Co Chair by email: Barac.info@gmail.com  
4. Join the BARAC convoy by bringing a vehicle.  To coordinate efforts and include your own vehicle on a future humanitarian visit please contact Zita Holbourne, BARAC Co-Chair by email: Barac.info@gmail.com  

Items needed include:   

Clothes: Mainly men’s but also women’s and children’s.  Small and medium size boxer shorts/ underwear, gloves, scarves, hats, waterproof coats, socks  and shoes (waterproof and size 7 or 8 men’s),  hoodies, jogging bottoms, fleeces.

Camping equipment:  Warm blankets, emergency blankets, sleeping bags, tarpaulin, ground mats, tent pegs, tents, camping stoves and gas cylinders, cooking pots, utensils, torches.

Toiletries: Sanitary towels, wipes, tooth brushes, toothpaste, anti-bacterial hand gel, shower gel, shampoo (including for African hair), razors, skin cream,  coconut oil, body butters including cocoa and shea, African hair products, halal toiletries.

Food in bulk supply:  Extra virgin olive oil, basmati rice, sea salt, fresh chillies, black pepper, fresh and powdered spices, coconut milk, vinegars, mustard, tahini, harissa, sumac, honey, dried fruit and nuts, dates, golden syrup, sugar, fresh garlic and ginger, fresh vegetables and fruit, tinned fish, long life mil, filter coffee, pulses and beans.

Mobile phones and sim cards. Washing up sponges / liquid, cleaning products, catering kitchen towel and cling film, large bin bags.

DONATION FORM   

To donate please complete and return this form together with a cheque or alternatively pay directly into our account bank account.  

• I wish to give a donation towards BARAC’s humanitarian aid and solidarity work with refugees’ in  

France;  

    £250    £100      £50         £35         £25        £10       Other £ .….….….….….  

• I enclose a cheque for a total of        £ ..........                   Payable to BARAC UK Or  
• I have paid the following amount          £………..           into the BARAC Bank Account:  BARAC UK Bank details:  Barclays Bank    Sort Code: 20 67 90     Account No:  53317803  

 

Signature:                                                                                     Date:   

Name of Organisation (if applicable)   

Contact Name:                                                                      Position:  

Address:   

 

Tel no.:                                                                                      Email:   

Please return this donation form (and cheque) to:  

BARAC UK  

C/O Zita Holbourne, National Co-Chair BARAC UK  

PCS HQ, 160 Falcon Road, London,   

SW11 2LN  

Alternatively email to: barac.info@gmail.com  Thank you for your support   Web: www.blackactivistsrisingagainstcuts.blogspot.com   Twitter:  @baracuk       Facebook:  BARAC UK   

BARAC Humanitarian Work: Report on our January aid distribution in Calais and Dunkerque

CLICK HERE TO DONATE AND SUPPORT 

On Saturday 30th January  BARAC UK distributed the food, blankets, hair and skin products, sanitary towels and other toiletries we purchased with your donations in Calais. We took a mixture of traditional foods, fresh vegetables and fruit and basic food supplies. We also had toiletries supplied by Lush, sleeping bags, clothes and toiletries donated by Maria Ishfiaq who wrote about her fundraising efforts for our distribution in previous update and adult and children's books donated by Newham Bookshop. 

On arrival the 'camp' in Calais was unrecognisable due to people being crowded into a smaller space due to government imposed exclusion zones. We saw far more young children than before. 

BARAC distributed the food and toiletries/ clothes packs with the help of some friends living in the 'camp' who are refugees. The food was divided between the community kitchens at the 'camp.'

The sleeping bags and blankets were distributed to new arrivals , the Lush supplies and sanitary towels went to the women's centre and the books to the 'camp' library. 

After distributing the items we filled our van with family sized tents which had been donated to L'Auberge des Migrants to take to another 'camp' in Dunkerque. Police surrounding the camp refused to allow tents to be taken into the camp although they were much needed and searched everyone going in and out. Conditions there were even worse than Calais , extremely muddy, many families with young children, people cooking on open fires and just a handful of toilets and a couple of showers. We discovered that there are no facilities to wash clothes and due to the mud, clothes soon become dirty and have to be discarded. 

We aim to take aid going forward to both Calais and Dunkerque. 

Our transport and travel costs were met for this humanitarian visit and the previous two by the Public and Commercial Service Union. If you are interested in sponsoring a future distribution please contact us. Sponsorship of travel and transport means that the money we raise here goes directly towards food, toiletries and essential items. 

Please continue to donate and share details of our work to bring aid and solidarity to our sisters and brothers fleeing war, poverty, persecution and climate change. 

We appreciate everyone who has contributed, be this financially, with donations or by giving their time. but without donations we would have nothing to distribute. Our  next humanitarian visit to the camps in France will be in March.

 If you want to donate items please contact us so we can provide you with details of our drop off point.

 If you want to make a financial contribution to the items we purchase, please use the link at the top of this article.

The CWU union and GMB union at CWU have agreed donations to sponsor our transport and travel for the next distribution. If you would like to sponsor please contact us by email barac.info@gmail.com

Please keep giving what you can so that we can do what we can to ensure our sisters and brothers have some shelter, warm clothing and food.  But please also continue to challenge myths and lies about refugees and migrants fleeing climate change, persecution, poverty and war, designed to scaremonger and spread hatred. 



Thank you and Solidarity 

BARAC UK

SUPPORT THE WORK OF BARAC CAMPAIGNING AGAINST RACISM, CUTS & INJUSTICE BY AFFILATING OR DONATING

BARAC Affiliation and Donation Form

To affiliate or donate to Black Activists Rising Against Cuts (BARAC) UK please complete and return this form along with payment to:

BARAC UK

c/o Zita Holbourne, National Co-Chair BARAC UK

PCS HQ

160 Falcon Road

London SW11 2LN

Or pay directly into our account

Black Activists Rising Against Cuts (BARAC) UK, Barclays Bank

Account no:  53317803        Sort Code: 20 67 90

• I wish to affiliate to BARAC at an annual cost of:

¨ £5 individual concession

¨ £15 individual waged

¨ £25 local organisation

¨ £50 trade union branch or trades council

¨ £100 national organisation

* I also wish to give a donation towards BARAC’s work:

¨ £250  ¨ £100     ¨ £50     ¨ £35     ¨ £25     ¨ £10    ¨ Other £_______

I/ We enclose a cheque/postal order for a total of £_______ payable to BARAC.

I/We  have made a direct payment into your account for the total of £__________

Signature ___________________________ Date __ __ / __ __ / __ __ __ __ 

Individual / organisation details

Organisation
Contact name
Position
Address
Telephone
Email

 Tick here to join the BARAC email list :  

Communicating with BARAC:

Email: barac.info@gmail.com

Follow on twitter:  @BARACUK

Facebook: ‘Black Activists Rising Against Cuts’

Web: www.blackactivistsrisingagainstcuts.blogspot.com

Telephone:  07984181797

Thank you for supporting the work of BARAC, opposing racism and injustice, campaigning against the disproportionate impact of cuts on black workers, service users and communities.