These two were happily playing in the mud when I passed by. Some volunteers stopped to give them candy and hugs. For a second the camp felt less like a camp and more like a playground. Their childish energy made everyone smile and feel a bit hopeful for a moment. In an attempt to start a conversation I asked the girls what they would like to be when they grow up. The question got lost in translation but the youngest answered: “I love my big sister!” Then the oldest pointed at my cell phone and said: “selfie! selfie!” So right before we said goodbye we took a selfie. (Dunkirk)

“You know.. We have reporters entering the camp all the time. They come in with their big camera’s, they take a few photo’s ask a few questions and then leave again. No matter how many photo’s they take or how many stories we tell them, nothing changes. We are still stuck here in the mud while our lives pass by. We don’t need another story written about us, we need a solution.” (Dunkirk)

“My sister has been sick for days. She has a fever. They promised us the doctor will come tomorrow to check up on her. At night we are cold, I think that is why she is not getting better. Daddy says we left Kurdistan because of IS. When we came here we thought we would be safe but it’s not safe at all. I miss school and my friends. I haven’t been to school in one year. I try to talk to the volunteers but I don’t speak English very well. That’s why I want to go to school, to learn English and to make new friends.” (Dunkirk)

“In Iran I was working as a model and I went to an international high school. Because of the rough political situation my brother and I decided to leave. We imagined Europe to be a safe haven. Our final destination is and has always been Britain. We have family there. We left when I was 18 and now I’m 20. We have done most of our journey by foot and it has been extremely rough. We experienced terrible things on the road. We have been kept in prison in Macedonia for 20 days with barely any food. Also the Belgium police have arrested us because we tried to get to Britain by truck. When they found us they drove us 68 kilometers from this camp and dropped us in the woods. They took away our money, our two cellphones and our coats and sweaters. It was raining and we couldn’t stop shivering from the cold. We just kept on walking until we found our way back to this camp. I have many more stories but I’m saving them. One day I will write a book about all of this.”

“After seeing a photo of that little boy who washed down the shore I said to myself, that’s it. I can no longer sit around and do nothing. I have four children myself and if they were in danger I would like someone to help them out. I started to collect money from friends and family. With the money we collect we buy things like water, food and needed supplies. I even sent out an email to the golf society asking for donations. There was one person who replied explaining his views on the refugee crises and why he didn’t want to donate. Later on we had a fundraising event and he ended up donating a big cheque.”

I have just returned from a trip to Dunkirk where I visited a refugee camp, known as ‘‘The forgotten Jungle’’. Since October 2015 about 3000 refugees including 300 children, mainly Kurds from Iraq, Syria and Iran who have settled into Dunkirk to make the cross over to Britain. These refugees have travelled thousands of kilometres and faced horrific obstacles on their way. People have varied reasons for wishing to come to the United Kingdom but many want to reunite with their family in the UK. The camp is build out of camping tents and due to the constant rainfall the site has turned into one big mud bath. The facilities are extremely minimal and the refugees fully depend on the goodwill of volunteers from all over Europe. I’m still very overwhelmed with the circumstances in the camp. In the next few days I will be sharing stories of the refugees and volunteers of Dunkirk.