Refugee Realities

For years, thousands of forcibly displaced people have been left in limbo in Calais, France, where they suffer from a lack of care and police crackdowns. Recently, as the Russian War is devastating Ukraine and forcing millions to flee, European countries (including France) are opening their borders and homes to Ukrainian refugees. What explains such different responses? In this episode, Johana Bretou-Klein sits down with Ruby and Holly, two volunteers of the Calais Food Collective, to discuss the issue. The Calais Food Collective in a grassroots organisation supporting displaced people in Calais primarily with cooking ingredients and equipment. We asked them about their experiences with government restrictions on the ground in Calais, and if they thought the efforts put towards Ukrainian refugees could be replicated.

Show Notes

For years, thousands of forcibly displaced people have been left in limbo in Calais, France, where they suffer from a lack of care and police crackdowns. Recently, as the Russian War is devastating Ukraine and forcing millions to flee, European countries (including France) are opening their borders and homes to Ukrainian refugees. What explains such different responses? In this episode, Johana Bretou-Klein sits down with Ruby and Holly, two volunteers of the Calais Food Collective, to discuss the issue. The Calais Food Collective in a grassroots organisation supporting displaced people in Calais primarily with cooking ingredients and equipment. We asked them about their experiences with government restrictions on the ground in Calais, and if they thought the efforts put towards Ukrainian refugees could be replicated. 

Johana is an MSc student in the IDHE programme specializing in the humanitarian impacts of climate change and works as an analyst for a think tank focusing on these issues. Being French, she was especially aware of her governments’ role in treating and hosting refugees, especially in the chaos of Calais. She wants to understand more about the role of government in handling asylum seekers and wants to work towards improving refugee hosting efforts. 

The Calais Food Collective: https://calaisfood.wixsite.com/calaisfood  

What is Refugee Realities?

To help celebrate and bring awareness to Refugee Week UK 2023, we are pleased to introduce Season 3 of ‘Refugee Realities’, a podcast series created by students on the Forced Displacement and Refugees course in the Department of International Development. In the lead up to UK Refugee Week we’ll be releasing student-recorded podcasts each day. Like the course, the topics covered are eclectic.

For a complete listing of Refugee Week events or to get involved, check out the Refugee Week website at https://refugeeweek.org.uk/ and follow Refugee Week on Instagram @refugeeweekuk and on Twitter and Facebook @RefugeeWeek. In the meantime, stay tuned for the podcasts.