NGO refugee project in Dunkirk, France

Details

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  Description

  We are a grassroots NGO formed in 2017, offering practical supporting to displaced people living in informal camps around Dunkirk, Northern France. We provide Water, Sanitation and Health (WASH) services and phone charging in camp, every day. We work hard to integrate sustainability and environmental considerations into all of our work, in many different ways. Due to smaller volunteer numbers and temporary funding issues some of our services have been reduced, but we are working hard to change this.
  
  We currently have 4 main projects; water, showers, charge and bins.
  
  Our water service operates every day; we ensure that people in the camps have a constant supply of clean drinking water. We deliver as much as 20,000L of water per day, through refilling IBCs across and camps and through bringing water to satellite camps.
  
  Our showers usually operate in camp, 4 days per week. They are made from recycled IBCs, hooked up to gas boilers which provide hot water. Currently we are working with other NGOs and the local municipality to provide showers in a local gym twice a week.
  
  We provide phone charging every day in camp - we have 2 big gazebos, with 4 specially-made charging tables, run with electric cables and a generator. A big part of the work we do in camp is setting all of this up and taking it back down again. This has been on hold awaiting funding but we are due to start this in the coming weeks again - just need volunteers to maintain it ;)
  
  There is no waste disposal in the camps, so we provide bins throughout the site, empty them regularly and we litter pick in camp every day possible.
  
  We also regularly support other organisations, for example, with food distribution.
  
  The work can be physically and emotionally draining - we work outside all day, no matter the weather - it can be very hot and dusty in summer and very cold and wet in winter. The camp can be an emotionally challenging environment to work in, especially for people who have never worked in this field before. It is really important that people are prepared for these challenges. Having said this, the work can also be a lot of fun, and we work with some incredible people, both in and out of camp, it’s not all bad!
  
  Our shifts are traditionally more than 5 hours long, however, we have agreed with workaway to offer split shifts so that people work 5 hours a day.
  
  Happy to have people who are also happy to help with Social Media - to help us improve our presence on both Facebook, Insta and ideally Tiktok :)

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Help with Eco Projects

  DIY and building projects

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You will meet fantastic people in and out of camp.
  
  You will gain practical skills and experience of field work, as well as logistical and administrative work if this interests you.
  
  You will gain a better understanding of the situation for displaced people in Northern France.

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  Help

  Our NGO could not run without volunteers, and we are lucky to continuously have amazing and motivated volunteers working with us. This has allowed us to expand our current projects and create new ones. We are looking for people with a good attitude and willingness to learn and follow instructions. We don’t require any particular skills or experience, but there are a few things that we are always in need of support with.
  
  We are always looking for people who are willing to support us with driving for our water service - if you are able and comfortable driving a medium sized van, this would be a huge help to us and we would love to have you here. If you come to us as a driver you won’t be driving all the time, you will still have a good variety of responsibilities.
  
  We are also looking for handy people who could do basic maintenance and repairs on our field equipment - this includes vans, generators, gazebos, electric cables, charging tables and gas boilers. If this is you please send us a message.
  
  Volunteers will be working directly with displaced people, so you must be open minded and professional at all times. We are particularly looking for people who have experience working with vulnerable people, who have a good understanding of boundaries and other important considerations. This is not a requirement but it is important that volunteers are willing to learn about appropriate behaviour and follow our safety protocols closely.
  
  Our services are in camp every day - typically volunteers will do a mixture of camp and warehouse days, with 2 days off per week if you are volunteering for more than one week. Both camp and warehouse days are fundamental to the operating of our services, so you must be happy to get involved and to get your hands dirty!
  
  We ask for volunteers to work for a minimum of 2/3 weeks in the summer, in winter we are more flexible.
  
  We operate in English, so it is important that you are confident speaking English. If you speak French, or any of the main languages in camp (Kurdish Sorani, Amharic, Urdu, Arabic amongst many more) that would be a great asset.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  We live in a converted warehouse, with a shared living space, kitchen, toilet and shower. We have various volunteer bedrooms - it is likely that you will be sharing a room. It’s very relaxed and friendly - we eat together most evenings, everyone puts money into a shopping budget and we share responsibility for doing grocery shopping.

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  What else ...

  On your days off you can use our bikes to visit the beautiful surrounding area. We are in cycling distance of Dunkirk beach, Bergues, Lille and Belgium! There are also many bus routes if you prefer to take the bus. We are a 2 minute walk from a basketball court if you want to play sports, and we are within short driving distance of a beautiful lake. If you prefer to just relax, you can have a quiet day in the warehouse.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  We are happy to accommodate people working online alongside volunteering with us, however, it is important to bear in mind that our work can be very tiring and our hours may not be appropriate for people who need to work regular hours, full-time.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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  This host charges a fee

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  Why does workaway.info allow listings of hosts who charge money?

  In developing countries (Where most hosts are involved in charity work or community development) some of our hosts may ask for a small donation to help the host family or charity (often less then 5 dollars per day) Workaway will allow this listing when the donation goes directly to the family or charity and is just to cover the cost of the volunteer‘s stay.  (This will be clearly marked on the host listing).
  We will strictly not allow listings posted by agents, “middle men” or projects who we feel are looking to profit from a volunteers stay.
   

   

   

  Donation towards accommodation and food costs - 50€ per week for 1st month, 40€ per week 2nd month - accommodation is free after two months

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