Two BYUH alumnae set off to serve refugees in Europe this past summer after being inspired by a talk given in General Conference about the current refugee crisis. “These people are vulnerable,” recent ICS grad Rebecca Sabalones said, “They have no nation and no government to back them up. They have very few people on their side who can help them.” Sabalones, who is from Indiana, spent four days serving with her friend Victoria Jaques, an English major graduate from England, in two secluded refugee camps in the forests of France. While there, the two distributed food and clothing donated by local businesses and grocery stores, cleaned up trash around the camps, and met refugees from all over Africa and the Middle East. Jaques said, “The most important thing I would want people to know about the refugee situation in France is the negative portrayals of refugees in the media is not a fair representation. While we were there we heard a lot of negativity from various sources about refugees being violent; but it’s important that people stay open minded. “Everyone we encountered was seeking peace, and we were always treated with respect and kindness by all of the refugees. We also witnessed that, although they were essentially stuck, they were still incredibly resourceful and wanting to progress.” According to Sabalones, the exact locations of the camps are being kept hidden from the public because the refugees have been targeted in the past by French citizens who don’t want them in their country. Sabalones described the process of getting to the first camp in Dunkerque as: “We got off at a stop our friends had gotten off at the day before, and then they told us to go wait for this old white van near the stop. “We go to the location they told us to go and there are like 15 people waiting; a couple of volunteers, but most of them refugees. It was pretty sketchy, but we were just going on faith, you know? Then the white van comes and it’s old and beat up, but it’s driven by a friendly white woman. We just got on without really knowing where we were going and not really knowing French or anything else. Bada-bing, we’re there.” Sabalones then spoke about getting to the other camp in Calais, “Once we get to the Calais camp, it was like stepping into a third-world country.” Sabalones described “the Calais Jungle” after her time there. “The entire thing is laid with rocks, dirt and mud. It’s cold there even in the summer, but many were only wearing slippers, T-shirts, and shorts,” she said. She continued, “There are no proper houses; most live in tents while the nicest dwellings there are made of thin wood boards and tarps. Some of the refugees have been there long enough that they have made small shops and restaurants. Those are the biggest ‘buildings’ there, but they are still made of the same [materials].” She also mentioned the refugees can only use port-a-potties for latrines. The Calais Jungle is home to 7,300 refugees as of July, according to BBC. Dunkerque sits about 25 miles east of the Calais Jungle and is home to about 3,000 refugees, according to Al Jazeera. Jaques added, “The mood in the camps were pretty oppressive because litter was everywhere and the fences make you feel somewhat contained. However, I think there was a feeling of resilience there too; many people try to focus on where they want to go next.” Sabalones said some of the refugees have been in the camps for several months, with a select few who have been there for longer than a year. She explained the refugees are waiting for a chance to either get their papers to enter the United Kingdom or to sneak out and try to enter England illegally. Many who try the latter option leave the camps on trucks almost every night, Sabalones added. Sabalones said it is also fairly common practice for western women to visit the camps, where refugee men will pay 6,000-8,000 pounds for her hand in marriage so he can apply for his immigration papers. The organizations that got Sabalones and Jaques into the camps are Utopia 56 and L’Auberge des Migrants. Utopia 56’s website says, “Our goal is to mobilize and manage volunteers to help refugees concentrated in northern France. We work in cooperation with all the organizations working on this territory for a while and willing to collaborate. We organize about 2,700 volunteer work days a month and count 3,000 members.” To volunteer at either of these organization, visit www.utopia56.com/en or the L’Auberge des Migrants Facebook page. The LDS Church’s website, iwasastranger.lds.org, is dedicated to helping people get involved with offering aid in the refugee effort. Sabalones offered a word of advice, “Don’t believe everything you’re told [about refugees] and find out for yourself. If we had listened to the some of the bigger voices in our lives, we wouldn’t have had these opportunities or have met these people.....There is a plan and design for our lives and it is up to you to take it. Live without regret and allow love and understanding to take over fearful thoughts. Reach out!” In Elder Patrick Kearon’s general conference talk, “Refuge from the Storm,” he promised, “Meeting refugee families and hearing their stories with your own ears, and not from a screen or newspaper, will change you. Real friendships will develop and will foster compassion and successful integration.”
Writer: Alex Maldonado
