DICTIONARIES, calculators and colouring pencils are being collected by a group of Wokingham women to help Syrian refugees in Calais.
Following the generous donations by the local community in September last year, an appeal has been set up to help a makeshift school in the French refugee camp.
Mum-of-two Rachel Bradley, who helped to set up the Facebook group Gossip Girls in Action – Wokingham for Syria last year, said that the focus had shifted from collecting essential items to supporting the refugees in their transition.
She said: “We no longer need as much food or clothing, but we are thinking about the 500 children who are currently in the camp. A school has been set up for them so they can continue with their studies but they are in desperate need of dictionaries and calculators.
Jane Ainslie, who will be delivering donations to the camp in June, said: “The children all want to continue learning, and a lot of them speak very good English, so the dictionaries will not only help them but some of the young adults who will be looking for work once they arrive in the UK as well.
“What people need to realise is that these refugees don’t want to come here to take our benefits, they actually think it is absurd that you would be given money for not working, so they want to work and contribute. But the problem with a lot of the skilled professionals is that their qualifications either aren’t transferable or they simply left them behind when they left their homes. Being able to speak English will be a massive benefit to them.”
The women are also members of a council steering group which will eventually help to rehouse a number of Syrian families within the borough.
Rachel said: “The work will continue once they get here, they will have nothing so we will need to look into getting them back on their feet. Nothing is finalised yet but it is going in the right direction.”
Vickie Robertson has been speaking with the many local schools and companies who have pledged their support, and has set up an Amazon ‘wishlist’ website where people can buy items that are needed.
She said: “The children I have spoken to are desperate to help, they see it as simply as ‘that child is in trouble, and I want to help’. They don’t have the politics and the preconceptions that adults do. We have been asking schools to donate colouring books and pencils to bring a little cheer to the Syrian children, things that we take for granted but mean a lot to the refugees.”
For more information on the items needed, search Facebook for Gossip Girls in Action – Wokingham for Syria, or visit http://amzn.to/23ZBe6x to view the wishlist.
Items that are currently being collected: (all cans need to have a ring pull)
- Solar torches and lights
- Tuna
- Rice
- Tinned tomatoes
- Cooking oil
- Sugar
- Salt
- Tea and coffee
- Chickpeas
- Tinned lentils
- UHT milk
- Vegetable stock cubes
