Small Cog; facilitating humanity in the Jungle.

A small cog in a big humanitarian crisis, facilitating just getting stuff done, when it needs doing. Joining in solidarity and outreach with the 6000+ displaced men, women, and children currently clinging to their brutal, marginalised existence, on a disowned, weather-beaten, asbestos-ridden, industrial landfill site on the edge of Calais. It is bleak. It is hopeful yet heart-breaking. It is amazing and abhorrent all at once. ..it is the Jungle.

[smallcog-blog]

Pay Geoff Motyer using PayPal.Me

Go to paypal.me/smallcog and type in the amount. Since it’s PayPal, it's easy and secure. Don’t have a PayPal account? No worries. Getting one is fast and free.

Thank you, all of you, for your support. - Truly vital, however you show it.. :) x

[smallcog-blog]

How can I help, directly.?

Well, CALAIS NEEDS YOU.! - If you can, just get out there.! - It is desperate, miserable, and bleak. But it is full of all the hopes of humanity, the people are just incredible, kind and generous, and it is safe. 

The ‘ L’Auberge des Migrants’ warehouse has a mountain of donations which need constant processing and sorting, prior to the many daily van-distro runs into the Jungle camp itself. This is vital to maintaining a steady supply of urgently needed relief and aid to the 6000+ jungle locals. There is also a tremendous timber-frame production-line in the workshop here, fabricating timber frames prior to assembly in the Jungle. Plus many, many more essential activities and services, ever urgent and ever needed my someone.

Many of you ask ‘What is the most effective way of donating.?’, and ‘How can I honestly make a difference.?’ - Well, due to major NGO charities being unable to assist (the french government class the Jungle is an ILLEGAL camp, and thus won't allow major charities’ involvement, as this acts as a ‘pull’ for greater numbers of displaced people) the vast majority of the aid relief, building works, repair missions, clothing distribution runs, food distribution runs, fire fighting, outreach and just about anything and everything is done by a small number of very capable, multi-skilled, full-time volunteers. 

The way many of these folks survive (and it doesn't take much) is through generous donations and sponsorship from kind and caring folks like YOU.! - Your donations are spent on the immediacy of the day; van diesel, timber and screws for shelter construction, some rope and tarpaulin for the roof and walls. Maybe there’s an sick person who needs to get off site to the hospital or pharmacy.? Or wood-chip for the floor of the Good Chance theatre.? - Or is it the new school that needs the desks and chairs delivering.? - But first it’s some supplies for the One Spirit Ashram Kitchen, and a hospital gurney to the Flu inoculation tent.. via Toby’s pink caravan to offload some desperately needed tents and sleeping bags for distribution to soaking wet and freezing cold new arrivals. (all things that i was called-on to assist with two weeks ago). - And then a fire breaks out.. 

Every single day in the Jungle brings new problems seeking new and immediate answers. Every single thing you do has the potential to make someones day or even week. Seriously. - 14,16,18+ hour days.. when’s the weekend.? …who knows.? ..who cares.?! - We are all one people and will stand in solidarity with these people in these dire conditions. - The group of individuals who have stepped-up and are working solutions to the multitude of problems are amongst the greatest humans I have ever had the opportunity to work alongside. - All of our skill sets, wholly applied, for the best purposes, in the worst of situations. They (and me) need your support to be able to continue this humanitarian relief effort this winter.

These displaced refugees need our help. Now. 

As some of you have so generously done already, please help support me in my ongoing efforts facilitating aid relief, solidarity and outreach with these poor folks, our fellow human beings. Thank you.

paypal.me/smallcog

[smallcog-blog]

..not the beginning.

It is usual, when explaining something or telling a story, to start at the beginning. But sadly the global movement of such significant numbers of displaced peoples has now been spilling out for decades, even centuries. Even in our European community, there has always been the fluctuating ebb-and-flow of humanity from all corners of the globe, for many reasons; seeking freedom (now, there’s a word), peace and prosperity, fleeing war zones (of which there have been many), looking for religious tolerance, or better education and future for their children perhaps. Wether searching for their basic human rights, or even something so simple as sunny weather, people move about, always have, and always will.

So instead of going in search of the beginning of this thing, lets just start here, where we find our collective humanity now seemingly abandoned, slowly dying a suffocating death, in freezing, toxic, faecal mud…