Heartwarming Letters to Refugees Written by Schoolchildren

Letters to refugees written by schoolchildren

A month has passed since I volunteered with refugees in Calais and I’m still trying to gather my thoughts. Do you ever find that words evaporate when you try and express your feelings on a matter close to the heart? That’s how I feel about my experience in Calais.

You try, and you try, and you try, but your head is not your heart. Words fail to convey those visceral feelings that surge through your stomach and soar above anything you could ever possibly wish to express through mere vowels and consonants.

However, during my time in Calais, I came across this beautiful act of kindness that showed me it’s not always the words that matter the most, it’s the gesture that carries the greatest sentiment.

I came to realise this one morning last month when a few other volunteers and I were unpacking donations that had been delivered to the charity Care4Calais. What typically happens is we unpack and sort donations in the morning, and in the afternoon we’ll go to the refugee camp to distribute what items are appealed for the most.

A large portion of the donations are clothes, so when we opened a large quantity of boxes donated by Dolphin School in the UK and found drawstring bags filled with hygiene paraphernalia, we were very happy. But there were more to these drawstring bags than meets the eye… I looked inside one of the pouches, and drew a gasp at what I found.

Nestled amongst the toothpaste, hand sanitiser and body wash was a handwritten note by a child which read, ‘My name is George. I am 7 years old. Good luck. I hope things improve soon’. We checked another bag and found another handwritten note. There must have been 150 or so bags, maybe more, and most included little multi-coloured drawings too – some were even laminated! Finding the notes filled me with wonder, like finding a washed up message in a bottle along the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

Letters to refugees from schoolchildren

I could have spent the whole afternoon reading every single message but there was no time, we had to go to the camp so we hauled them into the van along with T-shirts, hats and underwear. Distribution involves taking the items to a steel storage container inside the camp so refugees can collect what they require.

There are usually four volunteers inside the container, two at the front who collect information from the refugees such as items they’d like and clothing size. The other two volunteers stand further inside the container to pass the requests forward. Then there are usually another four or five who need to manage the queue which can often be a few hundred people over a three-hour period.

On this particular day I was standing inside the container, passing forward the donations. A heat wave was bubbling over Calais that week so there was a lack of cool air circulating at the back of the container. This made t-shirts and caps a popular request for the refugees, and the sanitation packs were also helpful as warmer weather exasperates sanitation problems inside the crowded camp and the need to keep on top of hygiene becomes greater. When we say, prevention is better than the cure, it’s never felt so crucial.

Each time a refugee requested one of school’s donations, my heart leaped with joy. I imagined what their expression would be like as they found the notes inside. Perhaps not all of them would be able to read the words, but the drawings offered a way of communicating beyond language. The universal symbol of smiling faces, homes, rainbows and sunshine had been carefully yet naively drawn. The younger the age, the shakier the hand movements and the bigger the words, though that’s not necessarily true. Something so imperfect had never looked more perfect. Each jagged line and misspelled word read like an unblemished melody of what it’s like to learn and love as a child.

Letters to refugees from schoolchildren

As I saw the refugees reach out to collect the donations given by the schoolchildren I felt incredibly moved. We all know the refugee crisis is a very polarising and convoluted situation to understand, that’s why so many people chose not to get involved in the discussion. But this did not discourage this particular school from teaching their schoolchildren about suffering and war, and how their actions can positively make a difference.

Seeing this act of kindness brought together by teachers and pupils provides greater hope for our future. Knowing these youngsters are going to grow older and hopefully develop the values they’ve been exposed to early on in life. We’re living in precarious times right now and a lot more compassion needs to be going around. We need it. Our country needs it. The world needs it.

Teaching young children to love and show compassion to people regardless of race, creed, colour and social background is the best thing we can do for mankind. These children have touched so many hearts and I want them to know their beautiful little messages have been received with the same joy they were created with.

If you would like to donate please visit care4calais for more details.
If you would like to learn more about the refugee crisis in Calais read my earlier post here

4 responses

  1. I love this post Shing. Like you say its so good to know that somewhere out there kids are being pointed on the right path to being good, kind and compassionate beings. Their minds are so open to anything at that age, and its wonderful to know this school is filling those minds with goodness and love rather than poison and hate. Thanks for sharing this.

    1. Glad you enjoyed reading about this school Sarah, they certainly set a good example. Those growing up in an environment like this that encourages love, consideration and open-mindedness will surely foster some wonderful individuals!

  2. Reading this has made me feel more optimistic about those who will one day be guiding our country. If this last week has taught us anything, it’s that our leaders could benefit from further schooling in morality, open-mindedness and compassion.

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