Dunkirk Refugee Children’s Centre (refugeechildrenscentres.org) is an organization operating in La Liniere, a refugee camp in Dunkirk, France. The camp is home to approximately 1,500 refugees from the middle eastern regions, and with a capacity of 2,500, the population is expected to continue rising. The Children’s Centre is open on a daily basis and offers children the opportunity to come and engage in play and socialization, ultimately helping them to regain a childhood that has been so unjustly taken from them.
CLDR is partnering with Dunkirk Refugee Children’s Centre because their mission is very much aligned with ours, and because we too want to do everything we can to help the youngest victims of what is now the world’s largest humanitarian crisis since World War II. We as a community know how critical child life services are, and the Children’s Centre is eager to have our help.
Caralyn Perlee, CLDR Director of International Relations, will be heading to the camp in February to begin establishing what we hope will be a strong and consistent presence within the organization. Qualified, long-term volunteers are needed. If you feel that you might be able to give 1-3 months, please contact Caralyn at [email protected] for more information.
If you are unable to give time, there are other ways to help. Caralyn has started a fundraising effort to be put towards travel expenses and cost of living while at the camp. Additional funds raised will be used towards sending other child life volunteers to France. The link can be found here https://youcaring.com/caralynperlee-729207. Please feel free to share the link with your friends, family and coworkers to support this cause.
If you have any ideas for how we as a community can further contribute to aiding in this cause, please reach out.
Thank you everyone, and Happy New Year!
Additional Info: CLDR is a partnering organization working to integrate child life professionals’ expertise to support children in disaster and crisis. You can read more about our vision, mission, and scope of practice here.