I am sorry but its not so easy! If you are really interested youve got a bit of reading to do.
I simply cannot give any overview of what is going on in a few minutes, or a short few sentences The situation is huge and complex, but there are similarities of stories from many countries. SO thank you for your interest, but its really great if you want to invest a small chunk of a day to inform yourself. Heres a few starting points for you. So, go get a hot drink and a snack, make yourself comfortable... and here goes some suggestions! Happy reading!
http://dev.areyousyrious.org/ ARE YOU SYRIOUS Daily news digests from the field, mainly for volunteers and refugees on the route. Superbly breif and horribly informative. Google "are you syrious daily digest" for their daily updates. Tells you whats going on in every European country and beyond. Give it a look PLEASE!
If you have questions about why do refugees want to go to the UK, this Huffington post article is useful..http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/why-do-calais-migrants-want-to-come-to-britain-and-why-dont-refugees-stay-in-france_uk_580e0fade4b0fce107d15dfa
For the currnent situation in Calais, see video/vimeo "still feeding the need" from July 2017 showing current situation in Calais "The refugee crisis in Calais and Dunkirk is presently worse than it's been and help is needed more now than ever. The refugees continue to arrive, fleeing their uninhabitable homelands - hoping to find some peace and a place to settle. They are living in extremely difficult conditions. As there are no camps, they are being forced into the woods and wasteland, avoiding the authorities who are increasingly harassing them and making it difficult for volunteers to deliver aid. This film is an overview of the present situation and a plea for help. " https://vimeo.com/225313195 which shows the work of RCK ... Refugee community kitchen, which leads me to..
refugeecommunitykitchen.com. "Feeding people without Judgement", in Calais and Dunkirk France, and beyond. This site provides latest information and how to volunteer in France.
www.calaidipedia.co.uk provides lots of information including the below snippet...
The number of refugees in Calais increases day by day - but at present the authorities are determined not to allow camps to develop. Consequently, the CRS constantly seek to move them on whenever they find them. Their tactics involve seizing and destroying any tents and sleeping bags they find, and preventing volunteers from establishing regular food and water supplies.
In response to this inhumane behaviour, 12 organisations took the Calais authorities to court in late Spring 2017 resulting in many of their demands being met. Read more details here and here
And so, the refugees are reliant upon volunteers from the UK and Europe to provide them with the absolute basics to survive. Please see the links below to learn how you can help.
UTIOPIA 56 for French speakers www.utopia56.com/fr the grassroots organisation working in Calais and Paris. and in English www.utopia56.com/en. In Paris, volunteers from Utopia 56 also work in the street, in the distribution of blankets. Every night, they put teenage refugees in the hôtel. They are sleeping on the street and do not fit into official schemes for various reasons. These are mainly first-timers, who do not speak a word of english. Come and help us !In Calais, Utopia 56 volunteers continue to help the refugees who remained, including marauders and help at l’Auberge des Migrants/Help Refugees. It is still possible to register with Utopia 56 and be hosted for 5 or 10 euros a night.
HELP REFUGEES not simply another aid organization. We’re a group of everyday people, taking joint action to improve lives of refugees. In less than two years, we’ve become the biggest facilitator of grassroots aid on the continent, with more than 80 projects across Europe and the Middle East.https://helprefugees.org.uk/
REFUGEES IN GREECE Theres loads of amazing organisations...In Greece, suggest you google Moria camp, Lesbos, Greece. to find out how horrific it is. A volunteers report mhttps://embercombe.org/two-weeks-in-moria-refugee-camp. Or read "better days for Moria which is an umbrella organisation" or read http://lesvos.w2eu.net/tag/moria/ ... the camps main info website. Another island with thousands of refugees living in grim circumstances is Chios... see for example report in guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/28/refugees-greece-europe-dirty-secret-chios-detention-centres-bursting-point. Every Greek Island and mainland Athens have their stories.
NEWSPAPERS Newspapers that give reasonable informatoin are the Guardian and Independent. Very little reporting about refugees in Europe from any newspapers in UK. No reporting does not mean nothing happening.
WHERE ARE REFUGEES COMING FROM? Refugees are coming from Iraq, Kurdish people from Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Sudan, Oromo, Sudan, Syria, Pakistan, maybe you dont even know where some of these places are? Google why refugees leave these countries and look at the levels of conflict in those countries. A common denominator is that all these countries are rich in oil and mineral deposits... ask yourself why the people are leaving, follow the money, find out who pays for the army training, who pays for the bombs and guns, And it will be an interesting experience.
WHERE TO DONATE I would suggest that if you are moved and wish to send something to help refugees in Europe or elsewhere, you do NOT pay dontations to the Red cross or UNHCR or Save the Children etc, because they are doing little, or no, work becuase the camps are "not legal camps" and are out of their "remit". Inform yourself about that too. If you want to make donations and are bewildered, ask me through contact page and ill give you a few ideas. Use my contact page!
THANK YOU FOR PERSEVERING... If you did you are amazing ! We cannot feed ourselves on instant fixes. This refugee thing has been happening for a long time ... If you are really touched, please try and meet a real refugee, find out what you can do in your own town, it doesnt necessarily mean going to a camp, it could just be meeting someone in a cafe for a chat, taking some socks to a collection point and meeting other volunteers, or to something as big as hosting a refugee i your home, or simple and fun like doing a fundraiser. Anything that helps you get informed and and meet people and see we are all the same. ONE LOVE. ONE HEART. PS Ive got to say that although going to Calais was not the easiest thing Ive ever done, I can say for sure that the people I met there, refugees and volunteers were the greatest inspirations of my life. THANK YOU.