The Refugee Women’s Centre provides holistic support to migrant women and families living in informal outdoor settlements in Calais and Dunkirk, as well as in accommodation centres in the surrounding areas. As a women-for-women organisation, they are dedicated to creating safe spaces for women and children. Their mission is to provide the means for these individuals to live with dignity, advocate for their access to shelter, and ensure that their human rights are upheld.
The RWC operates as a mobile unit, run entirely by volunteers—a small team of nine to fourteen
volunteers, supported by remote team members and funded through donations. Volunteers
engage in a variety of activities, which may include distributing material aid, connecting people
with professional services, and performing casework, including supporting women who have
experienced sexual or gender-based violence. Additionally, they run psychosocial activities, all
aimed at addressing the multifaceted needs of the displaced women and families we support.
The women and families RWC assist face numerous barriers to education, justice, healthcare, and
other essential rights. Often living without adequate shelter, they rely on NGOs to provide the
basic necessities for survival. RWC’s work is guided by values of respect, collaboration,
anti-oppressive practices, solidarity, and intersectional feminism. Accommodation is provided by RWC.
Experience required: voluntary/work experience in social work or with refugees, recommended for 2nd/3rd year+ students that have at least one relevant work/voluntary experience on their CV, French speakers and speakers of Kurdish (Sorani), Farsi, Arabic, Tigrinya or Amharic are especially welcome.
Placement length: 4-8 weeks
Accommodation: Volunteers stay in the RWC volunteer accommodation and contribute €100 per month each to cover this and RWC’s activities, this can be raised as part of the team fundraising.
Note: only women or non-binary people are able to be accepted on this placement.
Read more about
● Refugee Women’s Centre Volunteer Role Description and Person Specification: [forthcoming]
● Website: https://refugeewomenscentre.com/
Useful Links before coming
● Updates on our work & context: https://www.instagram.com/refugee_womens_centre/
● Updates on the context: https://www.infomigrants.net/en/tag/calais/
● Video Resources and Books:
https://laubergedesmigrants.fr/fr/lauberge-des-migrants/aller-plus-loin
Video
A typical day as a volunteer with the Refugee Women’s Centre in Calais and
Dunkirk: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cu2Wxdih_V4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
InterVol 