The Refugee Crisis.......they are now implementing the obvious solution re housing, thankfully!

General Discussion
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwKLgTUb-EQ


In case you were wondering, she's not my alter-ego......feel free to cut this exerpt short...


Where is 'International Rescue', when you need them, Virgil?


Seriously folks,


More grim reports from the frontline of the refugee crisis, in Greece...Terrible to see, still, after all this time, the pathetic fields, of woefully inadequate tent cities...So much for the good of being in the EU ...if this whole crisis had been managed better, then I would maybe, be more convinced !


I'm sure I am not the only person on this site who has wondered why there hasn't been an attempt to establish better long term, temporary accommodation at each countries borders ?


Anyone who has taught in a London school, will be familiar with the good old Portacabin ?


http://www.portakabin.co.uk/building-uses.html


Surely, by now these should be being used at the centre of all refugee sites ..they now come equipped with solar power options etc, are warm, dry and can be furnished and sited with landscaping and other facilities needing an office ( eg. medical centre, shop, school, etc.)


Funding this, would I am sure be a drop in the ocean of the EU's budget....Turkey, should be recieving the maximum financial help, to establish good bases( some way inside it's borders with Syria).....as the nearest safe place. These could be developed over time into small towns with amenities, to make life more bearable for the refugees, until such time as Syria becomes a safe place to return to.


Prosperous companies working in this area could be encouraged (by tax breaks ?) to donate and or transport these container/cabins to the places where they are desperately needed.


Seems that Germany has had to make a major investment in this area....


http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/668b4bd0-3b75-11e5-bbd1-b37bc06f590c.html#axzz42DgyZkQx


If anyone knows of a charity working in this area, I would be interested in hearing about it.

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You're damned if you do & you'e damned if you don't.

You talk about woefully inadequate tent cities but the Jungle at Calais is worse. So the french authorities have started to provide the portacabins you mention. These have become "shipping containers" in the press & any attempt to move the migrants in to them from the disease ridden polythene shelters has become "forcing migrants out of their homes".

It's a no-win situation.

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We send aid via our volunteers to Dunkirk (Sarah is there now) Calais, Paris and other smaller welcome centres throughout France and on a personal level as well as France and Beyond I am a member of the www.socksforrefugees.com team sending socks all over France, Europe, Syria, Iraq and Turkey

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BBC news today....Greek camps like a swamp after heavy overnight rain, terrible conditions.

Hope at last, via the EU agreement announcing that Turkey will take people back (interesting to see how this will be implemented if people don't want to go tho'), and footage of Turkish long term camps with much better facilities -not tents but portakabin like buildings, small roads, etc....

If this had happened alot earlier,then this might have stemmed the flow of people and repatriation may not have been necessary.....It has been obvious for ages that the situation in Syria is dire and not going to improve in the near future. The powers that be in the EU, should have recognised this much earlier......but perhaps,with all it's various committees etc., it's just not capable of reacting with any speed..

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Thanks Katherine,

Just taken a look at the site, I note that a container of stuff went across from the Garonne in mid January to Syria.....

Doesn't mention the migrant camps...the need there may well be greater (when you see the news footage of the buildings in Syria it seems unlikely that there could be anyone living there now (why would one stay if one could leave, with all that destruction and danger around).....

I wonder if the schools in France, are doing what I know has been done by kids in the Uk - and that is to imagine a girl or boy of a particular age and fill a shoe box of useful items and toys, sweets etc. as a gift. Great idea to keep the spirits up in the camps.

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there is a facebook group called France and Beyond if you join it you will find many links to people all over France and the Uk ( the ones in France are mainly english but link with other french groups) this group provides links and information for people wanting to participate in this refugee crisis... from collectingsorting and distributing to "hubs", sending donations, or becoming involved in any way that you can and as much as you would like/need.

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Churchill, I think (despite his physique), would have responded faster (realised the dangers of the never-ending war situation) , in a far 'nimbler' fashion....

The apparent lack of ability of the EU to do this, the inherent 'un- manoeuvrability', makes me think of one of those vast container ships, that have to be steered so carefully, engines shut off way before they reach port and then carefully escorted into port.

That's why I think that any reform is so hard won and doesn't bode well for the future. Countries, may well rebel against this...and end up defying the rules (as I believe the French do when it suits them ?) This apparent failure will be a factor in deciding the outcome of the referendum, I'm sure....

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Reminiscent of Churchill's post-war 'prefab' housing estates in the UK.

I wonder how Churchill would have handled this one...