Without a phone, a person trying to cross the Channel can't call for help if their boat starts sinking. Without access to internet, a son seeking sanctuary can't message his mum to let her know he's safe.

Phones and internet access are an essential need for refugee communities in Calais. Since 2016, Refugee Info Bus has been responding to this need by running a mobile service that offers people charging stations, repair services and WiFi, all from the back of an easily transportable van.

Each week we travel around the Calais area, setting up our mobile service near woods, motorways and industrial estates where people are forced to live. We meet hundreds of people, from countries including Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Ethiopia and Kurdistan. This week alone, 400 people accessed our services and the numbers are rising. One young man from Sudan told us he was using the WiFi access to call his brother in Sudan. Another was able to call his mum in Eritrea for the first time in two months. We've built strong relationships with many of the refugee communities around Calais, who trust us and rely on our services to keep them connected. This relationship of trust means we are able to share information about safety during travel, including how to contact emergency services and send GPS coordinates. Our van is a place where people can access vital information and make calls to loved ones but it's also a mobile community, where people can relax, play games, listen to music and talk.

In recent weeks we've seen a rise in the numbers accessing our services, and this is likely to keep going up as the weather improves. But unfortunately our funds are running low, so we urgently need to raise money to keep our volunteer-led project running. We're asking for your support to make sure we can respond to the growing need and keep providing vital phone services and WiFi access to people on the move in Northern France.

Displaced people in Calais rely on Refugee Info Bus to stay connected and safe, and we rely on donations from our supporters to keep our services up and running. Please have a look at the vital services your money will enable us to deliver and donate today. Every donation will help us reach our target and keep people connected.

£10 - would buy a small pack of phone cables

£20 - would cover the cost of one new charging station, helping 30 more people use our service during each session

£50 - would power our generator for around 45 hours, enabling us to charge 800 phones

£100 - would help us to improve our information sharing, with new signs and info boards that provide users with accurate information on their asylum rights and real-time updates on support services in Calais

£200 - would help us to refurbish our van so it can be an even better place for people to relax whilst they're using our services with refreshments, board games, cards and ball games to play outside when the weather allows

£300 - would cover the cost of a new laptop and software to help us repair and reboot phones that are donated, so they can be used by people who need them

£500 - would cover the cost of our gazebo, which keeps people dry when they use our services, and will protect them from the sun in hotter months

£750 - would cover 75 hours of translation services, so that we can provide more essential advice to members of the different communities

£1,000 - would enable us to weatherproof all the hardware we use when running WiFi and charging sessions, buy more and stronger tables, benches and charging stations and to upgrade them by including wireless charging plates

£3,000 - would help cover RIB's running costs for a month

Thank you for your support. Find out more about our work here: https://www.refugeeinfobus.com/