On June 23rd, the second edition of our Walk The Fence fundraising campaign will take place. Our team, collaborators, and anyone who wants to support Collective Aid’s work in Calais will walk 65 km, representing the length of the Frontex fences built at the French-UK border for externalisation purposes, a ferocious policy against freedom of movement and right to asylum for those seeking safety.

This 65 km walk along these fences is incomparable to the distances people on the move have to travel in search of safety. People are forced to travel mostly on foot, which includes several countries, alongside aggressive landscapes and weather conditions. These militarised fences symbolise a lack of access to safe routes and lack of support to communities in need of refuge.

We will walk in solidarity with displaced people restrained by the fortification of these borders, which have led to years of discrimination, violence, and injustice.

Our current volunteer team, as well as former volunteers and supporters will join the walk, either in Calais, or remotely, in various forms. Join us in walking a few kilometres, or the full 65 km!

The team walking in Calais will depart from Coquelles - a city west of Calais where the Tunnel is located - at 4am, and walk all the way to De Panne in Belgium, arriving at 9pm. The walk will be divided in the following sections:

4:00 Calais WASH Centre - 7:00 Waldam (12km)

7:30 - Waldam (Waldam, Oye Plage) - 10:30 Gravelines (14km)

11:00 Gravelines - 14:00 Grande Synthe (13km)

14:30 - Grande Synthe - 17:30 Leffrinckouke (11km)

18:00 - Leffrinckouke - 21:00 De Panne (14km)

Anyone can join us in Calais or wherever in the world you are, and walk the distance you prefer.

Please contact us to join the Walk The Fence challenge at funding@collectiveaidngo.org.

Your donation, no matter the amount, will go towards supporting the Collective Aid activities in Calais, specifically for our community centre, where we support refugees and asylum seekers with laundry services, hygiene support, NFI, legal sessions, non-formal education, first aid, and other necessary services for people on the move. Additionally, spreading the word about our fundraising efforts within your networks and organising your own fundraiser can significantly boost our efforts.

Thank you so much for all your support,

The Collective Aid Team