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Here's what we can all do to help ease the migrant crisis

The human tragedy going on across the Mediterranean at present has shocked one and all, but there are practical ways to help.

Italy Migrants A young woman rescued off the coast of Libya pictured offshore of Sardinia AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

THE SCENES TODAY in Budapest and the tragic deaths yesterday of Syrian children Aylan and Galip Kurdi and ten others serve to underline the extreme nature of the migrant crisis currently facing Europe.

Amid such heart-rending images as have been seen in recent days (and for the last several months in truth), many people would like to help ease the situation in any way they can. 

It must be remembered that the current crisis is not driven by economic migration. The UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) believes the vast majority – more than 85% – of those crossing the Mediterranean into Europe are refugees, not economic migrants.

As to the number of migrants that Ireland will eventually accept beyond its borders, that is a political decision that has yet to be finalised.

Having said that, there are practical ways in which anyone can help towards easing the suffering being seen:

Donate Donate Donate

Cash donated to non-governmental groups working in the trouble areas is perhaps the most fundamental difference a person at home can make. Here’s a selection, but naturally there are many, many more:

  • Concern Syria Programme – you can donate to the Irish charity’s appeal here
  • Ireland Calais Refugee Solidarity is raising money here
  • Irish group Disaster Tech Lab are sending a team to the islands between Greece and Turkey. Their goal is to establish working internet and communications at the sites. You can donate here, while the group are also looking for Irish volunteers
  • The UNHCR can be donated to directly here
  • Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), who have three ships operating in the Mediterranean at present, can be donated to here
  • The UN’s childrens’ fund UNICEF has a donation page here
  • A specific fund in the name of Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian child who drowned tragically along with his brother and ten others yesterday, has been set up
  • Red Cross Europe, providing support for asylum seekers. Their page is here

Mediterranean migrant crisis Migrants exiting a dinghy at Kos, Greece PA Wire / PA Images PA Wire / PA Images / PA Images

Buy specific goods from an internet wish list

There are a number of wish lists that have been set up online to help ease the supplies issues surrounding the crisis. An Amazon list directed at Calais and Greece can be accessed here. Clothes, food, shelter in the form of tents / tarpaulins – all can be purchased as part of English appeals #KentforCalais and #HelpCalais.

A truck containing everything bought leaves for the crisis zone in two weeks.

Non-monetary donations

Naturally a lot of goods that aren’t readily available and can’t be bought easily over the internet would be especially helpful given the unique nature of the current crisis:

Calais migrant crisis Refugees at the 'New Jungle' camp in Calais, France EMPICS Entertainment EMPICS Entertainment

Sign a petition

Governments including those of the UK and Ireland are coming under increasing pressure to do more to help ease the humanitarian crisis. Signing a petition can increase that pressure should you wish to do so.
Uplift.ie have a petition calling for increased numbers of migrants to be allowed into Ireland which has already garnered almost 18,000 signatures. It can be signed here.

Read: Hungarian Prime Minister says migrant crisis is ‘a German problem, not a European one’

Read: Pictures: Desperate mother clings to her baby as police try to bring migrants to camps

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107 Comments
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    Mute mickmc
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    May 22nd 2017, 1:31 PM

    And if they accepted the original proposal they’d be better off. Once again we have the union bosses leading their member on a merry dance to no where.

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    Mute Soccer T's
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    May 22nd 2017, 2:36 PM

    @mickmc: At least 87% of the union members voted. Compare this to the numbers of teachers who actually voted to give ASTI a “mandate” for industrial action! Usually around 35/40%

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    Mute Soccer T's
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    May 22nd 2017, 2:51 PM

    @Soccer T’s: Correction: I see that on the last Asti ballot it was 77% of members who voted which probably accounted for the very narrow margin of victory for more industrial action (only 52% in favour) Nice of them to actually turn up to vote this time compared to the vote in 2015 when only a handful of members actually voted, meaning the delusional militants got their way. This is our kids future they are destroying while they couldn’t even take the time to vote!!

    Interestingly the kids sitting the junior cert in a few weeks are the kids who should be sitting the new junior cert 3 years after it was supposed to be introduced!!

    https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/teachers-threaten-further-industrial-action-after-split-vote-1.2364660?mode=amp

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    Mute booby sandwiches
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    May 22nd 2017, 4:33 PM

    biggest climbdown in history PMSL

    Leo is going to sort these evil unions out #Leoforleader

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    Mute Adrian™
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    May 22nd 2017, 1:39 PM

    What are the terms they are agreeing to? And compared to what they were first offered? Bit more info wouldn’t go astray in the story.

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    Mute Keith Grant
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    May 22nd 2017, 1:29 PM

    Looks like all those weeks of strike were well worth it ay?? Ahahahah

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    Mute Keith Grant
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    May 22nd 2017, 1:28 PM

    Hahahahahah

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    Mute abcyz
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    May 22nd 2017, 1:39 PM

    The union & some drivers were on Liveline etc saying our OAPS & disabled shouldn’t be allowed free travel even tough it was and is widely used for hospital appointments etc. There wasn’t much challenge by media presenters during the strike about the unfair travel card demonisation stories even by drivers themselves on liveline.

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    Mute dead right
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    May 22nd 2017, 2:30 PM

    @abcyz: thats absolute b@llox your spouting no driver or union representative ever said the people you mentioned shouldn’t be allowed travel for free not once.

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    Mute Soccer T's
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    May 22nd 2017, 2:40 PM

    @abcyz: That’s total bull! They suggested that we should revisit the payments made by the government to the free travel scheme. It’s a fixed amount each year no matter how many actually use the service. They were making the point that a huge number of pensioners never even use the travel pass. With the new travel pass surely they can implement a system of “use or lose”. Why should the taxpayer pay for something that isn’t being used? If a pensioners travel pass is cancelled due to lack of use they should be allowed to reapply but simply making blind payments is ridiculous

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    Mute Soccer T's
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    May 22nd 2017, 2:41 PM

    @Soccer T’s: Or maybe we should just offer giving every adult children’s allowance just in case they have kids

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    Mute dead right
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    May 22nd 2017, 2:56 PM

    @abcyz: there wasnt much media challenge on the issue beacuse it was never said ah well you got 26 likes good try

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    Mute Stouts O Shea
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    May 22nd 2017, 5:25 PM

    @Soccer T’s: your day s of scewing the public are over

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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello.
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    May 22nd 2017, 2:04 PM

    Took their sweet time voting, didn’t they.

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    Mute Gerry Carroll
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    May 22nd 2017, 2:57 PM

    Poor mites – already paid more than 40% over the private companies drivers and greed drive them to look for more – diddums. The blatant bleating for ‘all stakeholders’ to get involved was embarrassing; for stakeholders read chequebooks. I’m far from a fan of Transport Minister Ross but in this instance he was right not to dip further into taxpayers’ pockets to transfer their money directly into already overpaid drivers rabid with greed. Looking for a pay rise from a company already trading at a loss? Three weeks on strike and they got a pay cut, redundancies, new rosters, picking litter from buses they never did before, reduced overtime – good work lads.

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    Mute Terry Cahill
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    May 22nd 2017, 1:59 PM

    Scared sitless ! So they were !

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    Mute Paul
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    May 22nd 2017, 1:48 PM

    Shocked they back it and by a high margin.

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    Mute P.J. Nolan
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    May 22nd 2017, 2:12 PM

    @Paul:
    Didn’t thing that would pass

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    Mute Gavin Redmond
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    May 22nd 2017, 2:17 PM

    And the unions saying there still may be a possibility of strike if the company change the agreement. So who is calling the shots.

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    Mute Paul
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    May 22nd 2017, 1:48 PM

    Shocked they back it and by a high margin.

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    Mute Gerry Carroll
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    May 22nd 2017, 4:39 PM

    Not sure it was the union leaving the charge on this – may have been the drivers driving (no pun intended) the union to enable their fanciful out of touch with reality demands

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    Mute Eric Djemba-Djemba
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    May 22nd 2017, 10:00 PM

    Let it rot and die so it can be privatised and ran properly by a company. Don’t know anybody from Wexford that chooses bus eireann over the Wexford bus service as they are miles apart in quality and reliability best thing to ever happen.

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    Mute Jimmy jones
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    May 22nd 2017, 4:35 PM

    What an overpaid clown Dermot o Leary is . He has made them all look very silly

    14
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