Our Mobile Herbal Clinic Calais runs on the basis of teamwork; there are many ways to support and be involved. This includes everything from volunteering in Calais with the mobile clinic, to making medicines or organising community events. Our volunteers come from across the UK, but also further afield, so we are finding that we work effectively by using online platforms and co-ordination tools.
If you are interested in getting involved, please read the below information and then get in touch. Please allow at least 14 days for a reply. Thanks so much for your interest, it is truly appreciated.
Click here if you are interested in volunteering with the mobile clinic in Calais.
- Medicine Making – High-quality, sustainable herbal medicines are the cornerstone of the clinic. This huge area of work involves coordination and logistics between everyone involved. Some people will be making component parts e.g. infused oils, vinegars, glycerites etc. Other people may make final products. Underpinning the work are also those that are growing, harvesting or sustainably wildcrafting plants to be used in medicine making.
- Finance & Admin – Supporting thousands of refugees each year with the clinic involves many costs. Volunteers are always welcome that can contribute to fundraising efforts. Likewise, skills in bookkeeping and accounting are necessary and important in sustaining the project. We also have a procurement team that is dedicated to ordering supplies and seeking donations from companies in terms of items such as first aid materials, lip balms, hand sanitiser and so forth.
- Communication – Effective communication is so essential. We need team members that can share our work effectively on social media and our website. We need people that are good at managing emails who can field enquiries, and we also need people that can connect us with local, national and international networks – for example, with refugee groups, campaigns, solidarity projects, herbalist organisations and others. People that can help with translation in the field and the UK are always needed. It may involve translating meeting minutes, leaflets and texts or actively translating on an online call. We particularly value French speakers, as well as people who can speak Arabic, German, Farsi, Kurdish (Sorani) and Tigrinya.
- Training & Support – We are dedicated to clinical excellence and are always developing our skills and resources in response to people’s needs in the field. We welcome specialists that can train team members or offer resources to our network e.g. dermatology. Herbalists are also welcome to organise events in their community, such as harvesting days or medicine making workshops. Finally, we need to support people already involved, especially those working in the field. Counselling and emotional support to prevent vicarious trauma are welcome.