Mobile first aid, six days a week

FAST runs a mobile clinic in Calais, going to the places where people on the move sleep, shelter and wait. Our volunteer healthcare professionals treat wounds, infections, respiratory illnesses, pain, and the physical toll of living outside without protection. In 2025, we worked 289 days in the field and saw over 44,000 people.

Referrals to specialised care

When someone needs more than first aid — antibiotics, a dentist, emergency care — we refer them to the right service and help them understand where to go and what to expect. In 2025 we made 1,824 referrals. For many people, FAST is the only bridge to the French healthcare system.

Hygiene and dignity

Care goes beyond treatment. We distribute hygiene supplies that respect people’s dignity and cultural preferences: soap, wet wipes, skin creams, menstrual products, miswaks, and seasonal items like handwarmers and emergency blankets. Basics that protect health where clean water and shelter are deliberately kept out of reach.

Training other organisations

Emergencies don’t wait for a medic. We train volunteers from partner organisations in first aid — wound care, burns, bleeding, recognising when to refer — and provide them with first aid and burn kits, so that basic care is available even when FAST is not on site.

Why this work is needed

The health problems we treat are largely preventable. They are the direct result of evictions every 48 hours, of losing tents and medication over and over, and of a border policy that values deterrence over human lives. We provide care where governments refuse to — and we bear witness to the consequences.