A Dundee charity set up to help Syrian refugees is to deliver tens of thousands of bars of soap to people stranded in Serbia.
Dundee Refugee Support, set up in the wake of the ongoing crisis that has seen thousands escape conflict in Syria by fleeing to Europe, will be helping deliver 63,000 bars to the 400,000 estimated people stuck in refugee camps at the Serbian border.
The mammoth delivery was paid for in part by the donations of generous Taysiders, who DRS admit have taken them aback.
Such is the generosity of local people, DRS are now getting set to ship their first 25-tonne delivery off from their Dundee base, having previously shared delivery space with a Glasgow charity.
Mike Strachan from the voluntary group told The Courier that simple things people take for granted, such as toiletries and flat shoes, can make a world of difference to refugees.
He said: “We’re working with another charity in Glasgow who have an arrangement with a company where the soap can be given to us free of charge.
“The first 10% of the soap they make and the last 10% can’t be used, so the company remake bars using leftover soap before donating it.
“The soap is then analysed and broken down when it gets to Belgrade before it’s passed as suitable.
“We’ve previously sent a delivery of 137,000 bars of soap to the camps. The refugee problem isn’t going to get any better. If anything it’s going to get worse.
“It’s estimated that 400,000 people could be in the camps over winter, so providing toiletries so people can wash in the camp’s showers is really important.
“We’re getting to the stage where we’ve grown so much in size that we will be delivering our first shipment from here in Dundee in late January or early February.”
Mike believes DRS’ workload is only going to increase over the next 12 months as the Continent’s migration crisis continues to grow.
He said: “With Britain’s ongoing bombing campaign in Serbia I think there’s going to be a procession of people leaving Syria for safer places to live.
“They don’t want to leave their country, but they don’t have a choice.
“People sometimes think that refugees are here because they want to be, but losing your family to the cold and to the sea isn’t something you do for £35 a week and a food voucher.”