Brigitte Lips opens her home in northern France every weekday to dozens of migrants looking for a moment of peace – and a phone charger – despite some resistance from the local community.
On a drizzly day in November, dozens of young people sit in the 68-year-old’s garage in the port city of Calais, where about a hundred chargers line the walls and hot drinks are offered.
News of “Mamie Charge” (Granny Charger) has spread throughout the immigrant community; she is known as someone who offers a moment of peace and a place to clear their phones, essential during the often dangerous journey north.
“She is a wonderful woman, a real support for refugees like us who are homeless,” said Pedros, a migrant from the East African province of Eritrea who hopes to settle in France.
Despite opposition from some in the local community, the grandmother of eight said her decision to open her home is rooted in her deeply held Catholic faith.
“That’s how I was raised. If someone in need knocked on our door, they had a place at the table,” Lips told AFP.
– ‘Telephone is essential’-
At exactly 11:30 a.m., the door opens, and the crowd of people standing outside Lips’ garage rush in to find a charger, phones already in hand.
“The clock is ticking! Otherwise we will never get out of here,” she says as the room fills with people, mainly from Eritrea and neighboring Sudan.
True to its nickname, there are about a hundred charging cables, with newcomers jostling for a spot.
“One by one, I only have two hands,” says the 68-year-old, connecting phones for her guests as they tuck into the tea, coffee, bread and tomato soup she has prepared.
Having a place to recharge their batteries is a matter of survival for migrants, said fellow countryman Mazen, who hopes to reach England by boat.
“Our phone is very, very important,” he told AFP, explaining that he uses it “to check the time, find our way, arrange our departure and maybe call for help if necessary.”
The number of undocumented migrants arriving in Britain this year after crossing the Channel on dangerous rudimentary ships stands at more than 33,500, an increase of around 18 percent compared to the same period in 2023.
At least 72 people have died trying to make the journey so far in 2024, making it the deadliest since migrant crossings began in earnest in 2018.
– ‘Last link’-
A full battery also means comfort and a way to stay in touch with loved ones, says Lips, who has worked with the migrant community for the past two decades.
“If they lose their phones, they lose their lives,” she told AFP. “It is also their last link with their family.”
While other Calais residents share her commitment to helping migrants, some neighbors and local authorities have tried to stop her from welcoming them into her home.
“They’re trying to intimidate me. They’re saying, ‘You have to stop,'” she told AFP, rolling her eyes.
But “there’s no point,” the devout Catholic told AFP. “It’s the Holy Spirit that drives me.”
Around noon, her guests wash their bowls and head back out into the cold with a fully charged battery.
“Goodbye, Grandma,” they call to Lips as they leave.
The Calais resident, who has never left the area, needs time to prepare; the garage will reopen later that evening.
“I will continue as long as the good Lord keeps me healthy,” she told AFP.
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