KID LOST (Text by Clé Hunningan)

There was nothing unusual about this particularly cold February morning. The temperature had dropped to –3°C overnight. My breath hung in the air as we followed the route suggested by the GPS. As we approached our destination, I noticed an area marked “The New Jungle” on the map.

As I zoomed in, more details appeared: shops, restaurants, places of worship, a theatre and even a nightclub. Other areas were labelled “Rue des Syriens” and “Camp Kurde”.

In the summer of 2015, the camp was still a shanty town of tents surrounded by mounds of rubbish. I had expected only the harsh conditions of an informal refugee camp. Instead, I found the structure of a makeshift village and the warmth of a community built by the people who called it home.

The camp, known as the New Jungle, had been evolving since 2002 and had become a controversial home to both migrants and refugees. French authorities repeatedly dismantled it as part of efforts to curb irregular migration. Nevertheless, the camp endured and grew to an estimated population of 6,000.

That week marked a turning point. French courts ruled that the southern half of the camp — home to 3,455 people, including 445 children — would be permanently demolished and its residents forced to leave if necessary.

The decision drew criticism from refugee advocacy groups, which feared that the eviction would leave many people without adequate shelter. There were also concerns for the safety of the 315 unaccompanied minors living there. A church, several restaurants and cafés, a library, a school and a medical centre were also set to be demolished.

I travelled to Calais for this decisive week with Kid Lost, a project focused on humanising refugees and people affected by conflict.