Afghanistan: 10-year-old boy leads donation drive to help refugees
A 10-year-old boy from Coventry has been championing appeals for donations to Afghan refugees arriving in the city.
Gethin Davies is in charge of donations at Finbarr's Sports Club in Coventry, and says they've been overwhelmed with donations over the bank holiday weekend.
Coventry is expected to house up to 150 refugees.
The appeal for donations was made to community groups, schools and churches, for everything from microwaves to prams, to give out to refugees in the city who need the basic essentials to start a new life.
Gethin says he saw the terrible events unfolding in Afghanistan on Youtube, and wanted to help.
"People who are my age, think earth is a normal planet, but there's actually different planets - planet rich, planet poor and planet dangerous."
"If you donate to them, and change that, it will just be a nice planet."
Gethin's dad, Rhys Davies, has also been co-ordinating the donations, which get passed onto Coventry charity, Carriers of Hope, for distribution.
Rhys said: "The donations have been overwhelming and it's great to see the community spirit and the community effort that the people of Finbarr's and Coventry have shown, and it's absolutely great the sign of people power that can take place."
What will refugees be needing the most?
Reverend Sally Smith has worked for years integrating refugees and asylum seekers into the community in Stoke-on-Trent.
As she prepares food donations at St Mark's Church, she says making Afghans feel welcome is the most important thing we can do.
With the first priority being that refugees feel safe and welcome, Rev Sally Smith says the most important thing after that is learning english so they can integrate into society and get help with navigating transport, jobs, housing and education.
Meanwhile, Baby Aid Birmingham say they've been overwhelmed with donations for Afghan refugees under the age of five, after a baby was born on an evacuation flight to Birmingham.
The charity works alongside midwives and support and social workers, so the products can get to those refugees who desperately need them.
Cllr Nicky Brennan, who is the founder of Baby Aid Birmingham, says "people are at crisis point and they need support."
"The people who will be coming over, will literally have nothing with them at all."
"They could have planned for a baby and now a crisis has happened. It's pretty much like the families that we help in Birmingham just generally."
"I can't imagine how difficult it would be to arrive here with nothing, with probably no family, so it's great to see the generosity of the people of the West Midlands who've been helping."
Watch how the West Midlands community has been helping Afghan refugees, as Sarah Kilburn-Wilson reports:
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