In France, ordinary citizens have chosen to help others, even if it means putting their own freedom, jobs and comfort at risk. They come from all walks of life and share the desire offer a helping hand to migrants from Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and elsewhere: both those who want to stay where they've landed and those hoping cross the Channel to reach the UK. Our team went to meet these "good Samaritans".
For this report, we met three families who are each helping in their own way: those who go to refugee and migrant camps and those who decide to host migrants in their homes. More recently, French entrepreneurs have made moves to help migrants, too: due to a labour shortage, they are looking to train and hire apprentice migrants, many of whom would otherwise end up threatened with expulsion from the country.
These "good Samaritans", or simply "migrant helpers", are also a gateway to better knowing and understanding those who have come from distant lands in the hope of a better life on our shores.
