Photo Exhibition – FAST (First Aid Support Team)

Photography by Mattia Flip

The Exhibition

FAST have been working in Northern France for over 5 years. We see tens of thousands of people during our mobile first aid clinics.

We see the daily struggle a refugee has to face to reach safety everyday. As a medical charity we often wonder how we can share this with you. To share the emotions, the feelings, the hopes, the dreams, the happiness and the despair with you. The media, the reports, the films and the first hand accounts are all powerful. They all tell a story. But a photo can show you something else. All of these pictures were taken during our mobile first aid clinics.

They show real volunteers. Real injuries. The real reality. We hope you’ll see the humanity and kindness between our volunteers and the people we care for.

We are all one humankind.

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FAST – First Aid Support Team

We are a grassroots and registered charity who operate a mobile first aid clinic in Calais and Dunkirk in Northern France. We believe that healthcare is a human right. Our volunteers are all healthcare professionals (Doctors, Nurses, paramedics) who dedicate their time to provide clinics to refugees and displaced people. Refugees have the right to access French healthcare but due to discrimination and xenophobic policy, many cannot access it.

FAST provide care to up to 130 people a day, every single day. In 2023 we provided care 31,000 times. There is a humanitarian crisis at the French and British borders. The media headlines focus on boat crossings and dehumanising politics. They neglect to share the horrific conditions refugees are forced to endure whilst surviving in Calais. They neglect to show the real human impact. We want to show you something you might have never seen before.

A photo shares a thousand words. 

Mattia Flip

This collection of photographs showcases the work of Mattia, a humanitarian aid worker and photographer. Collaborating with the medical professionals of the First Aid Support Team (FAST), he captures the challenges faced by refugees seeking medical care in France.

His photographic journey extends to conflict zones like Ukraine and Gaza, where he portrays the complex relationship and shared humanity between NGOs and refugees, shedding light on the barriers to accessing formal healthcare facilities.