A YOUNG British couple are challenging the way people think about the Calais crisis after their crowd-funding emergency appeal for donations reached almost £3,000 yesterday — 600 per cent of their target.

Mona Dohle and Syed Bokhari decided to raise £500 to bring essential basic food and medical supplies to the French refugee camp dubbed “the jungle,” but were quickly forced to expand to a convoy due to an overwhelming response.

Mr Bokhari, himself a one-time asylum-seeker from Pakistan, felt it was his duty to do something for those going through situations similar to the one his family experienced.

Speaking to the Star, the 28-year-old explained that the couple travelled across Europe by road very often, frequently passing by Calais.

He added: “Recently we heard about the situation of people trying to cross, and as we had stopped there before, spoke to migrants there. As we walked about town, we decided that we’d see if we could so something.

“That’s how it started — then we had someone else join and we had the idea of doing a convoy.

“We had a target of raising £500 to take two cars with essential things — food, clothes to keep warm, things like that — and within the first 24 hours we were over £2,000.”

The fate of those living in Calais camps was brought to the fore in the last month after several men died attempting to smuggle themselves through the Channel Tunnel.

According to a recent Human Rights Watch report, 2,400 migrants “live in destitution,” enduring abuse by local police as they wait in the hope of being taken in by British authorities.

For Mr Bokhari and Ms Dohle, the support they got gave them “an opportunity to challenge some of the predominant racist portrayal of this issue in the mainstream media and amongst the political elite.”

Their act, and the overwhelming response from the public, indicates many do not see the desperate refugees as the “swarm” peddled by the press: “We believe [migrants] should be granted immediate asylum and they should be allowed to live in this country,” said Mr Bokhari.

“I came to this country on asylum myself a long time ago, I remember the process.

“Frankly these people in Calais have been through a lot worse than we ever had it and I wanted to personally do something for them on that basis.”

• To back their trip visit www.indiegogo.com/projects/london-calais-migrant-support-convoy#/story