Posted by Kent Fraser
THOUSANDS IN DANGER: Rohingya Crisis
Since August, religious conflict and increased violence have forced thousands of Rohingyas to flee Myanmar. To date, over 500,000 Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh. But after the worst flooding seen in decades in Bangladesh, these families are being forced to set up makeshift camps in a sea of mud.
 
The International Organization for Migration and the government of Bangladesh are working together to set up a 2,000 Acre site to shelter families. ShelterBox aims to identify shelter gaps, assess needs and provide the most appropriate response. We currently have a team in the Cox’s Bazar area working closely with Rotarians from District 3282.
 
Response Team Volunteer and Rotarian Liz Odell (Past President Nailsworth Rotary Club) is meeting with families in Cox Bazar and has this to say about the current situation:
 
“This camp contains about 50,000 people. They are crammed together in really small, flimsy shelters built of very thin black plastic. Most of them fled just carrying what they could, they had a three or four-hour journey across the river just coming in the clothes they stood up in. They are in desperate need of better shelter. They need cooking pots, they need water carriers, they need blankets and above all, they need a bit more space and more shelter.”
 
With more Rohingya families fleeing for their lives, we’re impatient to send aid, but we need your help.
 
SHINE FOR SHELTERBOX: Make a difference this winter
Is your Rotary Club looking for a way to support ShelterBox and engage your local community? Join communities and Rotary Clubs all over the country this winter and get together to brighten lives by hosting a fundraising candlelit dinner for ShelterBox Canada. 
 
Shine for ShelterBox is the perfect way to not only raise funds and awareness about ShelterBox Canada and our partnership with Rotary but to also introduce your community to the amazing work Rotary does to support disaster relief. Learn more and register your club at shelterboxcanada.org/shine
 
CURRENT DEPLOYMENT UPDATE
ShelterBox is currently assisting families in Niger, Cameroon and Chad due to the Lake Chad Basin crisis, Iraq and the Syrian Region due to the ongoing conflict, Somaliland as a result of the ongoing drought and famine, the Caribbean after Hurricane Irma, Nepal and Bangladesh due to flash flooding and Cameroon due to flooding. ShelterBox is also monitoring Hurricane Talim, Mexico, Hurricane Katia, Venezuela, Sudan and Nigeria.
ShelterBox Canada – 159 Jane Street, Office 2, Toronto, ON M6S 3Y8
E: support@shelterboxcanada.org  T: 647.352.1930 www.shelterboxcanada.org
 
ShelterBox and Rotary are official project partners in international disaster relief.
ShelterBox is a registered charity independent of Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation