In her March 2018 Newsletter, Tess Widdifield, the Rotary and Community Fundraising Manager for Shelterbox Canada and a member of The Rotary Club of New Westminster writes about monitoring flooding in Bolivia and a new Student Challenge Program called Off The Grid and the current Shelterbox Canada deployment areas.

Here's more of her newsletter....

EMERGENCY DISASTER RELIEF

Right now, around 85 million people around the world have been made homeless by natural disaster and conflict. We’re working to change this. By providing emergency shelter and tools for families robbed of their homes by disaster, we’re transforming despair into hope. We are impatient to see a world where no family is left without shelter. Are you?

 

Current Deployments:

MONITORING: Bolivia Flooding

In the first weeks of February more than 190 mm of rain, the expected monthly total, fell in the span of 24 hours in Bolivia. Bolivia’s rainy season falls between November and April and this season’s relentless rain has caused major flooding and landslides. Officials expect that at least 50,000 people in seven of the country’s nine districts have been left without a home.

ShelterBox has been monitoring the situation and has sent a ShelterBox Response Team to assess the damage and need for ShelterBox aid. Our ShelterBox team aims to investigate areas that may have been affected by flooding but may have been overlooked.

ShelterBox has worked in Bolivia before, providing shelter to families after four other disasters. The latest response was in 2014 when tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes across the northwest of the land-locked Latin American country by widespread flooding. ShelterBox worked to provide families with ShelterBox tents and other aid items so families could begin rebuilding their lives.

While ShelterBox has a team assessing the need in Bolivia we are also working to support families in Madagascar, Bangladesh, Dominica, Barbuda, Antigua, Dominican Republic, the Syrian Region, Iraq, Somaliland, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. Thanks to the continued support of individual Rotarians and Rotary Clubs across Canada, ShelterBox is able to respond at a moments notice, assisting families in 13 countries around the world.

 

STUDENT CHALLENGE: Off the Grid

When disasters and power lines go down, families are left vulnerable, wretched away from comfort, light and electricity. Off the Grid challenges students to go without power for 12 hours to understand some of the impacts of disasters on families around the world.

Off the Grid is a friendly competition between Canadian schools, student groups and Interact clubs to raise funds to ensure no family goes without shelter. The top fundraising school will receive a visit from Survivorman, Les Stroud.

This challenge is a great opportunity for Interact Clubs and Youth Exchange students to understand some of the impacts of disasters all while supporting a Rotary Project Partner. If your Youth Exchange Students or Interact club are interested in taking the challenge please contact Tess Widdifield, Rotary and Community Fundraising Manager at tesswiddifield@shelterboxcanada.org

UPDATE: Somalia Drought

Since 2016, severe drought has haunted Somaliland, affecting approx. 766,000 people. Many are nomadic families who rely on livestock. Since the drought, over 85% of their herds have perished. This has forced families to move vast distances to seek food for their animals. Tragically, many of these families are now displaced and destitute. Risk of disease, illness and malnutrition, especially with children, is of grave concern. Even though rainfall is scarce, flash rainstorms do occur and increase danger further. There is a huge need for humanitarian assistance – while food, health and water are being provided by in-country agencies, there is a gap for emergency shelter. Many displaced families are living in over-crowded, ill-equipped, shelters. They are lacking essential items, like water filters and carriers.

UPDATE: AID IN ACTION:

Phase 1: Complete  During Phase 1 of our assistance, our in-country partner, Action Aid, successfully distributed 441 ShelterBoxes to families across three areas. These ShelterBoxes were customized to meet the needs of nomadic communities. For example, the tent was replaced with two tarpaulins to waterproof existing shelters.

Phase 2: Now in Action 1000 additional ShelterBoxes were packed in our Helston, UK warehouse and are ready to be distributed in Somaliland. A team has been deployed to monitor distributions with local partner, ActionAid. The ShelterBox distribution will include two tarpaulins that will replace the tent and will include five blankets instead of two.

SEND AID TODAY        You can help families who are in desperate need     GIVE NOW

 

Is your club interested in having a ShelterBox Presentation at an upcoming meeting? Let us know at support@shelterboxcanada.org

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

Since  2012, we have been neighbours, friends and community leaders. Their aim is to create positive, lasting change in communities at home and all over the world.project partners with Rotary International, a global community of 1.2 million

Rotary has supported ShelterBox from the start, when a local club championed the simple idea to package up essential shelter items in our now-iconic ShelterBoxes. As ShelterBox grew, so did Rotary support, and we are now international project partners in disaster relief.This partnership has helped us to become who we are today. Our global network of ShelterBox affiliates, which provides all round assistance, evolved from Rotary relationships.

Rotarians and Rotary groups all over the world help ShelterBox in a variety of ways. In addition to tireless fundraising, they provide invaluable assistance during our responses. With more than 33,000 clubs worldwide, Rotarians are able to give us first-hand knowledge of many of the countries in which we respond, logistical and operational assistance and vital links into communities.

This personal, community connection helps us to provide just the right support to enable people to lead in their own recovery – to make sure that our work has a lasting impact.
One of the ways we recognize the incredible support of Rotary Clubs in Canada is through our ShelterBox Hero Program. Learn more about the awards and
 see a current list of winners.

About ShelterBox Canada

ShelterBox Canada is a registered charity that has been a part of the global ShelterBox network since 2010. We have a team of over 120 volunteers across the country who share their passion with us and help us raise awareness and fundraise across the country. There are ten Canadian ShelterBox Response Team members who work tirelessly with the rest of the international Response Team to deliver aid to families who need it around the world. To learn more about our board and staff click here.