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In her April 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 Shelterbox Innovation in the Phillipines and a new partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Here's more of her newsletter....
INNOVATION: ShelterBox Operations Philippines
When Tropical Storm Kai-tak made landfall in early December, it released two months of rainfall in just two days. Thousands of families were forced to flee after the storm destroyed over 30,000 homes. After the storm subsided, families were still not out of danger. A few days later, a second storm developed in the Pacific Ocean. Tropical Storm Tembin left a second trail of destruction, killing more than 240 people and displacing over 70,000. ShelterBox has been working with the Rotary Club of Biliran Island and District 3860 in areas which suffered serious flooding and mudslides and experienced the loss of homes and livelihoods. Together, ShelterBox and Rotary supported nearly 1,000 families with a variety of aid items such as ShelterBoxes, ShelterKits, water filters carriers, mosquito nets and solar lights to support those families that were left most vulnerable after the storms. The more than 7,000 islands of the Philippines sits right in the path of one of the world’s most deadly storm systems, known by meteorologists as ‘Typhoon Alley’. On average, ShelterBox responds to disasters here around twice a year. ShelterBox identified that one way we could serve these communities better is to create an in-country operations office to help get vital emergency shelter to vulnerable families even more quickly. ShelterBox and Rotary have worked together in all of our previous responses in the Philippines. Collaborating with Rotary to create ShelterBox Operations Philippines was a natural next step, helping to ensure that ShelterBox and Rotary are in a stronger position to respond to the next disaster.
"The support of Rotary in the Philippines has been nothing short of fantastic. Through this network, we have been able to gain access to local governance structures and affected communities. Their warmth and friendship towards us “has been incredible.” – Dave Ray, ShelterBox Operations Coordinator
Operations Update: Papua New Guinea: On February 26, 2018 a 7.5 magnitude earthquake rocked Papua New Guinea. It's estimated that at least 145 people have died and half a million people have been affected. Read more about Papua New Guinea here
ShelterBox Spotlight: Rotary International: We are proud to be project partners with Rotary International, a global community of 1.2 million Rotarians. Together, we create lasting change in communities at home and all over the world. Read more about our partnership here
Whitby Students Write for ShelterBox: Grade 3/4 students at Ormiston Public School, in Whitby, Ontario, Canada, took part in a persuasive writing class. Their goal was to write letters to local businesses and encourage them to donate to ShelterBox. See some of their letters here
A ‘Nuclear Landscape’: Throughout the Caribbean, thousands of people lost their homes and livelihoods. A part of the world that once relied heavily on tourism, now resembled a ‘nuclear landscape’ of debris. The hurricanes reduced islands like Barbuda to complete rubble. Entire communities were flattened and power lines torn down, forcing families to flee to neighbouring islands in hopes of shelter.
On the Ground: ShelterBox has been working around the clock on six different islands to provide families with the tools and shelter they need so they can rebuild their lives. From initial assessments, we have customized our aid to best suit the families’ needs. To date we have distributed tents, ShelterKits, tarps, solar lights, mosquito nets, water purification kits, and more, helping over 7,500 people. The support from friends like you has made this impact possible but our work is far from done.
Rebuilding Barbuda : 295 km/h winds battered Barbuda, making it one of the worst-hit islands. An estimated 95% of buildings were destroyed, which deemed the island uninhabitable. ShelterBox has been working on Barbuda since day 1, however, there's still so much need. We're desperate to help these families who have lost everything and we need your help. Your gift of $150 can help provide one ShelterKit to a family in need. Each ShelterKit is filled with tarps, practical tools and all the fixings so a family can rebuild their home and their lives after disaster.
The latest ShelterBox deployment info can be found at www.shelterboxcanada.org/operations-update
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 millionRotary 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.