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In her May 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....
CASE STUDY: Meet Modu Gambo and her family
Since 2000, Boko Haram has been committing deadly attacks all across Nigeria. Known for targeting isolated and vulnerable villages, the violence has now spread to the neighbouring border regions of Cameroon, Niger and Chad. An estimated 17 million people have been affected by this crisis, with 3.2 million people in urgent need of emergency shelter.
ShelterBox has been working in the region since 2009, providing shelter and essential aid items to vulnerable families. To date with the support of Rotary Clubs across Canada we have supported 10,000 families. On one of our latest visits to Camp Minawao Refugee camp in Cameroon we met Modu and her family.
25-year-old Modu Gambo is originally from Nigeria. She now lives with her four children in Minawao Refugee Camp, Cameroon, home to more than 60,000 refugees who fled Boko Haram violence.
In her home village, Modu worked as a trader, and lived with her husband and four children. She told staff at IEDA Relief – ShelterBox’s implementing partner based in Cameroon – they were a united and happy family until the attacks began.
‘It was the beginning of darkness for us’, she said. ‘We had to run to save our lives.’
She said her whole village had been completely destroyed by Boko Haram, and all of her neighbours had fled. After she ran with her children, she never saw her husband again and now cares for her children on her own. She said that she still lives in the hope that she will one day see him again.‘The last time I spoke with him, he told me he was going to get some money to join us. He was completely ruined when Boko Haram destroyed all that we had.’
Weeks after fleeing their home, Modu and her children eventually made it to Minawao camp. She said their first days inside the transit centre at the camp were not easy. Modu found it difficult to sleep at night, she said it was overcrowded and they lived in an extremely narrow space.
The family were in the transit centre for a few days before they were relocated to an emergency ShelterBox tent. ‘Since then, life has become so much better. I miss my husband, but I feel highly relieved. We finally have some privacy in our own home’, said Modu. She has made some new friends in the camp who are also refugees and have been through the same as experience as her. She explained that the tent gives them a space to talk in private, something she used to have in the past.
As well as a tent, the family received a kitchen set, mosquito nets, solar lights, water carriers and water filters, blankets, and ground mats. Modu was extremely grateful for the aid they received. ‘Thank you so much IEDA and ShelterBox. This tent and the other items we have been given have made my life so much better. I can sleep at night and stay with my family peacefully’.
Rohingya Crisis - Months after the crisis hit mainstream news, more than half a million Rohingya still have no place to call home. We've been in Bangladesh helping families. These are their stories. Meet Rohingya families here
National Volunteer Week was in April. Have you ever thought about volunteering with ShelterBox? We have various volunteer opportunities to suit a wide range of skill-sets. Check out volunteer opportunities here
Video: A Special Thank You! - Last month we told you about the students at Ormiston Public School who wrote letters on behalf of ShelterBox. We're grateful for their action and so is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau! Watch video here
Ways to Give - Off the Grid - Off the Grid is a friendly competition between schools and clubs to raise funds to ensure no family goes without shelter. The top fundraising team will get a visit from Canadian celebrity, Les Stroud! Learn more about Off the Grid here
CURRENT DEPLOYMENTS: ShelterBox and Habitat for Humanity : 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.