Shelterbox Sri Lanka

A project partnership in true form - Rotary and ShelterBox respond in Sri Lanka

In May 2016, when the most concentrated rainfall in 25 years drenched the island nation of Sri Lanka, ShelterBox was there. The international disaster relief organization arrived in-country to assist those who were forced to flee as landslides and mudslides swept away their homes, livestock and livelihoods.

The massive landslides and heavy flooding buried hundreds of homes in Sri Lanka causing many deaths, displacement and damage to property, ultimately affecting the lives of thousands of people. The Island nation went into mourning for the unprecedented number of victims, dead and displaced, in one of the worst natural disasters to hit Sri Lanka since the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of supporters around the world, ShelterBox was able to provide 126 families with ShelterBoxes packed full with a family tent, and all the supplies they needed to help them survive and recover. None of this would have been possible without the incredible support of Rotary International and the Rotary Club of Capital City in Sri Lanka.

Alex Youlten, the Rotary Partnership Manager at ShelterBox, said: “If ever there was a shining example of the [Rotary International and ShelterBox] Project Partnership working for the good of the community, this is it”. The strength of this success stems from a previous partnership between the Rotary Club of Capital City and ShelterBox in 2009. This was in response to the humanitarian crisis following the end of conflict in the country, when hundreds of thousands of people were displaced.

In May, Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Capital City began assisting with the relief efforts as soon as the flooding occurred. From outsourcing boats to rescue people cut off by the floods, setting up medical treatment camps, organizing dry ration collection centres with other Rotary Clubs in the district, and general clean-up operations, the Capital City Club played an integral role in relief following the devastating landslides. All of this was accomplished while assisting the ShelterBox response to provide essential temporary shelter and supplies for families who were evacuated into temples and schools.

In addition, The Rotary Club of Capital City launched a project to provide education packs to students in schools in Aranayake. The Club packed and distributed education packs to 6,000 students in 54 schools. The project provided basic materials for education to help students recover from the trauma they had witnessed. The ShelterBox Response Teams were in Colombo and took the opportunity to help pack the school packs, further cementing the incredibly strong and effective bond between Rotary in Sri Lanka and ShelterBox teams – the project partnership in true form.