ShelterBox celebrates 25 years and receives a royal invite

Since its formation in 2000, ShelterBox has helped more than 3 million people in around 100 countries, people who have been uprooted by conflict, the climate crisis, and other disasters.  It has worked in Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania, Europe, and North America. 

ShelterBox was founded by the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard in Cornwall.  The initial aim was to reach a few dozen families a year but thanks to the hard work and passion of those founding volunteers, it has become a global community providing emergency shelter and support after disasters. 

25 years ago the number of people displaced around the world was about 40 million.  Today, over 120 million people worldwide have been forced from their homes by disasters, the climate, and conflict.   And in the next 25 years it’s expected that around 1.2 billion people will be at risk of losing their homes to disasters – 1 in 6 of people alive today. 

ShelterBox was invited by King Charles and Queen Camilla to a special event on 20 February at Buckingham Palace celebrating charities working in the humanitarian sector 

ShelterBox’s chief executive, Sanj Srikanthan said:  “Our aid has developed over time, and we learned to go beyond the green ShelterBoxes that gave us our name to reach more people in more places.  Every disaster is different, and our responses are too. We listen to affected communities to find out what is needed most and tailor our response depending on what is culturally appropriate and what works best with the local weather.”

“As well as tents and other shelter aid, we provide essential household items, training, and cash assistance which means people can pay for tradespeople to repair or rebuild.  And we are making shelters more robust too with concrete bases in places that repeatedly flood like in Pakistan and Syria; storm strapping to make timber shelters more robust in the Philippines, shelters with iron frames and fire-resistant insulation in Yemen, and in Burkina Faso, wooden frame Sahelian tents to withstand local weather.” 

Mr Srikanthan adds: “In a perfect world we wouldn’t be marking this milestone, but the need for emergency shelter around the world has never been more urgent and we recognise that our work is not yet done.    While much has changed in 25 years, what remains the same is the people we support are at the heart of what we do and our supporters and volunteers are driving us forward – giving their time to make a difference to others, raise awareness, and funds for people they will never meet.”

We have supported ShelterBox for all its 25 years and sent a further donation of £1,200 in February (2025).

For more information visit shelterbox.org.  

Picture issued by ShelterBox in a press release on 18 February 2025