ShelterBox

Every year hundreds and thousands of families across the world lose everything when disasters strike.  Through no fault of their own and often with no warning, families lose their homes, their possessions and their livelihoods.  Every day they are faced with a battle for survival and our mission is to help them.  ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families around the world who are affected by disasters at the time when they need it the most.

ShelterBox Vision is of a world where everyone affected by disaster has access to the shelter and basic equipment they need to survive and live safely.

ShelterBox Mission is to deliver humanitarian aid in the form of equipment and materials that provide shelter and warmth to people affected by natural or manmade disasters worldwide.

ShelterBox Goal is to help 1 million people who have lost everything in a disaster by 2025 and with help we will achieve this goal.

The Rotary Club of Medway supports ShelterBox by:

• Sponsoring equipment for delivery to beneficiaries worldwide.
• A Medway Club Rotarian (David Hatcher) volunteering as a ShelterBox Response Team member to deliver the vital lifesaving equipment to disaster zones across the globe.

In addition David has trained other Shelterbox speakers and himself delivered hundreds of talks to schools, community groups and events from which he has personally raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for the charity.

David’s ShelterBox deployments have included humanitarian aid missions to the Haiti Earthquake (2010 & 2011), Typhoon devastation in the Philippines (2010 & 2014), Flooding and Landslides in Brazil (2011 and 2012), Flooding and refugees in Niger (2012), Flooding and Landslides in Nepal (2014) and Typhoon devastation in Vanuatu (2015)

By far the worst devastation experienced by David was in Haiti in 2010.  2.3 million people were made homeless, 225,000 killed in the disaster and hundreds of thousands injured.  This set the seal on a long commitment to helping those less fortunate, which is partly why Medway Rotarians give so much time and energy to give ‘service above self’.

David's Report from the Philippines in 2010

Philippines Super Typhoon Haiyan 2013

Diary of a Response Team Volunteer: Nepal 2014

Diary of a Response Team Volunteer: Niger 2012

David says:

'Since inception in 2000, ShelterBox has responded to earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, landslides, typhoons and conflict, delivering emergency humanitarian aid to families in need on every continent.

From the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, we have responded to some of the largest disasters the modern world has ever known.  Alongside this, we have also helped many thousands of people affected by disasters that you do not see in the media.  Simply put, if there is an unmet need for emergency shelter, we will do everything we can to meet it.

The ShelterBox solution in disaster response is as simple as it is effective.  We deliver the essentials a family needs to survive in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.  Each large, green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, groundsheets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, mosquito nets, solar lamps, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items.

We pride ourselves on our ability to respond instantly to disasters and to do this we rely on a global network of volunteers.  ShelterBoxes are delivered by highly trained, volunteer ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) members.  These men and women, from all walks of life, give their time freely to help make the difference to the lives of others.  Their passion, dedication and belief allow us to bring hope to countless families in need every year.

We rely on public donations and could not operate without the generosity of people the world over.  Our supporters constantly go the extra mile to help make a difference to the lives of families who survive disasters.  We have had fundraisers climb Mount Kilimanjaro, row the Atlantic, cross India in a Tuk Tuk and even cycle 10,000 miles on a tandem.

We are now firmly established at the forefront of disaster relief and our work constantly earns the respect of outside agencies.  If there is one thing we have learnt, it is that the next disaster is just around the corner.  We need to ensure we are always ready to respond, no matter the disaster, no matter the location.  With your help in support of the Rotary Club of Medway, we will be ready.'

Read More