Provide Dry Shelter For The Homeless After Disasters Worldwide - Rotary District 9800

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PROVIDE DRY SHELTER FOR THE HOMELESS AFTER DISASTERS WORLDWIDE: THE SHELTERBOX PROGRAM

The Shelterbox program is a worldwide initiative to provide shelter to those left homeless after disasters - natural or man-made.

The Shelterbox program has a simple aim: To bring dry shelter, bedding and clean water to people who have become homeless in disasters.

It does so by placing basic necessities into a single box, a Shelterbox, which can be airlifted or shipped easily into disaster zones.

The Shelterbox program was initiated when one just individual suggested an idea that he thought would make a difference. Tom Henderson, a Rotarian of the Helston-Lizard Rotary Club in the UK came up with the idea, and driven by his passion to help, put his idea into action in 2001.

Today the Shelterbox program is a worldwide Rotary initiative, having helped over 500,000 disaster victims worldwide. Shelterboxes continue to be deployed from the UK to disaster zones upon advice from local Rotary organisations. Recent deployments in our region include to a number of countries in South East Asia, The Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and and even to regional Australia.

What’s In A Box?

Each ShelterBox normally holds a 10-person tent and a range of other equipment, such as:

Thermal blankets and insulated ground sheets
Waterproof ponchos and bin bags
A multi-fuel stove that can burn anything from diesel to old paint!
Cooking pans, utensils, bowls and mugs
Collapsible water containers and water purification tablets
Basic tool kit –hammer, axe, saw, pliers, hoe head, trenching shovel, rope etc
A small, children’s pack containing drawing books, crayons, pens etc.

How Can You Get Involved or Help Out?

The Shelterbox program relies on the donations and sponsorship to operate

- each box costs over $1000 AUD to assemble - each contains new equipment. Yet the impact each Shelterbox has in helping those in need is truly immeasurable.

Rotary District 9800 clubs are working hard to raise funds through Shelterbox Australia to ensure that when a disaster does hit, there will be enough Shelterboxes to meet the typically immense demand associated with such events.

Your donation or sponsorship of a Shelterbox can make a large difference in the lives of many people in need, providing the most basic of amenities for those hit by tragic circumstances and deprived of accommodation of their own.

You can donate via any club in Rotary 9800 or by contacting

Shelterbox@rotarydistrict9800.org. Alternatively, you can check out the great work the Shelterbox program is doing at the international Shelterbox website, www.shelterbox.org where you can also donate.

OR

Get involved in Rotary! Either as a new Rotarian or a partner to our initiatives, your contribution can make a difference. Programs like this one rely on the efforts of volunteer Rotarians to raise money for such causes. The more money raised, the more people we are able to help in times of need.

We also rely on the contributions of our wonderful partners and donations from the public to make it all happen. To everyone who has contributed thus far - A BIG THANK YOU!

Help a village get back on its feet.

To find out more, email:

Shelterbox@rotarydistrict9800.org