Helping to bring shelter

Recently we endured bitter cold, snow and floods. It hit the headlines but, with few exceptions, we had the luxury of a roof over our heads, warmth and food to eat.

Rotarians overseas keep us informed of the wider picture. One of the charities we all support is ShelterBox.

“As we were driving I saw miles and miles of people lined up on both sides of the road holding cardboard signs asking for donations of food or water, eyes desperate and scared. I have never seen anything like it on previous deployments.”

This was how a member of the ShelterBox Response Team ( SRT) recently described his journey to Compostela Valley in the Philippines, one of the areas worst hit by super typhoon Bopha. 4.1 million people were affected by this destructive storm, 7,200 homes totally destroyed, 800 people missing. Buildings washed away or buried by flash floods and mudslides, food and water scarce.

While rescue efforts continued, ShelterBox worked with local partners, including Rotary, to address the needs of the most vulnerable families in the province.

As Bopha hit, many families took cover. Victoria Bunda was living with her seven children , aged 2- 14. She explained “At the height of the storm, we scrambled to safety under our wooden dining table. We then ran out of the house and a few seconds later the 150 kilometre per hour wind slammed into our home flattening it, scattering pieces everywhere.”

The SRT found Victoria and her family living in a makeshift shelter made out of debris and tarpaulin, her youngest daughter sick with a high fever. They worked hard to bring in Shelter Boxes as quickly as possible to give families like Victoria’s the shelter, warmth and protection needed to survive.

Winter shelter is also being offered to Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Already 190,000 Syrian people have registered in Lebanon as refugees but it is believed the true figure is more than 300,000. Should fighting in Damascus inten-

sify it is feared a further one million could be on the move towards Lebanon within days.

Another ShelterBox Response Team has been on the Syria / Lebanon border assessing needs and building a network of local partners to help with aid distribution. They are standing by to receive hundreds of ShelterBoxes.

Visit www. shelter box. org to learn more and find out how you can help this amazing charity. Contact me ( email above) if your organisation would like a talk about ShelterBox. I can bring along a DVD and box to show you.