April - Swaziland

A Different Kind of Disaster : In 2007 ShelterBox deployed to Swaziland to tackle a different kind of disaster… a tragedy where children living in one of the world’s poorest countries are the innocent victims. Swaziland has the highest incidence of AIDS/HIV infection in the world: an estimated 40% of the population are infected and average life expectancy in the southern African kingdom has declined from 55 in the 1980s to approximately 35. So many adults have died that huge numbers of children have been orphaned and are left to fend for themselves in a country where severe poverty has been exacerbated by the loss of a large proportion of the working population. In late February 2008, ShelterBox returned with a team of three ShelterBox Response Team members, headed by US SRT Larry Agee from Lake Charles, Louisiana. Larry recounts that “These people are living on the edge of survival - every day. The huts, if you can call them that, are made of sticks and if they’re lucky rocks or mud stuck in the sticks. There’s no electricity or running water and the kitchen is just an open fire outside with a few old cans for pots.” Larry and a team of ShelterBox SRTs deployed 140 boxes to Swaziland in September, 2007, and returned with more aid in February of this year.

SRT Rachel Rodda returned recently from Swaziland and tells her story... “It’s an honor for me to convey the thanks and heartfelt gratitude from the families in Swaziland whose desperate need was helped by your generous sponsorship. A generation is missing in Swaziland and many grandmothers are left to rear their grandchildren with little or no means of extra help. The most vulnerable children have no surviving relatives and these are known as ‘child headed families’, with the eldest sibling being responsible for their younger brothers and sisters. Each ShelterBox is packed with more possessions than many of these desperate families have owned in their entire lives, the boxes arrived as treasure chests. The families asked that I relay how much they thank you, how blessed they feel that you care for them and also that I relay how many of them asked God to bless you. Thank you to everyone for caring for them and giving them their ShelterBox.” —Rachel Rodda

This is one of many similar stories that the ShelterBox Response Team members return with. It goes without saying that the SRTs’ most important mission is to hand-deliver aid so that we can continue to guarantee the safe delivery of a donor’s gift. Not only is it our duty to do the most for the most needy, it is a privilege to return and say to those of you who give so generously that it went to the right people—people whose lives will now begin to improve with our help. It is a moving and life changing experience to look into the eyes of a person who has lost everything, including hope, and to give. At ShelterBox HQ we give time, our fundraisers give time, our SRTs give time—and all of this is packaged in a box that gives hope. Giving time is a quality that Founder and CEO Tom Henderson never underestimates. Thank you to all of our SRTs, DRs, other volunteers, and donors for all you have given to and through ShelterBox!

2,000 Bolivian Flood Victims Receive ShelterBox Aid

April - Boliva: As many as 60,000 Bolivian families have been affected by torrential rains and major flooding in the last two months. Four American ShelterBox SRT members—Gary Boe, John Mackie, Tina Stephens, and Rene Steinhauer—have just returned home and confirmed the successful delivery of 200 ShelterBoxes to the areas in most need, 100 kms north of Santa Cruz. Hailstorms and flash floods have caused devastation among communities and destroyed agricultural land. Hundreds of children were living in substandard temporary accommodations, with poor sanitation and plagues of mosquitoes. ShelterBox sends its aid exactly one year after a 2007 deployment to Bolivia, also in response to massive flooding.

While in Bolivia, medical student Sara Jalali encountered ShelterBox’s response team and wrote to us: "One of the biggest challenges I felt while in Bolivia was providing medical care that may sometimes only be a temporary fix; without larger structural changes, these peoples' lives will not get better. What you guys do, however, provides realistic, sustainable tools to maintain health and safety. I want to thank you for doing what you do in the world. I really admire the work and the mission." 2,000 Bolivians have benefited from the ShelterBoxes, which contain 10-person tents, mosquito nets, waterproof ponchos, cook stoves, utensils, water purification supplies, and more.

Ecuador - Kabul

March 11th - Ecuador: Since December Ecuador has experienced it's heaviest rains in 25 years, leading to swelling rivers and devastating floods. Disasters relating to 'la Nina' have effected 3.5 million people with the worst hit area being the coastal regions and especially provinces such as Los Rios - ShelterBox has responded by sending a ShelterBox Response Team and 200 boxes.

March 10th - Kabul: Hundreds of displaced Afghan families receive ShelterBoxes containing tents, winter clothing, blankets and woodburning stoves which were distributed by ACTED and the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation at Bar-E-Kohab camp near Bagram Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday 9th March, 2008. (Picture By Mark Pearson/ShelterBox).

Afganistan - Africa

February 15th - Swaziland: ShelterBox has visited camps that received aid last year in the St Philips area. The recipients of the boxes were very pleased with the content and quality of the ShelterBox they received. ShelterBox Response Team members also assessed a school with major damage, for the distribution of School in a Box this weekend.

February 15th - Kabul: ShelterBox's experienced SRT member & photo-journalist, Mark Pearson, has been making an intrepid expedition over the last two days to the worst effected area of Western Afghanistan. On his arrival to Kabul earlier in the week he met with ACTED & Rotary who described the snowfall was the worst in 60 years with many fatalities. He met many of the displaced families from the Helmand Province gathered in the city with no shelter, their clothes were wet, children had no shoes and were looking unwell in temperatures Mark could only describe as a "Baltic freezer" he added "there is always so much more to do in the regions but with these terrible weather conditions even the city is affected." Local people were helping with what little they had. ShelterBox HQ is actively packing up vital aid of tents and warmth to be sent over the next few days. Additional SRT members will join Mark in-field with the army to make further assessments.

February 8th - Mozambique: A consignment of 170 boxes containing tents and equipment leaves the ShelterBox HQ today making its way to Mozambique to assist with the devastating floods seen recently on World news. Many homes and schools were lost to the flood water across Southern Africa. Along with the supply of temporary shelter five 'Schools in a Box' will arrive, giving the children the vital opportunity to regain stability.

February 6th - Copperbelt, Zambia: Team leader Lasse Patersen returns for Zambia after a successful distribution in the Southern Provinces of Zambia around Livingstone, Kazungula and Sesheke. Two USA Shelterbox team member, Mike Freeman & Wayne Robinson today will deliver the remaining boxes in Zambia's Copperbelt region around Ndola.

February 4th - Kazungula, Zambia: A three man ShelterBox Response Team have delivered 200 boxes into Zambia following the Southern Provinces heaviest rain fall since 1958. The rains caused thousands of homes to collapse or be washed away. ShelterBox responded by setting up a camp at Kuzungula and are awaiting more news from the SRT's on the ground.

Southern African Rains Cause Massive Flooding

February 8th - Zambia: Two US ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) members, Wayne Robinson & Mike Freeman of Georgia, recently returned from their deployment to the Southern Provinces of Zambia, where the heaviest rainfall since 1958 has caused massive flooding. The rains caused thousands of homes to collapse or be washed away. ShelterBox responded by setting up camps and distributing boxes in Kuzungula, Livingstone, and Sesheke, and Zambia's Copperbelt region around Ndola. At least 36 of the ShelterBoxes distributed in Zambia were funded by generous US sponsors.

According to SRT Mike Freeman, 200 boxes made their way into the affected region of Livingstone with minimal interference. Local elected officials, Rotary club and Rotaract members embraced the aid and helped SRTs identify the populations in greatest need. Mike recounts that “The affected people were very pleased to receive the tents and supplies. They were also very helpful in training their neighbors in putting up the tents and in assisting with the distribution."

The southern African nations of Mozambique and Zimbabwe have also been hit with torrential rains. Although the region’s rainy season stretches from November to April, 2008’s downpours are out of the ordinary. Reuters AlertNet reports that in Mozambique, "the floods could be the worst in living memory as raging waters threatened to engulf farmland and wreck infrastructure like roads and bridges in the centre of the country." On February 8, 170 ShelterBoxes were deployed to Mozambique to help flood victims in that nation.

Shelterbox tent is the first home for Kenyan baby 'Favour'

January 18th - Rift Valley, Kenya: In the history of Shelterbox only one other baby has been born in a tent during an 'Immediate Relief deployment'. It has been a proud moment not only for the SRT's but everyone at HQ. Mark Pearson describes the situation "Mother Louise Kimani Father Paul Kimani and two day old baby Favour were forcibly removed from the village of Kericho seven days ago and until we gave her shelter they were living rough in the stadium. She gave birth on Tuesday the same day she moved into our Shelterbox tent. She is a School teacher and her husband is a farmer they have two other children." Louise Kamani said "we have no where to go but here and it is dangerous in the town and there is nothing left everything was burnt down including the primary school and secondary school"

Kenya, A miracle is born during the conflict

January 17th - Rift Valley, Kenya: Shelterbox has set up a well organised and peaceful camp in Nukuru, Rift Valley, amidst Kenya’s national protest. Vulnerable women and children are now safely under shelter in a showground tightly packed with Shelterbox tents. The first response team Mark Pearson & Greg Rogers put up an impressive 200 tents in 48 hours with the help from the Scouts. People are living together and in the past two days numbers have swelled from 2500 to 4000. More displaced families are expected over the next few days, all are Kikuyu tribe members from Eldoret, Kitale, Kisumu and Burnt Forest.

In this violent and man-made situation there is still a need for aid as the victims are the innocent. Until Shelterbox arrived the women were exposed and exhausted sitting up all night to watch over their sleeping children. One women’s house was burnt to the ground, she travelled alone and frightened to the camp and miraculously gave birth to a healthy baby inside a Shelterbox tent put up minutes before. The camp is said to be secure, with some medical facilities and an adequate supply of food. The skilled Scouts have created a well managed situation that Baden Powell himself would have been proud of with communal cooking and ordered camp rules.

The Shelterbox SRT team have investigated and identified other areas that need help. 40 km North West of Nakuru in Molo 15,000 displaced people are living under the stars in terrible conditions with up to 2000 each sharing one sanitary facility. The rise in illness such as respiratory infections due to exposure is mounting hourly. Shelterbox has responded by sending another 200 boxes of aid which will reach these families by the weekend.

Somaliland, A Million in Africa aid continues

January 11th - Somaliland: News from the Shelterbox team in Hargeisa confirms that 224 boxes have successfully been distributed to the local community. 70 families from Djibouti and 360 families from Ethiopia will benefit from this equipment - all are said to be pleased. The team were also able to deliver blankets to hospitals in Berbera, Burco and Boroma.

January 10th - Kenya: An estimated 250,000 have been displaced, the crisis has taken many by surprise. Shelterbox will send Mark Pearson, photographer & camera, to the Rift Valley to meet with Rotary to distribute an initial supply of 224 boxes of vital aid, an in-field assessment will be made and fed back to HQ.

The election eruption has fuelled a humanitarian crisis now the uprooted Kenyans will face an unsettling and potentially long period as refugees. The hope is that the people have the skills to rebuild their homes but assistance is desperately needed. Violence in Kenya will disrupt emergency aid getting through but Shelterbox continues to act irrespective of race, religion, and politics and already has 224 boxes on the ground.

Bangladesh situation still desperate for many
US Military aids in ShelterBox distribution

Many survivors of the cyclone that hit Bangladesh two weeks ago are still waiting desperately for help.

With limited food aid only now reaching some devastated areas, thousands of families continue to huddle under makeshift shelters on the edges of roads and other patches of dry ground.

More food, access to clean water and shelter continue to be urgent priorities, reports the disaster relief charity ShelterBox, which is supported by Rotary clubs around the world.

The aid operation is being led by the country’s military. Bangladesh supplies a large proportion of the UN’s peacekeeping forces and its soldiers are highly experienced at working in very difficult situations. But the extent of the situation is stretching the nation’s military to the limit. The US Department of Defense has responded to the Bangladesh’s government request for assistance and is part of a larger United States response coordinated by the US Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Until the recently embarked 22nd US Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived, the international emergency relief organization ShelterBox was having difficulties getting their disaster Box aid out of Dhaka to the cyclone stricken area. Already working with the Bangladeshi military, the ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) has encountered major logistical problems: blocked roads, downed bridges and swamps everywhere. These conditions and the sheer scale of the disaster have significantly slowed the organized distribution progress.

ShelterBox relief workers report that rice is just now beginning to be distributed by the World Food Program, but that well-meaning but misguided donations of clothes are reportedly useless and being used to ineffectively cover bamboo shelters. ‘The people here don’t need clothes. They need food, water and shelter. reports Mark Pearson, UK SRT member.

ShelterBox specializes in providing emergency accommodation and other survival essentials to disaster victims. Aid is delivered in pre-packaged kits – ‘ShelterBoxes’ – each designed to help a family of 10 survive for at least six months in a disaster’s aftermath.

So far, more than 600 ShelterBoxes have arrived in Bangladesh: each containing a 10-person tent, blankets, cooking utensils, water containers and other essentials. The international charity plans to send more aid this week and is appealing for donations. US donations can be directed to ShelterBox USA, Bradenton FL. For more information or to give a donation call 941-747-8500 or visit www.shelterboxusa.org.

Photo Credit: US Marine Seaman Christopher Lange Date 11/28/2007

From www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=124538

Inside North Korea with ShelterBox

October 2007:

US Contact:
Beth Palmer
bethp@shelterboxusa.org
941-400-5242

ShelterBox provides rare glimpse from inside North Korea

An exceptional glimpse of life inside one of the world’s most isolated regimes – North Korea – has been provided thanks to the disaster relief charity ShelterBox.

Now sponsored by Rotary clubs from six different countries, ShelterBox specializes in providing emergency accommodation and other survival essentials to disaster victims. Aid is delivered in pre-packaged kits – ‘ShelterBoxes’ – each designed to help a family of 10 survive for at least six months.

The charity has just delivered 200 boxes containing tents and other equipment to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), after being asked by the country’s government to help families left homeless by recent floods.

ShelterBox photographer Mark Pearson travelled with some of the boxes to Jigokri, a small village in the province of Kangwon – no more than 25 miles from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides the North and South Korea. The area is extremely sensitive and very few visitors to North Korea are allowed beyond the capital Pyongyang, let alone within such a short distance of the DMZ.

Mark Pearson said: “We delivered the first 35 boxes to Jigokri. They’d had over 700mm (27”) of rainfall in less than 24 hours and a dam overflowed, washing away around 75 houses. Getting the boxes there was a challenge as there were very few trucks available and fuel is very hard to come by.”

Travelling down a coast bristling with anti-aircraft guns and other defenses built to protect North Korea from the threat of invasion also provided an opportunity to see how torrential rain had washed away buildings and huge areas of rice paddies. It is estimated that around a third of this year’s harvest has been lost – a disaster in a country that already relies on international aid to feed its population.

In Jigokri, work was already underway to rebuild houses lost in the floods but a number of families were still without a home. Pearson said: “The floods had also washed away the village’s clinic and primary school. Within minutes of the tents going up, the local doctor set up in one and started doing acupuncture on a man who had a stomach problem. Another tent was turned into a classroom for the village children.

“But the villagers were also amazed by the tools in the boxes. They had very few tools and everything was very old. For them, being given a new hammer and axe etc was completely unbelievable and will really help them with rebuilding their houses. They’ll need them too. Jigokri is up in the mountains. It was cold when we were there and it’ll be well below zero there in a month or so.”

He added: “It was a strange experience visiting North Korea. I had to surrender my mobile phone at the border and had two party members accompanying me every minute of the day but I got to see a side of North Korea that very few people will ever see.”

The invitation to assist in North Korea came via First Steps, a Canadian charity that has been operating for several years in the country and was aware of the work of ShelterBox.

ShelterBox founder and chief executive Tom Henderson said: “First Steps has been working in North Korea for several years to combat malnutrition in young children. The charity was founded by Susan Ritchie, a former translator for the Canadian government and has built up a good working relationship with the North Korean authorities there.

“I met Susan at this summer’s Rotary International annual conference in Salt Lake City. She instantly realized how useful our ShelterBoxes could be and told the North Korean authorities about us.”

ShelterBox was set up by a Cornish Rotary club in 2000 and now has international affiliates established by Rotary clubs in six other countries. In August, HRH the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles wife, Camilla, became the charity’s president.

Henderson added: “North Korea is the 40th country to receive aid from ShelterBox and we reckon we’ve now provided help for more than 500,000 disaster victims worldwide. We operate irrespective of race, religion or political affiliation and that independence – as well as our links with the worldwide Rotary organization – is one of the reasons we are able to operate in so many places.

“Our concern is the needs of people who have lost their homes as the result of a disaster – politics doesn’t matter when your house has been washed away – and we hope to be able to help further in North Korea in the future.”

As well as working in North Korea, teams from ShelterBox are currently delivering aid in Peru, Somaliland and Uganda. For more information about the charity’s work call 941-747-8500, the Florida headquarters of ShelterBox USA or visit US site www.shelterboxusa.org or main UK site: www.shelterbox.org.

Delivering Aid on two Continents

October 2007:
Members of ShelterBox Response Teams (SRTs) will be delivering aid in three countries on two continents over the coming days as the charity continues its response to disasters in Africa and South America.

Peru:
A consignment of another 400 tents has just arrived in response to the earthquake that hit the country in August. The tents will be distributed by three SRT volunteers from the United States led by Wayne Robinson, a member of the first SRT to deliver ShelterBox aid to Peru's earthquake victims.

Somaliland:
A three-man SRT is due to fly into Somaliland on Tuesday 16th October. The team will be delivering 230 ShelterBoxes of aid for families displaced by years of civil war who have fled to the breakaway neighbouring republic, which has provided a safe haven for huge numbers of displaced people.

Uganda:
ShelterBox has also sent 100 boxes to Uganda, where torrential rains that began in September have devastated the country’s Teso Region. As well as blankets, stoves and other essentials, the aid sent includes mosquito nets as one of the problems caused by the floods has been an increase in malaria and other diseases carried by mosquitoes that are breeding in the flood water.

The charity is working with the Rotary Club of Muyenga in Kampala and the Uganda Red Cross. A two-person SRT is due to leave on that deployment towards the end of next week.

Jamaica - Hurricane

September 2007:
A consignment of 25 ShelterBoxes will arrive in the capital Kingston tomorrow following an appeal for help from the Rotary Club of May Pen in Jamaica.

The southern area of Jamaica was badly damaged by Hurricane Dean last month and a number of families were left homeless. The boxes will be distributed by local Rotarians.

Nicaragua - Hurricane

September 2007:
The Dutch Navy has stepped in to deliver help from ShelterBox to hurricane victims in Nicaragua. The unusual partnership has seen aid for around 2,000 people delivered to coastal communities devastated when Hurricane Felix hit on Tuesday 4th September.

Winds of up to 160mph killed more than 150 people and left thousands homeless after they hit Nicaragua’s north-eastern coastline. The Category Five storm destroyed homes, trees and crops, while torrential rain is also reported to have destroyed as many as half the houses in the town of Puerto Cabezas.

ShelterBox founder and chief executive Tom Henderson explained: “We’ve been helping the Royal Navy with disaster planning exercises at HMS Drake near Plymouth. One exercise involved a Dutch ship on its way to the West Indies and the commanding officer was highly impressed with the boxes and contents.”

“We gave them five boxes there and then but, after the Dutch ship reached the Antilles, I had a phone call from their senior officer in the West Indies asking for 200. We knew the hurricane season was coming so flew them out ready.”

An officer from the Van Nes said: “As every house in the area is damaged and most houses don't have a roof anymore, the people were very grateful for a roof over their head.”

Tom Henderson added: “We’re now going to be restocking the Dutch fleet in the West Indies with more boxes. The hurricane season isn't over until December and although Felix’s arrival was unprecedented we have to be ready for anything.”

Peru - Earthquake

September 2007:
Members of a ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) working in Peru report that more help is urgently needed for the victims of last month's earthquake.

Wayne Robinson, an SRT member from the US, visited the area of Chinchu to help assess the scale of the disaster and the need for assistance. He reports: "The homes in the area suffered massive destruction with entire streets of homes entirely destroyed. Many others are not fit or safe to occupy.

"Our eyes have been opened as to what an earthquake can do. It is unbelieveable! Numerous homes just sunk down into the soft sandy ground as walls and ceilings crumbled."

So far, ShelterBox has sent boxes containing enough aid for 2,000 people to Peru and is planning on delivering sending more boxes this week. However, the SRT members say much more help is needed. Team leader Lasse Petersen said: "The scale of disaster warrants a substantially bigger international response. We hardly see signs of much western aid and have yet to bump into another western aid worker. It is absolutely an appalling tragedy to see a disaster of this magnitude and barely a sign of aid."

Wayne Robinson added: "The amount of people displaced will use up what we have and many others will still be in the same position of inadequate shelter. Our appeal to ShelterBox supporters and others would be to contact as many folks as possible and ask for donations to help out."

August 2007:
Following the recent earthquake and an appeal by the Peruvian government, ShelterBox is sending help for 2,000 people.

Around 200,000 victims were left homeless by the quake, which also left more than 500 dead and 1,300 injured after it struck on 15th August. One of the worst affected areas is the Ica region and a ShelterBox Response Team dispatched to oversee the distribution of aid will be working with the Rotary Club of Ica.

Peru's civil defence agency has said it desperately needs at least 40,000 tents, and that its emergency stock of had been almost used up during a recent cold snap.

Nepal - Flooding

August 30 2007:
Emergency aid for up to 2,000 flood victims has been delivered free to Nepal thanks to international logistics company DHL.

The company – the logistics division of Deutsche Post World Net – is supporting ShelterBox's work to assist families left homeless by recent monsoon floods that have destroyed an estimated 70,000 homes.

A consignment of 200 ShelterBoxes containing tents and other survival equipment was flown to Kathmandu courtesy of DHL and is now being distributed by a volunteer team in partnership with the Nepal Red Cross and other local agencies.

August 22 2007:
After being trapped for weeks by swollen rivers, aid from ShelterBox has reached hundreds of families cut off by the monsoon floods in a remote corner of Nepal.

The aid included the box that brings the total number of people now helped by Shelterbox to an estimated 500,000. That box was delivered to Jagadeo Argairiya (pictured below right), who has a family of 10, including five young children.

A ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) – including Cornish firefighter Steve Brown, photographer Mark Pearson and US volunteer Dave Eby – travelled with the aid to oversee its distribution and ensure it got to those people most in need of help.

The team had previously joined forces with the Nepal Red Cross, which estimates 97 people have now been killed by floods and landslides across the country and around 363,000 people affected by the disaster, with an estimated 42,000 houses completely or partially destroyed.

Mark Pearson said: “After a reconnaissance mission with the Red Cross on Sunday, we identified one of the worst hit areas. Around 300 families were left stranded after their homes were destroyed in the floods and they were cut off by three swollen rivers. They’d received a food drop four weeks ago and about 60 tarpaulins but that was the only help until we arrived.”

He added: “Getting aid to these families was a major operation. Roads from the main town of Jonakapur are mainly impassable – our 4WD Land Cruiser got stuck and we had to transfer all the boxes to tractors. Then, after demonstrating the tents and other equipment on the river bank, villagers had to carry everything on their heads back across a river to where their homes had once been.”

“Apart from the problems caused by the flood, this is a dangerous area in which to work. There are various armed groups and tension is high after one man from the hills was shot a couple of days ago. There’s a curfew in place and the only organisation that can operate here freely is the Red Cross so we’re delighted to have teamed up with them.”

Pakistan - Cyclone

July 2007:
More boxes will soon be on their way to help flood and cyclone victims in Pakistan. Another 200 boxes are due to leave the UK within the next 24 hours. A further 200 boxes, each containing two tents, are also due to be packed this week. The first 220 boxes sent, accompanied by an SRT team, are due to arrive in Karachi tomorrow.

June 2007:
ShelterBox is sending aid for more than 2,000 people to Pakistan after a cyclone battered the Arabian Sea coast, leaving hundreds feared dead and many thousands homeless.

The storm has inflicted major damage to houses and roads along the coasts of Pakistan’s Sindh and Balochistan provinces. Many buildings have been flattened and more than a dozen fishing boats with 200-plus crew on board have been reported missing at sea.

Tomorrow, 220 boxes will leave the UK and are expected to arrive in Karachi on Tuesday 3rd July, along with a ShelterBox Response Team. The volunteers in the team will work with Pakistan’s National Rural Support Program (NRSP) to distribute the boxes. ShelterBox founder and general manager Tom Henderson said: “We understand the situation for fishing communities along the Arabian Sea coast is quite devastating. People had to flee inland to escape the waves pounding the coast.

"Waves and floods have washed away thousands of homes, destroyed roads and caused at least one major bridge to collapse. The NRSP has said they will be able to fly our boxes in by helicopter but it’s still going to be quite an operation getting aid to those in need."

Somalia

June 2007:
A breakaway republic could provide a gateway for delivering humanitarian aid to thousands of displaced Somalis.

Huge numbers of people have been forced from their homes following years of civil war in Somalia but continuing fighting and instability in the south of the country has made it impossible for aid agencies to operate there safely.

However, the country’s north-eastern region broke away six years ago to form the Republic of Somaliland. Although not officially recognized, the country does have a proper government and stable economy. Now, a two-man team from ShelterBox has just returned from Somaliland after being invited to meet government officials and discuss using the Red Sea port of Berbera as a route for delivering aid.

ShelterBox general manager Tom Henderson said: "ShelterBox will not rush into any action without assessing this carefully but having a secure and stable access into the Horn of Africa would be a tremendous step forward in terms of being able to safely deliver aid to those in need."

The Somaliland contact came about after members of the Somali community in Swindon heard about the work of ShelterBox. Hassan Nur, chairman of the Swindon Somali community, travelled with the ShelterBox team. He said: "I left but my mother and sister spent six years in a refugee camp. There are thousands of people waiting in the north and in Somalia for the fighting to stop but there is little sign of that."

Solomon Islands – Tsunami

April 2007:
The first 100 boxes sent to help islanders whose homes were destroyed in the recent tsunami have been distributed.

Lasse Petersen from ShelterBox is now on the island of Gizo, which was one of the worst affected areas. He reports: "The boxes were delivered by the Royal Australian Air Force to Munda last Saturday afternoon. From there they went by truck to the port of Noro 20km away as the closer loading docks had been destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami."

Working with Keith Robins from the Toorak Rotary Club in Australia and Grace Hemmer, president of the Gizo Rotary Club, 50 boxes were distributed to various hilltop camps. Other boxes were distributed to nearby island communities also hit by the disaster.

Lasse added: "Gizo has a population of around 25,000 people and an estimated 15,000 are living in hilltop camps. Some because their homes were completely destroyed but others have moved in fear of further tsunamis and as a result of earthquake damage to their homes."

Philippines/Somalia

December 2006:
Weeks after helping earthquake victims in Kashmir, Shelterbox is now responding to a devastating typhoon in Asia and extensive flooding in East Africa. Over the next few days, emergency accommodation for 4,000 people - plus other vital survival equipment - will leave our Cornwall UK depot. Half will go to typhoon victims in the Philippines and half to victims of flooding in Somalia. Shelterbox Response Teams will accompany both aid deployments to oversee distribution and assess what other help is needed.

Pakistan

October 2006:
One year after the devastating earthquake that hit Pakistani-administered Kashmir on 8th October 2005 many people are still living in flimsy shelters and canvas tents unsuitable for the winter conditions now approaching. A four-man Shelterbox Response Team (SRT) flies to Pakistan to oversee the distribution of aid sent to help earthquake victims in Kashmir. Following a direct appeal from Pakistan's National Rural Support Programme (NRSP), emergency accommodation for another 8,000 people has been sent to the mountainous region.

Lebanon

September 1st 2006:
The first pictures of Shelterbox tents amidst the ruins of shattered buildings in Lebanon show the extent of the challenge now facing the people of that country. Shelterbox's photographer Mark Pearson is in Lebanon to see how aid sent by the charity is being used. Enough tents to house more than 6,000 people have so far been sent to Lebanon by Shelterbox. Local Rotary clubs have already distributed many of the tents to families left homeless by the conflict and, tomorrow, Lebanese Rotarians will be distributing 200 Shelterboxes to the village of Kana in southern Lebanon. Mark said the extent of the damage is hard to take in. He said: "It looks like an earthquake has battered the place." Many people who have lost their homes cannot start any rebuilding because unexploded bombs still litter the area and they are waiting for bomb disposal teams to clear the wreckage.

(3rd Consignment) August 14th 2006:
The third consignment of Shelterbox aid for the Lebanon leaves today, with 200 boxes being dispatched via Cyprus. This will follow the two previous consigments to reach Beirut, the second of which arrived over the weekend, courtesy of the Greek warship Xios. The aid was handed over to members of the Rotary Club of Batroun, who are helping to look after around 12,000 people who have left their homes in the war-torn south of the country.

(2nd Consignment) August 11th 2006:
Despite being held up by bombs, a convoy of local Rotarians reached Beirut yesterday and picked up the first consignment of Shelterbox tents sent to Lebanon. Now, the tents - providing shelter for 2,000-plus - are being set up in the northern city of Batroun, where around 12,000 people have fled to escape the fighting. Another 200 Shelterboxes - each containing a 10 person tent and other emergency supplies - are today being loaded, with the help of the Cypriot Army, onto an aid ship headed for Beirut. A further 200 boxes are now being packed by Shelterbox and will be dispatched as soon as possible.

(1st Consignment) August 1st 2006:
The first consignment of Shelterbox aid for the thousands of Lebanese who have fled their homes leaves today. An initial consignment of enough tents and blankets for 2000-plus people is being flown to Cyprus, for onward distribution to Lebanon. More aid is expected to follow, both for those displaced within Lebanon and for the estimated 25,000-plus refugees who have fled the country and are now stranded in Cyprus.

Shelterbox will be working through Rotary clubs on Cyprus and in Beirut to get the aid to victims of the conflict. Scott Givhan from the Rotary Club of Limassol-Berengaria Cosmpolitan is in touch with his counterparts in Lebanon. He said: "The larger organisations are doing a good job getting aid to the main refugee points but Rotary, in conjunction with local governments, remains the only source of support for many people. "There were 10,000 refugees in the region of Batroun in the north before the recent ceasefire and this number is sure to grow. In addition, one Rotary club in the hills above Beirut has just informed us that they are looking after 6,000 refugees with no support."

Mr. Givhan added that Lebanese Rotarians are currently risking their lives to distribute emergency supplies - using their own cars rather than trucks or vans so as to lower the risk of being targeted by Israeli airstrikes.