2023 Impact: ShelterBox USA

In 2023, extreme weather events, earthquakes, and conflict created a significant need for emergency shelter. 

In Türkiye and Syria, we supported thousands of people with emergency shelter after the devastating earthquakes in February 2023. We also responded to help those left without shelter by the powerful Morocco earthquake in September. Just two days after this severe flooding impacted Libya, particularly the city of Derna. Despite the difficult operating conditions in Libya, we were able to work with a partner to bring support to people in Derna impacted by the floods.

Another extreme weather event was the severe drought impacting the Horn of Africa. This has led to thousands of people being forced from their homes in search of water, food, and health care. This year we continued our work in Ethiopia supporting people impacted by the drought and violent attacks from insurgent groups. We also began working in Somalia, bringing shelter to those forced from their homes by the hard conditions.

Samira was at home alone in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco when the earthquake struck. She still remembers the terror of that night.

“I was thinking about death, I was crying, and I was thinking about my children. I really think about this night, and what happened.”

One of Samira’s biggest fears after the earthquake was the approaching winter, and how to keep warm. “Everyone is just outside; we do not have any houses to keep warm in. It is very cold, especially at night. After the earthquake everything has changed, before everyone had homes to keep warm in, now we do not have that.”

ShelterBox provided emergency shelter and other essential items to over 4,000 after the earthquake, despite difficult access to the mountains. Samira received a tent, solar lights, a kitchen set, and warm blankets.

Thanks to your support, Samira had items she desperately needed to survive the winter. “The ShelterBox tent will help a lot. For our kitchen, the cooking sets will be very helpful. We need the solar lights because what we have now is not enough, and we need the blankets to keep warm.”

Ebrahim and his family were forced to move twice due to the conflict in Yemen. Once a farmer, Ebrahim now has an eye injury and struggles to find work. He shared how his family felt being forced from their home.

“We felt tired, sad that we left behind everything we owned, all our memories, as well as being separated from family and relatives.”

Ebrahim now lives in Ma’rib in Yemen. His family previously lived there in a UN Tent. However, tents can quickly deteriorate in Yemen’s harsh climate. This year Ebrahim received an iron net shelter. These far more durable shelters have an iron net frame, constructed with a concrete base. They have a layer of fireproof insulation and are covered by corrugated metal.

Ebrahim shared how much the shelter meant to him and his family. “Everything is beautiful in it. In the previous shelter, if the rain came, we would feel anxious and uncomfortable because the rainwater would enter the shelter. Now, we enjoy the sound of rain as it hits the iron net without worrying about water entering.”

Through the work of ShelterBox and our partner BCHR, despite his challenges, Ebrahim now feels that he is living in a home. Your support has given him a safe place for his children to sleep at night.

Nurta previously farmed crops to sell. However, after years of drought in Somalia, she and her family were evicted. They then faced a long journey to Baidoa to find aid and shelter.

“Our journey was quite challenging; we had been struggling for three months [before arriving here]. As we were traveling, we did not have much food and water and when we arrived, some of my children were admitted to the hospitals because of malnutrition.”

Nurta and her family now live in a new shelter, which they received along with kitchen utensils and other essentials. Nurta has shared what the help means to her and her family.

“Now, we are fortunate to live in a spacious house, which is a significant improvement over the previous one. Before moving here, we felt uncertain about our future, and the fear of being forced to move again loomed over us. This new shelter provides us with stability, as we have been guaranteed to remain here for at least four years.”

Nurta now looks forward to a brighter future, where her children receive an education. She also wishes to learn to sew and dye fabric to earn a living and contribute to camp life. Her aspirations for stability, education, and self-sufficiency underscore the strength of people who have been left without shelter after disaster, all over the world.

Building on the solid foundations of the last 22 years, in 2022 we launched our new five-year strategy that will see ShelterBox become even more focused on the impact emergency shelter can have for people after disaster and conflict.

We will do this in partnership with others for maximum reach, and with the good of everyone in mind, as we seek to do no harm to people or our planet.

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