Shelterbox Canada News 

In her February 2020 Newsletter, Tess Widdifield, the Rotary and Community Fundraising Manager for Shelterbox Canada and a member of The Rotary Club of Toronto Twilight, talks about Shelterbox responding to current disasters and current Shelterbox operations world wide and thanks Rotarians for their kind contributions.  Here's more of her newsletter...

FROM THE FIELD: Homes washed away in Bangladesh

Close to the Indian border in the north-west of Bangladesh lies the Brahmaputra river, which snakes through the country and out into the ocean. During the dry season, a large part of the riverbed becomes fertile land for farming. It’s easily accessible for traders, who move up and down the banks, often crossing with their heavy goods on horse and cart. Heavy downpours submerge most of the country, and the fruitful landscape looks like the open sea, only accessible by boat.

During the rainy season in 2019 heavy monsoon rains triggered flooding in the low-lying areas of Bangladesh, leaving around one third of the country under water. While the country is used to flooding caused by the annual monsoon season, continuous rain and flooding in neighbouring Nepal and India has seen an overflow into Bangladesh’s two major river systems. This has caused the water levels to rise to their highest in 100 years.  

32-year-old Behula lives with her disabled husband and four children on a small island on the Brahmaptura river. It’s about a 30-minute boat ride from the mainland. In 2019, the community they live in was severely affected by heavy rains, and many people lost their homes.

“The water level was up to my chest. All through the night we cried, I called people, but they couldn’t come easily. In the night people did not come. We moved our cattle to the nearby market and stayed for six days on a boat. We suffered a lot compared to the previous years.”

As well as the community, Behula and her family were supported by ShelterBox and the Bangladesh Red Crescent. Along with more than 700 families, they received a shelter tool kit and tarpaulin to support their recovery. Almost five months after the floods, Behula was still using the materials provided by ShelterBox. “We used the saw to cut the bamboo for our home. We fixed the fences with the nails and the wire. I use the hoe for digging, I also used it to level the ground. I use the tarpaulin to dry grains. Every item was helpful”, she said.

Behula said she is aware that there might be more flooding and is already worried about how bad it will be. “I am much more anxious about the flood next year, here is not the right place to live. We have to move from here to another place, but we don’t have money to buy land where we can move.”

Knowing they cannot move away from the river, Behula said she will continue to make her home stronger to be prepared for potential flooding next year. She concluded by saying: “Everyone hopes for the best. Everyone prays to God for improvement. I hope to live in peace with my husband and my children.”

You can read more about where ShelterBox is working at www.shelterboxcanada.org/operations-update

Click here to read a story about what it takes to train for a ShelterBox Response team. 

The Rotary Action Toolkit

Are you looking for resources to support your fundraising and awareness activities for ShelterBox? Check out our new Rotary Action Toolkit. The toolkit is designed to provide information and tools you need to support the partnership between Rotary and ShelterBox in your communities. Access resources on how to fundraise, volunteer and access our training centre to use resources used by our ShelterBox Response Team members to help with your Club’s communication, goal setting and more. www.shelterboxcanada.org/actiontoolkit  Rotary club presidents around the world have also commented. Ace Robin, President of the Mataram Rotary Club, Indonesia, was caught up in the deadly earthquakes that hit Lombok in 2018. Her home survived, but many around her were destroyed. Through an agreement with the government-led response, Ace’s club was central to bringing ShelterBox aid to Indonesia. Thanks to their support, vulnerable members of the community received vital emergency shelter, including families with elderly relatives, pregnant women or new mothers. Ace said: ‘Working with ShelterBox taught us a lot – they showed us how to build shelter and select families to help. It also gave us a chance to show what Rotary is to local people.’ We are grateful for the incredible support and acts of partnership shown by Rotarians and Rotary clubs around the world. If you would like to learn more about the partnership or how your club can support ShelterBox Canada, please visit our Action Toolkit at www.shelterboxcanada.org/actiontoolkit

Tess Widdifield

Rotary and Community Fundraising Manager

The Rotary Club of Toronto Twilight

Celebrate the Rotary Family:

Host a community event to celebrate the impact of Rotary and ShelterBox’s partnership around the globe. Invite a ShelterBox Volunteer to share stories from the field and learn how your club can become a ShelterBox supporter or volunteer.