In her January 2021 Newsletter, Allison Kingston, Community Fundraising Coordinator, ShelterBox Canada and a Member of the Rotaract Club of Sarnia-Lambton, discusses Hurricane season and Shelterbox readiness to respond. The coronavirus pandemic means that it will be more challenging for response teams to travel to hurricane-hit countries But their links with local partners and Rotary worldwide means they can provide aid in new ways that keep families safe . Here's more of her newsletter.....
SHELTERBOX AND ROTARY: A Proven Track Record of Humanitarian Service
In November, ShelterBox awarded Rotary International with its first Global Humanitarian Service Award, in recognition of Rotary’s outstanding partnership throughout the years.
Founded in 2000 by Rotary members in the United Kingdom, ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and essential supplies to help communities through their toughest times. ShelterBox and Rotary officially became project partners in disaster relief in 2012.
Rotary has been instrumental in ShelterBox’s growth, helping to transform ShelterBox into an internationally recognized disaster relief charity. The mutual benefits are enormous. ShelterBox receives networking, logistical and financial support from Rotary and, equally, acts as a catalyst in encouraging people all over the world to become involved with their local Rotary club.
ShelterBox CEO Sanj Srikanthan presented the award to Rotary International General Secretary and CEO John Hewko.
“It is with great pride that we celebrate our longest standing partner and the cornerstone upon which ShelterBox is built,” said Srikanthan. “Rotary is truly in the DNA of everything we do.”
The two organizations have helped over 1.7 million people in 100 countries. More recently, the partnership has delivered lifesaving shelter and aid to families, protecting them from the threat of coronavirus.
“This award is for every Rotary member in the world who has ever enabled this life-saving work,” said Hewko. “Together, we should take great pride in this achievement of supporting families recovering from disaster and conflict around the world.”
In 2020 alone, thanks to the help of Rotary, ShelterBox was able to support over 40,000 families, equating to almost 200,000 people in 11 countries. One of these responses was in Northern Cameroon where Fanne (pictured above) is living. In Cameroon, 96.7% of people interviewed felt that ShelterBox support had a positive impact on the wider community.
A mother to eight children, Fanne lives in Minawao camp having had no choice but to leave her disabled husband behind when she fled from Boko Haram. With our support she was able to move out of a collective centre and start to rebuild a home. She said: “Home is important to anybody because it is the place you have some rest after a stressful day. It’s like a refuge, it keeps you safe from rain, sun and wind.”
ShelterBox Book Club International
Are you a Book Worm or an aspirational one? ShelterBox has launched their Book Club International and wants you to join them! Each month, ShelterBox teams carefully select a compelling story from around the world for book club members to read. You can join the ShelterBox Book Club community on Facebook for interactive discussion, Q&A with authors, highlights from response team members and more! Read along at your own pace and join the discussion online. You’ll participate in discussion about the book and what you’ve just read, but you’ll also get to learn more about the people and places inspired by these books. You’ll hear from different authors about different perspectives and experiences. And you’ll receive firsthand stories from ShelterBox members who’ve travelled around the world, visiting these countries to deliver aid. Read more about how you or your club can volunteer with us: shelterboxcanada.org/actiontoolkit
WHERE WE'RE WORKING NOW:
Read our Current Operations to see more countries your support is working in.
For more information about ShelterBox and to learn more about where we are responding, visit us at www.shelterboxcanada.org/operations-update
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
Allison Kingston
Community Fundraising Coordinator, ShelterBox Canada
Member of the Rotaract Club of Sarnia-Lambton
Celebrate the Rotary Family:
Here is a challenge to Rotary and Rotaract Clubs in District 7070: We encourage you to 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.
GET CONNECTED: Join the conversation :
Did you know that there is a Rotary and ShelterBox Support Group on Facebook? It is a group that brings together Rotarians, ShelterBox Supporters, Staff and ShelterBox Response Teams to discuss all things ShelterBox and Rotary. It is a great place to see the latest operations updates, Rotary deployment information and video content to share with your Rotary Club. If you would like to join the group and conversation, please search for “Rotary and ShelterBox Support Group” on Facebook and ask to join the conversation!
A SHELTERBOX SPEAKER FOR YOUR ROTARY CLUB MEETING:
Looking for speakers this Rotary year? We would love to tell your club even more about ShelterBox and the impact Rotarians make. Request a speaker: https://www.shelterboxcanada.org/actiontoolkit/request-a-speaker/
SHELTERBOX OPERATIONS UPDATE:
JOIN US EVERY TUESDAY ON FACEBOOK FOR LIVE OPERATIONS UPDATES FROM SHELTERBOX HQ. JOIN US LIVE
VOLUNTEER WITH SHELTERBOX:
With the new Rotary year upon us there are so many ways to be the inspiration and make a difference in our communities and around the world. ShelterBox is looking for more dedicated individual across Canada to join our volunteer team. Whatever skills, knowledge or spare time you have, you can play a vital role in ensuring no family goes without shelter. Learn more about our various volunteer roles and how you can get involved in the 2019-20 Rotary year by visiting us at shelterboxcanada.org/volunteer
About ShelterBox Canada: Canada is a registered charity that has been a part of the global ShelterBox network since 2010. We have a team of over 120 volunteers across the country who share their passion with us and help us raise awareness and fundraise across the country. There are ten Canadian ShelterBox Response Team members who work tirelessly with the rest of the International Response Team to deliver aid to families who need it around the world. To learn more about our board and staff click here .
ShelterBox and Rotary are official project partners in international disaster relief. ShelterBox is a registered charity independent of Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation. Since 2012, we have been neighbours, friends and community leaders. Their aim is to create positive, lasting change in communities at home and all over the world.project partners with Rotary International, a global community of 1.2 million. Rotary has supported ShelterBox from the start when a local club championed the simple idea to package up essential shelter items in our now-iconic ShelterBoxes. As ShelterBox grew, so did Rotary support, and we are now international project partners in disaster relief. This partnership has helped us to become who we are today. Our global network of ShelterBox affiliates, which provides all-round assistance, evolved from Rotary relationships.
E: support@shelterboxcanada.org T: 647.352.1930 www.shelterboxcanada.org
ShelterBox Canada – 159 Jane Street, Office 2, Toronto, ON M6S 3Y8
Is your club interested in having a ShelterBox Presentation at an upcoming meeting? Let us know at support@shelterboxcanada.org