ShelterBox
Encyclopedia
ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity
that provides portable refuge to disaster victims around the world. Since 2001, it has worked in more than 45 countries, supplying aid to more than 600,000 people, and delivers emergency shelter, warmth and dignity to people affected by disaster worldwide.
Each box supplies families with a tent and lifesaving equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless. The contents are tailored to the nature and location of the disaster.
ShelterBox Response Teams distribute boxes on the ground, working closely with local organisations, international aid agencies and Rotary clubs worldwide, Rotary International
.
, a Rotarian and former Royal Navy search and rescue diver, in the Cornish
town of Helston
. He believed that traditional first aid response, which concentrates on food and medicine, helped people survive the immediate aftermath of disasters but did not help them rebuild afterward. He formed ShelterBox with the intention of filling in this gap.
The first consignment of 143 boxes was sent to earthquake victims of the 2001 Gujarat earthquake
. Over the next three years the project matured and by the end of 2004 nearly 2,600 boxes had been dispatched, following 16 major disasters. The company significantly expanded its work in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
As of 2009, ShelterBox had provided help to more than one million people.
In 2010, the Australian and Canadian branches of ShelterBox split from the main organization and formed new organizations called Disaster Aid Australia and Disaster Aid Canada, respectively.
However, new teams in Australia and Canada were immediately put in place and the charity's work was unaffected by the breakaway groups.
Currently, ShelterBox has branches in the United States, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Luxemburg, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, South Africa, Portugal, Sweden, Indonesia and the Philippines, along with a branch associated with the Scouts.
After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
in Japan, ShelterBox provided assistance to about 1,600 families in the disaster region.
s. In addition, an earthquake
alert system gives immediate notice of any seismic activity that could result in a humanitarian disaster. ShelterBox has strong relationships with international aid agencies
and Rotary clubs worldwide who also relay information when they become aware of an urgent need for shelter.
ShelterBox aims to get the first shipment of boxes dispatched to a disaster area within 2–3 days where a ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) meets it. Often ShelterBox is the first outside aid agency on the ground.
. This relationship offers the opportunity to engage scouts with worldwide issues such as natural disasters, man-made conflict and humanitarian aid, encouraging groups to contribute positively to a global society. For example, Scout groups joined the ShelterBox organization in its response to the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake
in Italy, as well as the violent protests in east Kenya in 2008.
In August 2011, at the World Scout Jamboree held at Rinkaby/Kristianstad, Sweden, ShelterBox France entered into an official partnership with the les Scouts et Guides de France.
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Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
that provides portable refuge to disaster victims around the world. Since 2001, it has worked in more than 45 countries, supplying aid to more than 600,000 people, and delivers emergency shelter, warmth and dignity to people affected by disaster worldwide.
Each box supplies families with a tent and lifesaving equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless. The contents are tailored to the nature and location of the disaster.
ShelterBox Response Teams distribute boxes on the ground, working closely with local organisations, international aid agencies and Rotary clubs worldwide, Rotary International
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
.
History of ShelterBox
ShelterBox was founded by Tom Henderson, OBEOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, a Rotarian and former Royal Navy search and rescue diver, in the Cornish
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
town of Helston
Helston
Helston is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately 12 miles east of Penzance and nine miles southwest of Falmouth. Helston is the most southerly town in the UK and is around further south than...
. He believed that traditional first aid response, which concentrates on food and medicine, helped people survive the immediate aftermath of disasters but did not help them rebuild afterward. He formed ShelterBox with the intention of filling in this gap.
The first consignment of 143 boxes was sent to earthquake victims of the 2001 Gujarat earthquake
2001 Gujarat earthquake
The 2001 Gujarat earthquake occurred on January 26, 2001, India's 52nd Republic Day, at 08:46 AM local time and lasted for over two minutes. The epicentre was about 9 km south-southwest of the village of Chobari in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District of Gujarat, India...
. Over the next three years the project matured and by the end of 2004 nearly 2,600 boxes had been dispatched, following 16 major disasters. The company significantly expanded its work in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
As of 2009, ShelterBox had provided help to more than one million people.
In 2010, the Australian and Canadian branches of ShelterBox split from the main organization and formed new organizations called Disaster Aid Australia and Disaster Aid Canada, respectively.
However, new teams in Australia and Canada were immediately put in place and the charity's work was unaffected by the breakaway groups.
Currently, ShelterBox has branches in the United States, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Luxemburg, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, South Africa, Portugal, Sweden, Indonesia and the Philippines, along with a branch associated with the Scouts.
After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
in Japan, ShelterBox provided assistance to about 1,600 families in the disaster region.
Responding to disasters
ShelterBox has tracking systems to monitor weather systems around the globe and anticipate the likely scale of hurricanes and cycloneCyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...
s. In addition, an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
alert system gives immediate notice of any seismic activity that could result in a humanitarian disaster. ShelterBox has strong relationships with international aid agencies
Aid agency
An aid agency is an organisation dedicated to distributing aid. Many professional aid organisations exist, both within government , between governments as multilateral donors and as private voluntary organizations...
and Rotary clubs worldwide who also relay information when they become aware of an urgent need for shelter.
ShelterBox aims to get the first shipment of boxes dispatched to a disaster area within 2–3 days where a ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) meets it. Often ShelterBox is the first outside aid agency on the ground.
Funding
ShelterBox relies entirely on donations to make their work possible. About half of the funds come direct from the UK public, the rest is raised by international affiliates. A tracking system allows people and groups making donations to track when and where the boxes purchased by their donations are sent.Patrons
In August 2007 HRH The Duchess of Cornwall became the charity’s President and Royal Patron, following her visit to the Helston HQ that summer.ShelterBox and Rotary International
Starting works closely with the Rotary club, and has grown to become the largest Rotary Club project in the world, with affiliates in eighteen countries as of August, 2011. The latest affiliate being ShelterBox Philippines. Rotarian support currently contributes an estimated 50% of the organization's donations. Around 5,000 clubs worldwide have supported ShelterBox since it was launched. Recognising this worldwide support from the Rotary community, ShelterBox was designated as a Global Rotary Club Project in 2009.ShelterBox and The Scouts
In May 2009 ShelterBox launched an official partnership with The Scout AssociationThe Scout Association
The Scout Association is the World Organization of the Scout Movement recognised Scouting association in the United Kingdom. Scouting began in 1907 through the efforts of Robert Baden-Powell. The Scout Association was formed under its previous name, The Boy Scout Association, in 1910 by the grant...
. This relationship offers the opportunity to engage scouts with worldwide issues such as natural disasters, man-made conflict and humanitarian aid, encouraging groups to contribute positively to a global society. For example, Scout groups joined the ShelterBox organization in its response to the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake
2009 L'Aquila earthquake
The 2009 L'Aquila earthquake occurred in the region of Abruzzo, in central Italy. The main shock occurred at 3:32 local time on 6 April 2009, and was rated 5.8 on the Richter scale and 6.3 on the moment magnitude scale; its epicentre was near L'Aquila, the capital of Abruzzo, which together...
in Italy, as well as the violent protests in east Kenya in 2008.
In August 2011, at the World Scout Jamboree held at Rinkaby/Kristianstad, Sweden, ShelterBox France entered into an official partnership with the les Scouts et Guides de France.
External links
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