In her September 2020 Newsletter, Allison Kingston, Community Fundraising Coordinator, ShelterBox Canada and a Member of the Rotaract Club of Sarnia-Lambton, discusses leadership in Rotary and at Shelterbox and reminds us that after 20 years of existence, ShelterBox continues to evolve and innovate, but one thing that has never changed is that everything they do is guided by the same goal: helping families rebuild after disaster. Each year, Rotary helps us to go further, support more people, and access areas that would otherwise be impossible to reach. Here's more of her newsletter.....
20 YEARS OF CHALLENGES: ShelterBox Adapts to Overcome
ShelterBox is not new to working in challenging situations. Flexibility and adaptation are inherent to the way we work with communities after disaster all over the world. Flexibility is important to ensure that communities receive the tools that they need to foster self-recovery. Adaptation fuels innovation as we monitor how aid is used and can be improved upon to better support those using it.
“We are flexible. We know that some of the families we help will be impatient to rebuild and strengthen their homes, while others don’t have the capacity or opportunity to start doing this straight away. Creating a home is a process that takes time and we support families to continue on that journey.”
- Dave Ray, ShelterBox Operations Coordinator
ShelterBox has dealt with many challenges since its beginning in 2000, but March 2020 introduced an unforeseen obstacle that would test our flexibility. Over the last six months, COVID-19 has added an extra hurdle to reaching vulnerable families in need of shelter after disaster. We have worked closely with partners during responses before, but now in the time of travel restrictions and community virus spread, partner organizations have become more important than ever. Completing distributions in The Philippines, Vanuatu, and Ethiopia over the last few months has not been easy, but we have adapted to overcome.
We firmly believe in the humanitarian mission to do no harm and we understand that with the nature of COVID-19’s spread, simply entering into vulnerable communities can bring harm to the families that we work with. Working with trusted partners on the ground, we at ShelterBox have been able to adapt our responses to address the needs of families and work within countries with stringent travel bans. We have also been working with our partners to ensure social distancing and other safety precautions are put in place while distributing aid. We have adapted some of the aid training that our Response Team Members would typically give on the ground into a digital format for situations where it makes sense and have found creative ways to spread important knowledge.
We have also been able to adapt what we provide to families in our responses. By including aid items such as washbasins and soap with our distributions, families that we support do not just receive a better chance to self-isolate in their shelter but can also improve their WASH and knowledge capabilities.
One of the challenges many local supporters and Rotarians at home have been facing was the issue of loneliness within their quarantine space. We thought up ways to connect Rotarians and supporters to one another and we decided to launch a North American book club. ShelterBox Book Club connects readers to our work through novels from countries we have deployed in as well as connecting readers with other like-minded people.
With Rotary’s Literacy month upon us, what better time to dive into a new book and travel the world from your living room than with ShelterBox Book Club North America. Learn more or join here: https://www.shelterboxcanada.org/bookclub/
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 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
HURRICANE SEASON IS HERE
“I opened the door as the eye of the hurricane was passing and I looked at my neighbour’s house. It was gone. We couldn’t move because of all the trees, I couldn’t run with my kids because we would get hurt so we had to stay. Then my son ran in saying Mummy your room, your room has water coming through it. Water was pouring through, there was no chance to save anything. Hurricane Maria was very scary. That is the first time I experienced anything like this, it was so big I thought everybody was dead”.
Hurricane season is here, and it is expected to be stronger and deadlier than ever before. So far this summer we have already seen a record high number of named storms, and the destruction and devastation has begun. On Monday, August 24, Tropical Storm Laura swept through the Caribbean, killing 23 people in Haiti and Dominican Republic. The storm was been upgraded to a Category 4 Hurricane and made landfall alongside a second major hurricane, Marco.
We need Rotary's help today to help families in need after disaster. Donate today to ensure families affected by disaster get the urgent shelter and aid they need to recover from destruction. Rotary and Rotaract Club donations can help families rebuild after everything has been lost. We need your support today, to ensure families get the urgent support they need after a devastating disaster like a hurricane.
Please, donate today to help families this hurricane season. At ShelterBox operations we are constantly monitoring these storms and preparing for the worst. When the inevitable happens, ShelterBox is standing by, ready to help the families who need it most. Will you help us be prepared?
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.
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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