Sackville Rotarians send Shelterbox aid to earthquake-ravaged Haiti

Members of the Rotary Club of Sackville have sent three ShelterBox containers to Haiti as part of their contribution to helping those left homeless after the devastating earthquake on Jan.12.

The sum of $3,000 raised by the club purchased three ShelterBox containers, each of which holds a large tent providing living accommodation for 10 people, plus essential supplies and tools. The donation will be matched by the Canadian government which will donate a further $3,000 to the Haiti relief effort.

ShelterBox was among the first responders with aid to Haiti after the earthquake. Containers are always kept in stock and can be flown to stricken areas at very short notice. The first containers were arriving in Haiti within days of the earthquake. Some of the first tents were used in setting up a field hospital.

Current plans call for moving large numbers of people to tent cities outside Port au Prince, while the mammoth task of clearing the debris and rebuilding infrastructure and housing gets underway.

Among the most urgent needs, in addition to food and medical aid, is the provision of adequate tent accommodation and this is exactly what ShelterBox provides.

While not an official part of Rotary International, ShelterBox was founded by a Rotarian Tom Henderson, whose Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard, England launched the project in 2000.

As it spread to other countries, the movement was taken up by Rotary clubs whose members operate it on a voluntary basis. In nearly 10 years it has become the largest Rotary Club project in the world, with affiliates in eight countries.

Boxes have been sent to 65 countries helping more than a million people. ShelterBox has worked on every continent providing emergency aid to the victims of earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, typhoons, hurricanes, volcanoes and conflicts.

ShelterBox Canada was founded within the Rotary Club of Ladysmith, B.C., (www.rotary.nisa.com/ladysmith) under the leadership of Rotarian Don Ohlgren, and his wife Anne, and is promoted and administered by Rotarians from all across Canada.

Already ShelterBox has provided accommodation and essential aid to over 20,000 victims of the Haiti earthquake in Port au Prince, including additional accommodation at two orphanages and a hospital.

According to one ShelterBox Team member, "We're prioritizing women and children, providing disaster relief tents, blankets, water containers, children's packs and kitchenware, basically enough to set up families who have lost everything."

The focus is now shifting to moving tens of thousands of people out of the city and ShelterBox has contributed further aid to over 10,000 people in camps set up in Delmas, Petion-Ville, Carrefour and Leogane. More containers are arriving almost on a daily basis.

The strength of ShelterBox lies in the fact that containers are packed with tents and other essential supplies and held in storage until needed.

The contents of the containers have been carefully chosen so that they provide the most practical response in major catastrophes such as the Haiti earthquake. In addition to a waterproof tent which can accommodate 10 persons, they also contain ground sheets and blankets, water containers and water purification equipment, cooking utensils and a multi-fuel stove, a practical tool kit, and a children's pack. Each container is carefully packed so as to be as compact as possible and is capable of being carried by two people.

For more information on ShelterBox or to donate, check out the website at www.shelterbox.ca/index.html.

While Rotarians have led the way in publicizing and promoting ShelterBox after the Haiti earthquake, it has been receiving tremendous support from all across the country.