Rotary International and ShelterBox,
a grassroots disaster relief organization, signed a project partner
agreement this month, allowing the two organizations to collaborate more
closely to provide relief and temporary shelter to survivors of natural
disasters. (click below to read more)
“Project partner” is a special status RI gives to groups started or
managed by Rotary clubs. The agreement will build on the strengths of
both organizations in responding to disasters all over the world.
“Our Rotary friends have always been there ready to assist – from
generous donations to direct operational support on the ground Rotary
has always been part of our DNA,” said Tom Henderson, ShelterBox CEO. “I
feel like we have 34,000 ShelterBox offices around the world working
together to help those who have lost everything when they need us the
most.”
Saving lives
RI General Secretary John Hewko said the agreement will enable
Rotary club members to have an immediate, lifesaving impact in
communities hit by natural disasters. “ShelterBox will be able to ensure
that local Rotarians are provided an opportunity to participate in the
distribution of ShelterBox containers,” he said.
Each ShelterBox typically provides a tent designed to withstand
extreme weather conditions, stove, water purification kit, blankets,
tools, and other necessities to help a family survive for six months or
more after a disaster.
Henderson, a civil engineer and former search-and-rescue diver for
the British Royal Naval, founded ShelterBox in 2000. Its response teams
of trained volunteers have brought lifesaving supplies to victims of
more than 175 disasters in nearly 80 countries.
Mutual goals
“For more than 10 years, ShelterBox has given light to over one
hundred thousand families worldwide in their darkest hour,” said Hewko.
“This project partner agreement represents our mutual goal of helping
those in need. It gives RI a forward-facing approach to immediate
disaster relief.”
Noted Henderson: “This partnership with Rotary International is a
formal recognition of our good work over the past 12 years. It will help
Rotarians get a better understanding of what we do. I hope Rotarians
worldwide will see us as a coherent and able disaster relief
organization.”
Earlier this month, a ShelterBox team distributed more than 550
tents to communities in Madagascar where powerful cyclones left more
than 250,000 people homeless.
For more information:
- Learn more about Shelterbox
- Learn more about who Rotary works with
- Donate now to support the humanitarian efforts of The Rotary Foundation
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