Rotary boxing up the essentials of life
By Jamie Melbourne-Hayward
Over the past five weeks close to 15,000 people in seven disaster-struck countries have been provided with emergency shelter, warmth and dignity through Rotary?s Shelterbox initiative. Petone Rotary president Pam Hanna says 1500 shelterboxes have being donated at a value of $2 million, reducing the association?s ability to respond to disasters. ?This has depleted stocks and seemingly endless disasters, which include those conflicts that displace people, for example, Sri Lanka and northern Pakistan, are stretching Rotary clubs? ability to sustain the replenishing of supplies,? says Ms Hanna. Petone Rotary Club recently donated the cost of a shelterbox, $1500, to help deal with the effects of Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan, China and the Philippines. Last year the club supported the provision of shelterboxes to Myanmar after the typhoon there, and to Victoria to help with the aftermath of devastating fires. ?We would be interested if there are businesses or other organizations in Petone that would like to match or assist their local Rotary club with any future donations it makes. ?The devastating fires in Australia have brought home the fact that we never know when our help to somewhere else in the world might need to be returned to us in kind,? says Ms Hanna. Shelterbox is an international disaster relief charity and a global Rotary club project. Each tough green plastic box contains a ten-person tent, blankets, water purification and cooking equipment, basic tools, a stove and other essential equipment. It means that a family or group of ten people can survive for six months or more. International volunteer response teams made up of Rotary Club members who have undertaken extensive training in England oversee the delivery of shelterboxes. They travel to the country concerned, assess what is needed and work with local Rotary clubs in the countries where disasters have occurred. This means that shelterboxes are often able to be got to where help is needed faster than any other assistance, and by land or water or even hoofed transport. For more information visit www.shelterbox.org.nz
