ShelterBox in Action - 2023
ShelterBox work around the world in partnership with local agencies and others, together with help from local Rotarians, to provide emergency shelter and other essential items to the families who need it most across the world and monitor potential areas for their response.
2023 was busy for ShelterBox, reflecting the scale of the current global humanitarian crisis which is ever growing. Their responses around the world continue to support people who have had their homes damaged or destroyed by disaster, conflict, or the climate crisis.
ShelterBox thank Rotary for the support over the past year and greatly value the ongoing partnership whether its Rotarians raising awareness and fundraising; assisting with distributions, needs assessments or logistics in-country, or providing introductions to important local authorities as, now more than ever, the partnership is fundamental to what they do.
In 2023 325,000 people across 22 different projects in 14 different countries were supported after earthquakes, flooding, conflict, drought and tropical cyclone – 65,000 families were supported with emergency shelter and household items.
Turkey/Syria - EarthquakesThe biggest response from ShelterBox this year was after the earthquakes in Syria/Turkey. On 6 February 2023, two devastating earthquakes measuring 7.7 and 7.6 in magnitude struck Turkey the 2nd one hit close to the border with Syria. These earthquakes were the largest to hit the region in the last century, killing more than 50,000 people and damaging 66,000 buildings. Homes were destroyed or left unsafe and people had to sleep in the open. The freezing temperatures also created an immediate risk to life for people who were too afraid to return home or had no home to go back to. The worst damage occurred in northwest Syria where many buildings were already damaged by years of civil war. ShelterBox immediately shipped to the affected areas 528 tents from their warehouse in Panama and an initial emergency response team travelled to the affected region within 48hrs to begin crucial assessments. Rotary in the area supported the Government-led response and were critical in enabling the ShelterBox get aid on the move in a dynamic and complex emergency.
ShelterBox supported more than 12,000 people - families in Turkey received tents, mattresses, blankets, solar lights, bags and hygiene kits and some vulnerable families also received stoves. In northern Syria households in the Aleppo area were supported with tents, blankets and mattresses, solar lights, water carriers, the construction of tent bases, and cash assistance. They also provided blankets and mattresses (4 of each to each family) to support new arrivals into the displacement camps in Idlib.
Morocco - Earthquake
ShelterBox’s unique partnership with Rotary enabled them to support rural communities in Morocco, impacted by a powerful earthquake that destroyed more than 50,000 homes across the Atlas Mountains in September 23. The powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco, killed nearly 3,000 people and injured thousands more. It also damaged 50,000 homes, many of which were in remote villages in the Atlas Mountains. With the freezing winter months fast approaching, families were left with no shelter from the cold. ShelterBox had not responded in Morocco before but, partnering with local organisations, delivered tents, thermal blankets, solar lights and kitchen sets to families without adequate shelter in 22 different remote villages spread far out across the Atlas Mountains, where people were left with very little.
Ukraine: Conflict
As the conflict in Ukraine approaches its third year, ShelterBox continues to respond to the people suffering from the devastating fighting. Since the conflict escalated in 2022, ShelterBox has supported over 100,000 people, over 5 different project phases. The latest Project 6 during 2023 provided thousands more people with winter clothing, blankets, and stoves.
Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate shocks. In 2023 ShelterBox shifted their focus to providing longer term shelter support to families that lost their homes in severe monsoon flooding. They built durable shelters designed to be permanent homes and latrines to help prevent the spread of water-borne diseases such as cholera.
Libya - Floods
In Libya the flash flooding in September 23, particularly in the city of Derna after dams burst washing away entire neighbourhoods, left over 40,000 people displaced. Thousands of people have lost their lives, others lost everything they owned in the floods. Their aid package focused on providing warmth and protection from cold winter conditions providing 1,700 people with winter coats, thermal blankets, and heaters.
Ethiopia: Conflict/Drought
Ethiopia remains a complex humanitarian emergency characterised by conflict, insecurity, and the effects of climate change which have all contributed towards mass displacement and humanitarian need. The conflict in North Ethiopia intensified in 2021 and at least 2.6 million people have been displaced with an additional 1 million since the conflict restarted last August. Recent estimates suggest that over 600,000 people have died since the conflict began, with half of these deaths attributable to starvation or lack of healthcare. ShelterBox supported 77,000 people in Ethiopia this year with emergency shelter and essential household items such as mosquito nets.
Chad: Conflict
On 15 April 2023 armed clashes between rival factions of the military government of Sudan resulted in a significant influx of refugees and returnees crossing the border into Chad. They supported over 31,000 people with emergency shelter and lifesaving aid items - providing refugees (largely women and children) with shelter, light and sense of safety. As the need in Chad remains great, they are currently designing a longer-term project to ensure families receive the support they need in the years to come.
The Far North region of Cameroon is impacted by the ongoing Lake Chad Basin crisis with multiple factors driving displacement. ShelterBox have been supporting since 2015 refugees both on and off camp in the far north. They supported 63,000 people in 2023 in a refugee camp Cameroon building more durable shelters for those with no immediate chance to return home and providing emergency shelter to protect newly displaced families.
Somalia: Drought
Decades of conflict, climate shocks, disease and widespread poverty have devastated the people of Somalia. Due to violence and drought across the Horn of Africa region hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes in Somalia, searching for food, water and health services. Materials and technical guidance to construct locally appropriate shelters were provided to help support thousands of people in southern Somalia. Over 3,500 people were supported with more resilient shelters. Also provided aid were other essential items, such as solar lights, kitchen utensils, water carriers, and mosquito nets. The latest response commenced in October 2023 and will continue until August 2024 to provide more than 10,000 people with transitional homes or shorter-term emergency shelters and toolkits for shelter maintenance.
Mozambique: Conflict
The conflict in northern Mozambique is driving one of the world’s fastest-growing displacement crises. Since October 2017, an Islamic extremist group has been launching violent attacks on civilians in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. There are huge logistical challenges around delivering aid in Mozambique, as many people are staying in hard to reach and high-risk areas. Their second project provided 3,000 shelter kits and 3,000 family kits to support families living in resettlement sites. Shelter survival kits were provided to a further 3,000 families in hard to reach/high security risk areas, where they had been cut off from access to basic items.
Yemen: Complex EmergencyMore than eight years of armed conflict in Yemen has caused tens of thousands of civilian casualties, uprooted millions and destroyed the economy; it remains one of the world's largest humanitarian crises. Over 4.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes, and over 75% are women and children. People have been uprooted from their homes for nearly 10 years due to shifting front lines in the civil war and extreme flooding hitting the country. ShelterBox had previously supplied tents, tarpaulins and rope to help people fix damaged homes but are now building robust structures more suitable for the harsh and changing climates of the Ma’rib desert and offer a more permanent home. These are known as “iron net” shelters and have an iron frame, constructed with a concrete base (to create a level of protection against flood water), a layer of thermal fireproof insulation and wooden doors and windows to provide comfort in the extreme temperatures - hot or cold. So far, they have supported 3,500 people with these new shelters.
Burkina Faso: Conflict
Burkina Faso is one of the fastest-growing displacement crises in Africa. From 2020 there has been an escalation in the conflict causing mass displacement. Nearly 40% of the population is directly affected by the closure or reduction of basic social services. Over 4,000 families have been supported since 2020 with tarpaulins, kitchen sets, sleeping mats, blankets, soap and buckets. The latest project supported displaced families with the construction of the durable transitional shelter, known as the ‘Sahelian Tent’. These tents are constructed from locally sourced materials and offer a more durable structure for displaced families who have fled their homes to escape extremist violence. Further Sahelian tents will be constructed on concrete bases for added protection from flooding, hygiene and privacy.