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 - Earthquakes
The 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
A powerful earthquake in September 23 caused widespread damage in the Atlas Mountains, the ShelterBox teams worked with their partner there and Rotary District 9010 to provide temporary emergency shelter for around 4,400 people who were left without shelter They focused the response on remote villages spread far out across the Atlas Mountains to communities that were left with very little. Many people had been sleeping out in the open since losing their homes, or through fear of buildings collapsing from continuing aftershocks. The household package provided shelter, warmth and light with the provision of solar lights and high thermal blankets suited to the cold temperatures of high-altitude villages; along with a kitchen set containing everything needed to cook and prepare food.

Ukraine: Conflict
As the conflict in Ukraine approaches its third year, ShelterBox has remained steadfast in its response to the people suffering from the devastating fighting. Since the counter offensive launched in June 23 ShelterBox have fully focused on supporting people within Ukraine. Waves of attacks on energy infrastructure have periodically left millions of people without electricity, and disrupted water supply and heating systems. For families whose homes have been severely damaged in the conflict, winter has been especially difficult given the exceptional cold temperatures. Since the conflict escalated in 2022, ShelterBox has supported over 100,000 people, over 5 different project phases with Project 5 supporting more than 35,000 people (14,000 families) with winter clothing, solid fuel stoves, high thermal blankets, solar lights, 10l water carriers and sleeping bags.

 Pakistan - Floods
The 2022 Pakistan severe monsoon flooding left nearly 2m homes damaged or destroyed which affected over 33m people (15% of the population of Pakistan) and more than 1,700 people lost their lives. The ShelterBox response (which continued into 2023) was two emergency projects to support those in the worst affected areas: Project 1 supported 1,200 households (7,033 people) across four locations with tents, tarpaulins and rope, water filters, water carriers, blankets, mattresses, mosquito nets and solar lights and Project 2 contributed to the self-recovery process of approximately 5,000 households in Sindh with cash assistance.

Libya - Floods
In Sept 23 flash flooding, 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 for over 2,000 vulnerable people; hygiene kits, winterisation kits and household items were also distributed.

ShelterBox has remained steadfast in its response to people suffering from devastating fighting and are continuing to support people affected by conflict making sure they have thermal clothing, blankets, and tarpaulins to help make temporary shelters, but the shelter gap remains huge.

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 12,000 of the most vulnerable displaced families with mosquito nets, tarpaulins, sleeping mats, blankets, ropes, washbasins, jugs, bags and jerry cans. This represents a huge scale up on previous projects due to the massive needs in the country.

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. Chad already hosted more than a million forcibly displaced people who had escaped the conflict in Darfur since 2003. ShelterBox previously supported with shelter and household items families fleeing the Boko Haram conflict in the Lake Chad basin in 2018. They have supported displaced families with emergency shelter as well as providing essential items including solar lights, mosquito nets, blankets, sleeping mats, and kitchen sets.

Cameroon: Conflict
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 have supported over 18,000 families and are now working with their partner to provide a range of emergency shelters and durable shelters, depending on people’s needs.

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. ShelterBox are working with their partner to provide training and materials for the construction of locally appropriate shelters, as well as supplying essential items such as solar lights, water filters and mosquito nets.

 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. They are providing shelter kits, tarpaulin, solar lights, kitchen sets, sleeping mats, and mosquito nets to families who urgently need shelter and aid, reaching people who haven’t received any shelter assistance so far and families who have been living in resettlement sites for over 6 months and whose emergency shelter items are starting to deteriorate.

Yemen: Complex Emergency
More 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. 21.6 million people – that’s two-thirds of the entire population – need humanitarian support. Of these, 4.5 million people have been internally displaced. 83% of these people have identified shelter support as their priority need. Most displaced people have been away from home for more than 2 years. Many people have been displaced two times or more. The average time of displacement is 8 years. Some of these people are moving again and again. They are exhausted and extremely vulnerable. People living in damaged shelters received tarpaulin and rope to help them improve their homes. All families also received water filters, blankets, sleeping mats, solar lights, mosquito nets, water carriers, washing facilities and kitchen sets. ShelterBox have focussed on providing a more durable, locally made transitional shelter basically consisting of an iron grid, fireproof thermal insulation, iron panels and corrugated steel sheets, with a concrete floor to protect against damage from flooding. The shelters are built with wooden doors and windows to provide more ventilation and privacy, and they also have lighting and sockets. Aid distributions are now complete, but we’re planning another project to support more people.

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.