Rotary International and ShelterBox USA announce global partnership renewal
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Rotary International and the disaster relief charity ShelterBox USA, based in Santa Barbara, announced a three-year partnership renewal last week.
The renewal of the partnership comes against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it's had on communities worldwide, but that crisis could be dwarfed by the impact of a changing climate in the years ahead.
ShelterBox research highlighted how 167 million homes could be lost to climate change in the next 20 years.
The relief charity alleged that flooding will be a leading cause of weather-related disasters, warming oceans will bring heavier rain to places that can’t cope with it, and other parts of the world could face deadly droughts.
“Rotary and ShelterBox will continue to collaborate, better supporting communities in need by improving preparedness, and prepositioning aid in areas prone to disaster,” Rotary International General Secretary and CEO John Hewko said.
The agreement between Rotary and ShelterBox will be announced at the annual Rotary International Convention, this year hosted in Houston, where ShelterBox chief executive Sanj Srikanthan will give a keynote speech to more than 10,000 Rotary members.
ShelterBox was founded by the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard in the United Kingdom in 2000, providing emergency shelter and other essential items to people who have lost their homes to conflict and disaster.
With growing collaboration with Rotary members and clubs across the globe, ShelterBox became Rotary’s official project partner in disaster relief in 2012, transforming ShelterBox into an internationally recognized disaster relief charity.
“Rotary has been beside us on our journey from day one and we are reminded of the significance of the partnership each time we mobilize,” Srikanthan said. “What began as a local connection with one Cornish Rotary Club has led to an extraordinary international movement that has provided emergency shelter to millions of people around the world.”
Using their networks in Poland, Moldova and Ukraine, Rotary members have provided invaluable situational awareness and connections enabling ShelterBox to provide aid to those in need.
The charity is providing mattresses to people in collective centers; tarpaulins, rope, tools, and other essentials to help people living in damaged buildings. ShelterBox has also supported women and children fleeing into Moldova.
With Rotary, their global network has made lasting differences in its members communities, attested Hewko.
“We are people of action, which is why our disaster relief partnership extends far beyond financial support,” Hewko said. “Rotary clubs worldwide offer valuable, practical assistance to help ShelterBox reach more families fleeing disaster or conflict.”
ShelterBox currently has teams working to support communities in Ukraine, Yemen, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, the Philippines, Syria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Haiti, and Nigeria.
To find out more about ShelterBox visit shelterboxusa.org.
