Many of you wonder about what ShelterBox is doing. Many of you know what ShelterBox is doing because you regularly get updates.
Here:
http://www.shelterboxusa.org
Here is their piece on their website on Gaza.
Gaza – ‘It is frustrating, and heart-breaking, to have to watch and wait,’ says ShelterBox CEO
http://shelterboxusa.org/...
"As soon as a shelter need is identified that we can meet, we are poised to help the many thousands of people who have been displaced by the violence. Everyone is hoping that diplomatic efforts succeed in achieving a lasting ceasefire, so the humanitarian aid community can safely reach these desperate families."
More than 250,000 people have abandoned their homes as a result of the fighting according to the UN – ten percent of the population of Gaza. The branch of the UN that provides relief and human services to Palestinian refugees, the UNRWA, says it has exhausted its absorption capacity in Gaza City and northern Gaza, while overcrowding at its shelters is raising concerns about the outbreak of epidemics.
Palestinian officials now say 1,156 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in the fighting since July 8. Approximately 6,700 have been injured. Israel has lost 53 soldiers and three civilians. There is international outrage at the numbers of children killed or injured. The UN estimates that 185 children have been killed, and more than 1,000 injured so far, with 150,000 forced to flee their homes.
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Another piece about what ShelterBox is doing with respect to the hard times in Gaza.
Lakewood Ranch's ShelterBox standing by to provide aid in Gaza
BY KATHRYN MOSCHELLA
http://www.bradenton.com/...
"It's a very complex situation, and we must be strategic in our response," said ShelterBox USA CEO Emily Sperling. "We're currently monitoring the situation in Gaza and are in contact
with our partner organizations operating there, and as it unfolds, we'll determine how and who needs our assistance the most," she said.
Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/...
A bit more after the fold.
ShelterBox has been active in other parts of the Middle East, working to distribute essential supplies to civilians displaced by armed opposition groups in central Iraq, as well as to Syrian refugees in Lebanon and internally displaced Syrians. The last time ShelterBox deployed aid to Gaza was in 2009, supplying nearly 600 tents to homeless families.
ShelterBox USA in Lakewood Ranch was launched in 2002 with help from the Lakewood Ranch Rotary Club. Since that time, there are nearly 400 volunteers across the country who raise awareness and funds for the cause.
More information about the ShelterBox organization, its donation and volunteer programs is available at shelterboxusa.org,
Kathryn Moschella, Lakewood Ranch reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7010. Follow her on Twitter @MoschellaHerald.
Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/...