This is the next installment of the ShelterBox diaries, led by TexMex, a place for those who want to donate to the ShelterBox effort, now helping out in Haiti, Chile, Peru, Fiji, Uganda, China, and Guatamala too. So far the DKos community has contributed over $134,000, enough to purchase 134 ShelterBoxes, providing quality shelter, with privacy and dignity, to 1340 people. We are now working on #135. Here is the donation link where you can help out, and other links to give you more information and a sense of the good that ShelterBox is doing. Report your donation in the comments and we will count it toward the DKos total.
Secure donation page
ShelterBox home page
ShelterBoxUSA page
ShelterBox in Canada page
To find out more about how you can help, follow along below.
These diaries now are being posted only twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday mornings, rather than daily. We will continue to monitor the latest diary for donations in between those days.
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So far, over 20,000 ShelterBoxes have been sent to Haiti, with many more being sent to Chile, Fiji, China, Uganda, Guatamala, Pakistan, and Peru. Supplies must be replenished to be able to continue to respond to disasters around the world. (Hint: That means they still need our help!!)
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An update from ShelterBox in Haiti three months after the earthquake (in case you think the need for ShelterBoxes and tents has passed):
As the world marks the three-month anniversary of the disaster, ShelterBox is preparing to send another 5,000 boxes of aid – enough for a further 50,000 people – with thousands more ShelterBoxes due to arrive in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, during the coming months.
Tom Henderson, ShelterBox Founder and CEO, said: ‘We were one of the first agencies on the ground in Port au Prince when the earthquake struck, and thanks to the sheer grit and determination of all our volunteers and supporters, we have now distributed aid to over 100,000 Haitians most in need.
‘With tens of thousands of families still living without adequate shelter in heavy rains and the hurricane season soon approaching, the need for emergency shelter is still great and we won’t rest until this need is met.’
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How can you help? We want to make this easy so here's what you do (h/t Bugsby):
- Use one of the links at the top of this diary to get to a donation page. For on-line donations, there are two places to acknowledge Daily Kos: the "In Honor of" section, or the Comments box further down. You can do either or both.
- Once your donation has been made, come back here and post a comment at the bottom of the thread so we can add the donation to the Daily Kos total. Please put the dollar amount in the subject line to help us find it easier. That way we can give you mojo for your gift and confirm any matching funds. ;)
- People who don't want to report publicly, or who don't have a Daily Kos account (hi, lurkers!), can always email TexMex, or carolina stargazer, who will then report the amounts for them (anonymously if desired.) To find those email addresses click the user name in orange anywhere in the diary, or in the user profile.
Now suppose you've got some money you'd like to offer as an incentive to bring in donations. Here's how that's done:
- Scroll down to the bottom of the comments.
- Post a comment about your intentions. Use the subject line stating how much you have available in matching funds.
- State the terms of your match. For instance, if you have $50 which you'd like to use to encourage small donors to participate, you might say you'll match gifts between $5 and $10 up to a total of $50.
- Check back and read the comments following your offer, to see if you've had any takers. The nice folks monitoring this diary will help you keep track. Once your $50 is fully matched, then you follow the link to ShelterBox and donate your 50 bucks.
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What's in a ShelterBox?
Each “ShelterBox” supplies an extended family of up to 10 people with a tent and lifesaving equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless. The contents are tailored depending on the nature and location of the disaster, with great care taken sourcing every item to ensure it is robust enough to be of lasting value. Highly trained ShelterBox Response Teams distribute boxes on the ground, working closely with local organizations, international aid agencies and Rotary clubs worldwide.
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Where do the tents come from?
Our rugged dome tents are a unique ShelterBox design that has evolved as the result of years of experience in countries around the world.
Modelled on a typical African bush hut, the tents have been successfully stood up to snowfalls in the mountains of Kashmir, tropical downpours in Indonesia and the intense sunlight of Kenya and surrounding countries.
The tents have built in mosquito screens, integral groundsheets, good ventilation, internal privacy screens. We have also developed a heavy-duty flysheet that can prolong the life of the tent by eight to 10 months by protecting it from the UV damage caused by intense tropical sun.
ShelterBox continues to research ways of improving its tents and is currently looking at ideas such as a thermally insulated inner tent.
The tents are currently made in China and supplied by the Scottish company Vango.
A special arrangement with Vango allows us to keep sufficient tents in stock to house 25,000 people. These tents are supplied on credit and held ‘in bond’ ready to be released as and when funds are available – greatly increasing our ability to respond to major disasters.
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Here's another nice example of how the ShelterBox effort is changing to meet the needs in Haiti as time goes by (from an article by SRT member Mark Dyer).
ShelterBox provides help for injured children in Haiti
One of the most rewarding parts of my recent deployment to Haiti was near the end of my trip. ShelterBox was asked for some tents by St. Germaines hospital in Port-Au-Prince.
[snip...]
St. Germaines was starting the process of building and fitting children who had lost limbs as a result of the earthquake with prosthetic limbs. As part of the process, they expect the families of the victims to bring the children back to the hospital for physical therapy on a daily basis. The hospital wanted to provide the victims' families with a place to live while their children learned to cope with the new disability. The hospital was willing to deliver, install and train the recipients of the ShelterBoxes.
We met Odeline who is 2 years old. On the day of the earthquake she lost her mother along with her left leg. We accompanied them on a 45-minute ride from the hospital to their home. She was living with her father and her 3-year-old brother on the site of their former home, sleeping in the back yard under a tarp. Dad is now adjusting to being a single parent of two very young children, one that is seriously handicapped.
We agreed that this was a very important cause and that without the proper care, Odeline would not be able to adjust to her new disability.
[snip...]
The change in the family situation was immediate. While everyone verbally expressed their gratitude, the greatest reward was what you couldn't translate into words. You could see in Odeline's dad's eyes the relief that he knew his family was going to be OK -- that they would survive. He also realized that people outside of Haiti cared and were willing to give their resources and assistance so that they would have a better quality of life.
For me, this is what ShelterBox is all about.
Read the full article here.
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Here is a video about the history and 10th anniversary of the founding of ShelterBox:
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With the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Chile just weeks after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, ShelterBox responded with aid to Chile, even while their efforts in Haiti are ongoing:
ShelterBox getting aid to hardest to reach areas in Chile.
Jessica Stanton, ShelterBox Operations Coordinator and Team Leader in Chile, said: ‘This deployment has been by far the most complex I’ve experienced. The effects of the disaster are split across such an enormous area. It was one of the biggest earthquakes ever with some communities hit by the earthquake and others by the subsequent tsunami. Every town we are going to is in a critical state but we have to ensure the 1,000 tents we have on the ground go to those most in need.
‘Yesterday we gave a box to a large family where the mother was just three days away from giving birth and her six-month-old baby had bronchitis. They had been living in a greenhouse with no proper floor and because it’s so hot and dusty it was making the baby’s condition worse. They were very emotional when they received the ShelterBox and everybody just burst out crying.’
[snip…]
Andy Green said: ‘Shelterbox has been working in some of the hardest to reach places in rural Chile near the epicentre of the earthquake. We are the first organisation to be operating in the rural areas around some of the towns and villages.
‘The small town of Retiro was one of the worst affected places and a huge distance away from any major routes. We have been working with the Retiro scouts and Retiro fire bridage to work in areas that have not received aid.’
Aid recipient Sara Norambvena, 70, said: ‘I never thought I would lose my house. Thanks to ShelterBox I have a place now to spend the winter that is coming. I have seven grandchildren that I look after and now having these two tents means we will be safe. Shelterbox is the first aid we have seen since the earthquake. We are so happy we have not been forgotten.’ (picture below)
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Some of the devastation in Chile
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A report from an SRT member in Chile:
I’d never been on a deployment before and looking around the city of Talca made me realize that a large task was ahead. Talca had been badly damaged by the earthquake with buildings and homes completely destroyed. After assessing a few areas, Peter and I made the decision to start distributing boxes in a town north of Talca called Molina.
'We committed 112 boxes to Molina and began distribution on Monday, March 29. After a few days there we moved south back to the Talca region and committed another 30 boxes to the region and worked two days there with local community centers and some Scouts. The Scouts were a great help in our distribution in Talca. We did a demonstration with them and they grasped the concept very quickly.
'After a week in Molina and Talca, Peter and I headed south, to Coronel on the coast, to meet with the rest of our team Dave Achtemichuk (CA) and Dave Weber (UK). The coast was not only ravaged by the earthquake, but by the tsunami that hit as well. I assisted the rest of the team for the last final days and returned to the States on Wednesday, April 7.
'After returning from my first deployment, I was hit by an enormous sense of calm, relief, and exhaustion. I began to realize the magnitude of what ShelterBox does and have learned why I got involved with the organization to begin with. The sense of emotions came barreling through me from seeing the sheer joy on families’ faces when they received a ShelterBox.
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A ShelterBox tent camp in Haiti:
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A Peruvian family receiving their ShelterBox:
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A family in China at their ShelterBox tent:
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The ongoing general Haiti diary series, with lot of useful information and always new updates, as well as many excellent resource links and action info, continues each day. Monday's general diary was posted by RunawayRose. Thursday's Haiti book diary was posted by allie123, and is really outstanding! Go read it! Saturday's general diary will be posted by Aji. They are looking for help with posting the diaries, so go sign up to help out if you can.
There is much more information on Haiti in other diaries as well. There was a nice photo diary about a project to help Haitians posted by BrooklynWeaver. A general Haiti diary was posted a while ago by Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse here with some wonderful perspectives, so go read it. Be sure to check out the wonderful pictures of Haiti posted by parryander in the comments of a previous diary. swampus also has excellent info on other drives to procure tents for Haiti.
Note that while the problems have faded from the MSM, they still exist, and many people still need help. If you are able to help, please consider doing so. There will continue to be many needs over the next weeks and months, so you may also want to consider donating to other organizations as well. Even if you are unable to contribute at this time, please spread the word to others, and leave a comment to express your support.
Thanks.