Well I am working on upping my posting of diaries on ShelterBox as I learned a lot more about it. One of the things that excited me was the establishment of ShelterBox's reputation as a leader and is as premier NGO in disaster assessment and disaster shelter.
Because of ShelterBox Uk and ShelterBox USA are Rotary projects that are supported by Rotarians not just in the UK and USA but around the world, ShelterBox response teams are immediately received, welcomed and assisted by Rotarians in the disaster areas. The local community leaders can cut red tape by acting as Rotarians instead of government officials of this or that political stripe.
More about ShelterBox's growing reputation and coming agreements of understanding with other important organizations.
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Because ShelterBox is a Non Government Organization hence the NGO classification, they get their funding from various sources mostly from Rotary, Rotary International and donations form foundations and people like you. This is really important because this gives them autonomy that government agencies and other organizations like the UN do not have.
ShelterBox can fly in ShelterBox Response Teams within 24 hours of a disaster. They are light and can be there to assess needs while the search and rescue/emergency teams are still arriving. A they are small teams they can easily join with local military units and piggyback early on the resources available.
The information they collect on the ground from local leaders about the scope of devastation is then shared with other important relief organizations like the United Nations IOM, World Vision, and others. Remembering also, that many of these other organizations do some great work in supplying emergency tarps, tents and plastic sheeting to bring people some help in terrible weather.
ShelterBox does the best job providing the shelters that other fantastic organizations desperately need to do their work, like Doctors without Borders.
Joining with youth organizations:
In the past year ShelterBox joined up with the Boy Scouts and other scouting organizations like Girls Scouts and other world scouting organizations.
Scouts helped with ShelterBox tent ins in the Philippines, Brazil and Japan to mention a few.
http://www.shelterbox.org/...
This is the website of Young ShelterBox Organization below.
http://www.youngshelterbox.org/
To me it is gratifying that such organizations are developing our young people in learning how to help others. Such lessons learned in youth are not soon forgotten.
Redefining and refining their relationships to Rotary International:
More importantly ShelterBox is entering a new agreement with Rotary International. There has in the past been some "red tape" between the two separate organization and hopefully this will make things easier. The push to eliminate polio in the Polio Plus campaign has been at the forefront of Rotary International, but they recognize that ShelterBox is the biggest project managed by any one club.
Restructuring and joining with other ShelterBox affiliates:
ShelterBox UK is the main arm of the ShelterBox organization, be will moved back a little and become a an affiliate under ShelterBox International. There are also agreements with ShelterBox Argentina, Brazil, Japan, and one being developed with ShelterBox Mexico.
Many of these are new organizations that were helped by ShelterBox in a terrible time of need and now they feel the need to pay back for the assistance.
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