ShelterBox has committed an initial 5000 boxes of emergency aid following the massive earthquake that struck southeast Turkey on 23 October.  Hundreds of lives have been lost, with many more people injured and many thousands left homeless by the 7.2 magnitude quake. A ShelterBox Response team is currently in Van, a city close to the epicenter of the earthquake, and is liaising with the Turkish Red Crescent Society and local Rotary clubs to ensure that aid gets to the most vulnerable as quickly as possible.

As well as the response to the devastating earthquake, volunteer ShelterBox teams are delivering aid following other humanitarian crises around the world.

Thailand is experiencing terrible flooding following heavy rain and monsoons, the worst the country has experienced in more than fifty years. Over five hundred ShelterBoxes have already been distributed to some of the most vulnerable families. Further aid is being distributed as the country’s capital Bangkok is seeing evacuation as the threat of flooding closes in.

Additional Response Teams are assessing need for aid in Central America where Hurricane Jova and torrential rains have caused landslides and flooding, leaving hundreds of thousands affected.

We have been allocated a large pitch at the London Mela in Gunnersbury Park on Sunday September 4th. Last year, about 92,000 people attended this event, so it’s a fantastic opportunity to publicise ShelterBox and Rotary in general. We shall have the large trailer/caravan from ShelterBox HQ and a tent on display. Volunteers are needed to help us set up and pack away, as well as to talk to people during the day.
Please contact Shirley Kirk  if you would like to be involved in any way at this event or if you are interested in becoming a volunteer speaker for ShelterBox (there is a training event on Saturday August 20th at Gilwell Park, Chelmsford, by invitation).

Calling all Rotarians, Rotaractors & Inner Wheel Members. As part of the 2011 Big Green Box Week celebrations, up to 1,000 people will collecting an empty ShelterBox from York Gate and going around London, walking, on the bus, on the tube, etc. etc. If you would like to volunteer to do that please register at http://www.bgbw.org,  If you don’t feel that is for you, then read on. With the permission of District Governor David, all of these people will be starting their journey from Rotary’s very own District Headquarters in York Gate NW1, which is where you come in. A majority of the people that will be carrying a green box will know about the work of ShelterBox, they might have heard of Rotary, they might not know about the works that Rotary, Rotaract & Inner Wheel do. We need you, to help cover 4 shifts 08:00am thru 10:00am, 10:00am thru noon, 16:00 thru 18:00 & 18:00 thru 20:00 on that Saturday, with as many people as possible to be at York Gate, where you can talk to these people about your section, make them a drink, tell them about the other wondrous things our organisations do, in short get them interested in joining Rotary, Rotaract or Inner Wheel. Up to 1,000 new members – can you, your club or your organisation afford to say no? Please phone me  or email me  to register yourself, your club or your Area for a time slot on 11th June. See you at York Gate.

Yours in Rotary Adrian Faiers (District International Chairman) and Shirley Kirk (District ShelterBox Coordinator)

So far there are 468 ShelterBoxes in the country with another 400 en route. A further 5,000 are on stand by should they be required.

Adrian Faiers