Tropical cyclone Idai has left a trail of destruction and death in its wake. Alerted to this, our International Committee has made an immediate donation to ShelterBox to help with efforts to provide shelter for those made homeless.
Sadly, the death toll in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe continues to rise following the devastating cyclone. It's estimated that almost one million people have been affected with at least 125,000 forced from their homes in Malawi alone.
ShelterBox is a charity that helps provide emergency shelter and tools for families following disasters; Rotary has a longstanding relationship with the charity and right now Shelterbox's response team is in Malawi to assess what's needed, talking to local teams from Rotary International and from Habitat for Humanity so that they can work out the best possible way to help.
Each box from Shelterbox contains items that will help those affected rebuild their lines. Contents may include tarpaulin, corrugated sheeting, tools and equipment to assist with temporary accomodation and shelter. Other items may help provide light, warmth and ways to get clean water.
Our Club has given an initial donation of £600 to cover the cost of one ShelterBox. We're also hoping to be collecting to help those affected by the cyclone in the next few days in Canterbury Town Centre. Do look out for our volunteers and donate what you can to help. The more we can raise, the more help can be given.
To learn more about a ShelterBox's contents, click here.
Picture: A shelterBox box. Picture credit: ShelterBox.
(Statistics are from ShelterBox).
