ShelterBox Give Hope
Thank you Kerr Fulton Peebles, ShelterBox Rotary Ireland Co-ordinator, for your visit to the Club Monday 16 February as our guest speaker. Kerr thanked the Club for its support with not only significant annual donations since 2008 but also with additional donations after emergency appeals such as after the Turkey/Syria Earthquakes. The Club were delighted to advise that the Club Appeal had generated donations of £3,000 in less than a week and that this figure will rise over the next few weeks. Kerr kindly made the monthly Charity Draw.
In a very informative presentation giving an insight into the impact of ShelterBox last year as well as looking to the future, Kerr advised that ShelterBox customise their response to each disaster scenario and they already have an assessment team in place in Turkey following the recent earthquakes and are talking to local Rotarians to ascertain what help they could provide, which will probably be tents, blankets, warm clothing, water filters, solar powered lights and money (the provision of money provides not only the ability for the recipient to choose things to buy where available but also supports the local economy).
He also revealed that right now more than 100 million people are homeless because of natural disasters and conflict and in 2023 they will continue to work across the world. He stressed that when disaster strikes families can lose everything in an instant and that their vision is that by providing shelter, materials and technical assistance to help vulnerable people recover and rebuild their homes no one is without shelter after disaster. ShelterBox make the difference by providing a home, control of a life, a new start, safety, ability to work, ensuring a family life and being able to cook and eat but most of all they give HOPE.