Box clever

A Haiti earthquake survivor recovers in a ShelterBox tent with her newborn baby. Photograph by  Mark Pearson.

A heartfelt thank you is going out to all Rotary clubs in Great Britain and Ireland for their support during the Haiti crisis. Water Survival Box, Aquabox and ShelterBox have succeeded in saving thousands of lives with their survival boxes. This could only be achieved with the hard work of Rotary members and the generosity of all donors.

Water Survival Box

During the first month following the earthquake, donations to Water Survival Box totaled £93,941 with over half coming from District 1200, home district of Rotary Club of Chelwood Bridge which started the project. Thanks to the worldwide network of Rotary members, 500 hundred WSBs have been sent directly to Dr Claude Surena, Haiti Rotary Disaster Co-ordinator and Rotary member in Haiti. A further 110 were dispatched to the French search and rescue team, Pompiers sans Frontieres. These were partly used by the team to support them and other rescue workers during their mission, the rest have been used to build a refugee camp on the outskirts of Leogagne where nearly all the inhabitants were made homeless.

Word of the valuable project has spread far,  a remarkable donation of £42,700 was received from Rotary District 3480 in Taiwan which was enough to provide 285 WSBs. This was a particularly touching donation as last summer over 100 WSBs were sent to Taiwan after Typhoon Morakot hit the south. Hundreds of people benefitted from clean, safe water and their gratitude is evident from the generous donation.

Ensuring the Water Survival Boxes get to where they are needed most demands nothing short of 100-percent commitment from volunteers. Thousands of hours have been invested in packing, planning and managing the whole process, each person knowing that their actions will save lives. Even when the immediate need for relief in Haiti has passed, Water Survival Box volunteers will barely take a rest when the work starts again, replenishing stocks in preparation of the next disaster means there is always something to do.

Hugo Pike, Chairman of Worldwaterworks Limited and Past President of the Rotary Club of Chelwood Bridge said: “Worldwaterworks is delighted with the tremendous response from Rotary Clubs across RIBI and would take this opportunity to thank everyone that has contributed by organising fund-raising events. As an entirely Rotary humanitarian aid charity we take pride in being able to convert every pound donated into the product itself and covering the cost of its delivery by air. We also pay tribute to Rotarians in the receiving countries and other aid agencies with whom we work in partnership to ensure those most in need get access to clean water as quickly as possible to protect against water borne disease.“

ShelterBox

To date, close to 10,000 ShelterBoxes have been sent to Haiti with thousands more to follow in the coming weeks and months. The response to this disaster is a long term commitment for ShelterBox and the charity is doing everything within its power to ensure as many Haitians as possible are provided with safe and secure shelter. Aid for 80,000 people is now in place with more expected to arrive over the coming weeks.
One of the residents in the Tabarre camp, Janine Cazdeu, is very glad to receive a ShelterBox tent as now her baby does not have to sleep under the sky. A fellow resident added that now she has a ShelterBox tent, her four-day old baby, Shakira, will be safe.

Head of Operations, John Leach, has now returned from Port au Prince to ShelterBox HQ in the UK and has praised the work of the teams on the ground, ShelterBox’s volunteers and all the supporters around the world: "I’d like to say a huge thank you to all ShelterBox supporters worldwide who have contributed to this massive effort. Without the contributions from donors, Rotary clubs, schools, scouts, groups and individuals around the world and the commitment of our army of volunteers, none of this would be possible."

Aquabox

Keith Meikle-John and his team at Aquabox have overcome delivery obstacles and called in every favour imaginable. Hundreds of Aquaboxes were sent by air and by sea to Haiti. The delivery by plane was received within two weeks of the earthquake while the ships took a little longer. Since arriving in Haiti, these boxes have helped earthquake survivors and the rescue agencies to live in harsh conditions. Over 1,500 boxes have been sent to the disaster region and more boxes are earmarked for dispatch for as long as they are needed.

Aquabox was created by the Rotary Club of Wirksworth in District 1220. By developing an affordable and effective method to provide safe drinking water and survival tools, Aquabox has helped victims cope with the immediate aftermath of disasters.

All of the above box aid organisations would like to say thank you to the public and Rotary clubs who have given time, donations and encouragement to keep the projects moving. Without this support, those affected by disaster would be robbed of hope and  be facing a bleak future. Rotary is dedicated to improving the lives of others and is always seeking new members.