NEWSLETTER
ISSUE 4 2015
CONTENTS PG 3 - 6 Meet the tradesmen and shopkeepers of Iraq’s refugee camps PG 7 & 8 Your chance to shine for ShelterBox PG 9 Shelter, schooling and smiles in Syria PG 10 Two new camps for Tanzania PG 11 Three dots, three dashes, three dots PG 12 A partnership set to run and run PG 13 & 14 On the Royal red carpet
LuminAid solar lighting illuminates the lives of families in need. Read more about this, and our Shine for ShelterBox campaign, on pages 7 and 8
KEEP IN TOUCH: T: 01326 569782 E: info@shelterbox.org ShelterBox: Water-ma-Trout, Helston, Cornwall, TR13 0LW Compiled by: Mark Nicholson marknicholson@shelterbox.org Charity No: 1096479 Company No: 4612652 President: HRH The Duchess of Cornwall ShelterBox is a Charity independent of Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation.
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WELCOME work colleagues, our fundraising team has come up with a wonderful suggestion – ‘Shine for ShelterBox’. Inspired by the security and comfort that light brings to families plunged into darkness in disaster zones, we are able to provide all you need to make your get-together or fundraising event, quite literally, ‘brilliant’. I’m sure this will have widespread appeal, and help make many happy occasions into humanitarian occasions. Plenty of Rotary Clubs, community groups and catering businesses have already joined in, so please have a look at our centre pages for some truly bright ideas. And celebrity sparkle doesn’t get any more glittering than a Royal Film Premiere.
As usual, so much has happened since our last Newsletter that it’s quite a job to decide what to include in this edition. The need for ShelterBox aid is clearly as great as ever, and in these pages we take you to Syria and Tanzania to show you how your donations are helping people caught up in some of the world’s most frightening conflicts. And with refugees still part of the greatest global conversation, we invite you into a camp in Iraq. Here our teams had the privilege of talking to families who have been displaced from their homes. We found many carrying on their trades and still doing their original jobs – albeit with a very different customer base. This is a fascinating insight into long-term life in a refugee camp where, poignantly, most still hope to return home once peace is restored. A hope we all share. Being the festive season I hope you will allow us a little seasonal sparkle, and a little celebrity sparkle too. If you are planning any gatherings of family, friends, community or
ShelterBox was greatly honoured to be chosen by TRH the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry to benefit from the world premiere of the new Bond movie Spectre at the Royal Albert Hall. In this edition we share with you some photos of this memorable event, when Royalty and Hollywood invited ShelterBox to share both the limelight and the red carpet. We are also delighted to announce that the international Project Partnership between Rotary International and ShelterBox has been formally extended for another three years. We thank Rotarians for their camaraderie, and for their immense practical help in reaching out to families in need. There is no better time of year to send greetings to friends you can really rely on. And I send season’s greetings to all our readers, supporters, donors and volunteers. Thank you for all you do to support ShelterBox in sending the gifts of shelter, hope and togetherness across the world.
Alison Wallace, Chief Executive, ShelterBox ShelterBox and Rotary are official project partners in international disaster relief
MEET THE TRADESMEN IRAQ’S REFUGEE CAMPS
Life in the refugee camps of Iraq means coping with bleak surroundings and an uncertain future
‘I work because I don’t want to just sit in my tent and do nothing. This is who I am, this is what I do.’
As the months drift into years a refugee camp becomes more than just a refugee camp. It becomes its own township, its own community, its own trading centre. ShelterBox talks to four people making the best of life as long term refugees In October a ShelterBox team was in Iraq Kurdistan visiting refugees, some of whom may have first received its aid over three years ago. Time and climate have taken their toll on tents in that time, so ShelterBox was there to make plans to refresh or replace equipment. In ramshackle shops and trading posts some refugees make a meagre living. Others are working just to stay connected to their past. Some of the camps’ residents and workers opened up to our response teams with their personal stories. For security reasons we have changed their names, and we don’t identify the actual camps and their locations.
AND SHOPKEEPERS OF He’d been cutting hair in his own barber shop in Syria for 17 years, and it was a successful business. He is barely able to support his family now that he lives in the camp, and he is eating into savings he put aside in Syria. People here are so poor he can’t rely on any income now. Nizar rents his shop, which he renovated with his own money to entice customers.
Nizar - Barber Nizar has been in the refugee camp for six months.
‘I work because I don’t want to just sit in my tent and do nothing. I certainly don’t do it for the money, because there is none to make! This is who I am, this is what I do. I don’t really have any customers because a good haircut isn’t a priority for people anymore, they’ve lost interest in their appearance.’ Nizar is considering taking his family to Europe, but is aware of the risks involved. His eventual goal is to return to Syria when it’s more peaceful..
Sayid - Aircon engineer He sourced a lot of equipment from outside the camp, but there is little actual payment. It’s mainly barter, as few customers have cash, so he exchanges his skills for goods. In Syria he studied to become an electrical technician, but never had enough money to start his own business.
Sayid is also from Syria. He’s lived in the camp for two years, and he fixes washing machines and air conditioning units.
Sayid says, ‘People inside the camp have very basic human needs at this time. Aircon units and washing machines are not a priority for the poor.’ He can barely support his family, and would like to go back to Syria ‘because it’s home’. He also has land and property, and was farming his own land before the conflict drove him away.
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Amena - Shoe seller Adnan ran a thriving tailoring business in Damascus, having started young and been a professional tailor for seventeen years.
Mother of six Amena lived in Aleppo, one of Syria’s largest cities, now all but razed to the ground. She fled with her husband and family two years ago. Amena opened her shoe shop in the refugee camp four months ago by borrowing $3,000, so is paying for the stock by instalments. This money is also going towards preparing her family for the winter cold.
But he has now lived and worked in a refugee camp for two years. Adnan tries to support his family, but is struggling because his money trickles away on basic necessities. When asked what his future plans are he says, ‘I want to go home to Damascus.... ‘home sweet home’. People don’t become refugees because they have a choice. They don’t go to Europe because they want to, but because they have to.’ As the ShelterBox team talked to him he was working on tailoring a pink dress, and fixing a Peshmerga (Kurdish army) uniform. He says, ‘Some of the Syrians in the camp are trying to change their reality and make things more peaceable by volunteering with the Peshmerga.’
There are icy months ahead, and the camp is on flat ground open to the unforgiving desert wind. She’s not making much money, but however poor her clients, Amena says everyone will always need footwear, won’t they? Amena was forced to become the breadwinner when her husband fell ill. She registered with UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) one year ago hoping to claim asylum in the EU. But that has already been twelve months of waiting. She says, ‘I am proud and feel somewhat satisfied that we no longer need to receive aid, that I can support my family, even if by support I mean ‘survive’.’ Survival is all. She hopes their children will get a good education and start to live in a more dignified manner when, or if, they enter the EU.
Adnan - tailor
Response Volunteer Jack Bailey makes notes in Adnan’s tailoring workroom
Jack Bailey is a ShelterBox response volunteer, and was one of ShelterBox’s team on the Greek island of Lesbos, where refugee families paused for respite and shade on the long trail towards central Europe. Jack was also part of this latest deployment to Iraq Kurdistan. He says, ‘Adnan the tailor, with his sharp appearance, clean clothes and uncluttered shop was obviously skilled in his trade. How inspiring to see someone taking control of his livelihood and living as normally as possible in very abnormal conditions. To see him in a small shack on a dirt road in a dirty dusty refugee camp, and know that two years ago he was running a successful business in a cosmopolitan city and, by circumstances out of his control, he finds himself there barely able to support his family.’
Jack describes the feelings evoked by this long term refugee camp. ‘Arriving into this camp I was surprised to see how families had adapted their living space. I was also struck by the freedom of movement of the children, their feeling of safety as they walk around hand in hand or with arms around each other, in contrast to the fact that we are operating under strict safety and security protocols. Talking to them I’m reminded that each person deserves respect and dignity. As we were asking questions I’m listening, and impressed with people’s dignity in scratching out their own livings, and taking control of their own livelihoods, however unfruitful they might be.’
Keep in touch with our work worldwide at www.shelterbox.org 6
YOUR CHANCE TO SHINE FOR SHELTERBOX
Among the first to set up special Shine for ShelterBox feasts were (top) the Rotary Club of Cober Valley and (main photo) the Nancarrow organic farm venue near Truro.
Imagine a winter without light, without power, without warmth. As we enter the season associated with twinkling lights, roasting food and log fires, ShelterBox will help you to turn your candle-lit supper, or any other festive event, into a glowing fundraiser. Lighting is so much a part of our seasonal celebrations, bringing communities and families together. But in parts of the world where disaster has struck, the power may be shut off, and lines down, leaving families vulnerable, without the comfort and security of light. That is why every ShelterBox includes solar lights to dispel darkness and bring safety and togetherness to those who have lost everything. This winter our Shine for ShelterBox campaign is asking families, clubs, communities and workplaces to get together to bring light to lives darkened by disaster. There are many ways to join in - by hosting a fundraising candlelit supper, by organising a community singing event, or by setting up some other gathering. Whether large or small, ShelterBox will help give it a special shine.
Lighting up the shark tank ShelterBox was one of the first charities to use the LuminAID solar light, which stores up power during daytime to give hours of illumination when darkness falls. It was invented by two American architecture and engineering design graduates, Andrea Sreshta and Anna Stork, and backed by business mogul Mark Cuban on the US version of Dragon’s Den, ‘Shark Tank’ (below). The LuminAID is light to carry, and has an inflatable waterproof light-diffusing pouch making it ideal when conditions are damp as well as dark. LuminAIDs are now packed into every ShelterBox, but are also sometimes sent separately in bulk to disaster zones that are without power or lighting.
The Shine for ShelterBox fundraising kit contains everything to make your table-top glow with generosity – special place markers, stickers, donation boxes, colourful decorations, and an ingenious light-up centrepiece with a map showing where ShelterBox has already helped all over the world. ShelterBox Chief Executive Alison Wallace says, ‘Our response teams know only too well the importance of power and light after a disaster. So that inspired us to launch a campaign focusing on communities coming together to bring light to families in their hour of darkness.’
Apply for a Shine for ShelterBox fundraising kit by phoning 01326 569782 or emailing fundraising@shelterbox.org 8
SHELTER, SCHOOLING AND SMILES IN SYRIA Syria, the eye of the storm, and Aleppo, one of the world’s most war-ravaged cities. Yet in both ShelterBox and its partners have found gratitude, and beaming smiles from youngsters living lives in the crossfire. Of all the families on the refugee trail these are the hardest to reach, and the hardest to help - Syria’s internally displaced people. But aid is getting through, as ShelterBox and its partners deliver with determination. Four years of war in Syria have forced half the country’s population - around 11 million people - from their homes. Hundreds of thousands of them now live under canvas in huge encampments, mostly in the north of the country, as shown in our photo.
Yet another refugee camp is established in northern Syria, and (top) the delight of youngsters as ShelterBox school materials arrive in Aleppo via ‘Hand in Hand for Syria’
UK disaster relief agency ShelterBox has been working across Syria and its geographical neighbours all this time, helping refugees and displaced families in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraqi Kurdistan and well into Syria itself.
Getting aid into this volatile war zone has meant very careful negotiation of so-called ‘aid pipelines’, the discreet movement, distribution and allocation of equipment, and effective in-country partners who can operate cautiously in hostile conditions using their local knowledge. Among these are London-based Hand in Hand for Syria who were the first to take humanitarian aid into Syria shortly after the conflict began in 2011. HIHS and ShelterBox have supported newly displaced people in northern Syria for over two years, and are still delivering school equipment into Aleppo. You can see the happy reaction in our photo. ShelterBox’s newest partner is the Violet Organisation, a Syrian non-governmental organisation. Large family UN tents supplied by ShelterBox have also just been distributed by the International Organisation for Migration, mostly to replace those damaged by time and climate over the years of conflict. Operations Co-ordinator Sam Hewett has recently returned from the Iraq / Syria border territories. He says, ‘These are stories of great hardship and desperation. The scale of it can overwhelm, so we focus on what is achievable, and where the aid provided by our generous donors can help best. As these photos show, our in-country partners make it possible for ShelterBox to reach those trapped within Syria, whose lives are uncomfortable, uncertain and unsafe.
Help ShelterBox to be ready for the world’s next disaster. Donate on 0300 0300 500, or online at www.shelterbox.org
ShelterBox response volunteer Martin Strutton is one of the team bringing shelter to refugees fleeing unrest in Burundi
TWO NEW CAMPS FOR TANZANIA ShelterBox is working with other aid agencies to create two new refugee camps in Tanzania, as the latest round of political violence in neighbouring Burundi causes thousands to leave their homes. In the last eight months the African country of Burundi has suffered some of the worst violence since its 12-year civil war ended in 2005. Fighting has killed hundreds, and forced over 200,000 people to flee the country, half of them crossing the border into neighbouring Tanzania. Tanzania near the African great lakes is one of the world’s poorest countries, and is an amalgamation of former Tanganyika and Zanzibar. It already houses Nyarugusu, one of the largest refugee camps in the world, and the influx of refugees has pushed the camp well past capacity.
Therefore, ShelterBox is working in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and other colleague organisations including Medecins Sans Frontieres and UNHCR, the UN High Commission for Refugees, to create two new camps in the region. These will provide emergency shelter for the 30,000 people who are currently living in tightly packed, flood-prone areas of the existing Nyarugusu camp, with space for at least a further 20,000 escaping Burundi. ShelterBox and IOM are initially providing large UN specification tents to accommodate around 1,000 of the most vulnerable families. ShelterBox Operations Co-odinator Amber Cottrell-Jury says, ‘There was a clear need for additional shelter, so we are incredibly happy to help support the creation of these new camps. There is no end in sight to the political unrest that has forced people to cross the border, but we want to prevent people from sleeping in overcrowded, mass shelters and are working to ensure that families can stay together in their own space.’
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THREE DOTS, THREE DASHES, THREE DOTS
The Morse code signal SOS, the globally-recognised call for rescue when disaster strikes, is a good fit with the work of ShelterBox. And both provide the inspiration for an impressive light installation by artist Bruce Munro. Bruce Munro is famous for his large-scale light-based art installations. His latest creation, inspired by ShelterBox, was switched on recently in the dramatic setting of Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, and will be on display until January 2016. He has interpreted the well-known dot and dash sequence as the final exhibit of his three year residency at Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, one of the seats of the Rothschild family. Bruce has created a line of illuminated tents winding their way through Waddesdon’s garden. There is a nostalgic soundtrack recalling old radio, and snippets of music and voices. The lit tents are synchronised with
colourful light pulses, abruptly interrupted by the urgent Morse code international distress signal in sound and light. In 2012 Bruce Munro was inspired by an article about ShelterBox, saying, ‘The tents remind us of people and places in need of help.’ Most afternoons through to January the gardens at Waddesdon will be illuminated from 16.00. SOS will be open to view on WednesdaysSundays, also Mondays 21 & 28 and Tuesdays 22 & 29 December. There will be later openings until 19.00 each Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Closed 24-26 December. Please check details at www.waddesdon. org.uk/christmas/winter-light-atwaddesdon-bruce-munro
A PARTNERSHIP SET TO RUN AND RUN As Rotary International and ShelterBox celebrate the renewal of their international humanitarian partnership, meet a Cornwall Rotarian who is in it for the long haul Colin Bell, a surveyor and Rotarian from Bodmin, Cornwall, has set himself the challenge of running 2015 km during 2015 – the equivalent of an amazing 48 marathons – sometimes with a Shelterbox strapped to his back! Undaunted by a hamstring injury, he is now in sight of reaching his target by New Year’s Eve. Colin has taken part in the Great North Run and the Truro Half Marathon among many others, and says ‘The reception I’ve had has been wonderful. People know about the charity and the great work they do. If there are families in need of emergency shelter, ShelterBox does everything it can to help them rebuild their lives.’ Anyone wishing to support Colin in his marathon of marathons can donate via his Virgin Money Giving page.
Marathon man Colin Bell at the Great North Run. Will he reach his astonishing target by New Year’s Eve?
He reaches the end of his long-running year just as Rotary International has announced a three year continuation of its unique Project Partnership with ShelterBox. It began in 2012, and will now continue until at least 2019. ShelterBox CEO Alison Wallace says, ‘Time and again Rotarians work alongside ShelterBox – many of them within it. So I am delighted that Rotary International has extended our official project partnership, further strengthening a circle of friendship that reaches around the world.’ B elow left: Bryn Styles, Trustee of the Rotary Foundation (left) and Mike Webb, former Rotary International Director (right) visit ShelterBox recently with their wives, hosted by Dr Rob John (2nd left) Chair of Trustees, and CEO Alison Wallace (2nd right). Below right: ShelterBox exhibits at the Rotary Institute meeting at Kenilworth in November.
Why not help ShelterBox with your own fundraising event? There are lots of ideas in our special fundraising pack – click on ‘Be involved’ at www.shelterbox.org or email events@shelterbox.org’ 12
An informal moment amid the formalities, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge shares a laugh with young charity representatives, including ShelterBox intern Grace Howarth (2nd right in blue). Below, Daniel Craig as James Bond and Ben Wishaw as Q in a scene from Spectre. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures
ON THE ROYAL RED CARPET As if by Hollywood magic, on 26 October the Royal Albert Hall was turned into a cinema, and the steps sweeping up to it were carpeted red. And a little touch of green amid the glitz was provided by ShelterBox – there by Royal invitation. This year’s Royal Film Performance was the world premiere of the long-awaited Bond movie, Spectre. And ShelterBox was selected by Royalty and the Hollywood studios to attend, and receive a share of the ticket and brochure sales to benefit its disaster relief work worldwide.
ShelterBox CEO Alison Wallace talks to HRH The Duke of Cambridge at the Royal Albert Hall.
HRH Prince Harry was interested in the charity’s work in Nepal, and had met ShelterBox response volunteer Jimmy Griffith when visiting New Zealand in May.
Photo courtesy of CTBF Royal Film Performance TM
Photo courtesy of CTBF Royal Film Performance TM
CEO Alison Wallace met TRH the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, who had nominated ShelterBox because of its response to the Nepal earthquakes. The Royal Film Performance is held in aid of the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund (CTBF), the charity for the UK film, cinema and commercial television industries. Save the Children was the third charity to benefit because of their role helping families fleeing Syria and Iraq, and during the Ebola crisis in West Africa.
Alison says, ‘I suppose our own response volunteers could be considered international agents, though a little less glamorous and secretive than 007. ShelterBox also responds to disaster and danger. But there the similarity ends. We are so grateful to the Royal family and to Sony Pictures for including us in the ‘cast list’ for this event, and hope that all our donors, supporters and volunteers share our pride in ShelterBox being selected.’
The film’s cast, including Daniel Craig and Ralph Fiennes, joined Alison in the Royal lineup, as did Spectre’s director Sam Mendes, and producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. Young ShelterBox intern Grace Howarth presented the Royal party with a souvenir brochure, featuring an article on ShelterBox.
This is ShelterBox’s second brush with Hollywood action movie fame this year. The charity’s Australian affiliate provided ShelterBoxes and tents for closing shots of a post-earthquake shelter camp at the climax of the summer blockbuster ‘San Andreas’ starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
Join the team. Donate, fundraise, volunteer. You, your family, your club, school or workplace, can all get involved. Details at www.shelterbox.org
Front cover: A smiling welcome for a ShelterBox team at Kalima village in Malawi. Back cover: LuminAID inventors Anna Stork (left) and Andrea Sreshta in a ShelterBox tent in Malawi.