ShelterBox newsletter Winter 2014 by ShelterBox

NEWSLETTER

ISSUE 4 2014 BOXING DAY TSUNAMI

TEN YEARS ON

WELCOME One of the things I admire most about ShelterBox is its personal touch. You probably know that each and every single ShelterBox is packed carefully by volunteers only a few yards from where I am writing to you now, at our headquarters in Helston. These generous people give freely of their time and effort. But this personal touch also extends from our warehouse right around the world. Aid is placed directly into the hands of those who need it by our own highly-trained response team members – again, mostly volunteers, giving freely of their time and effort. ShelterBox’s personal touch is never more evident than during a major disaster. Legions of volunteers turn up to pack boxes and equipment, and our Operations team is inundated with ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) members offering to deploy to the disaster zone. This human chain that stretches from Cornwall to disaster-struck communities worldwide was forged ten years ago in response to a natural disaster of unimaginable proportions – the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004. Although ShelterBox had already been in existence for four years at that point, this was the disaster that tested its mettle, and led to the acronym SRT. In this issue of our Newsletter we meet some of the people who were affected by that massive tsunami, who were among our pioneering response teams, and who helped shape the ShelterBox personal touch that we know today. Also in this edition we are excited to show you recent SchoolBox deliveries to Syria and Zimbabwe. This is a time of year when the focus is on children.

Their resilience in the face of conflict or natural disasters is a constant wonder. You can see from these photos that simply giving them a schoolbag and helping to restart their education puts smiles on their faces. It’s hard to believe it is one year on from Typhoon Haiyan. You’ll find an update here on our continuing projects in the Philippines, where people still desperately need shelter. And, if you are looking for that special gift, or even some Christmas cards that tell everyone you support ShelterBox’s work, please have a look at our Christmas Online Shop selection. Finally, allow me to add my own personal touch. Season’s greetings from myself and everyone at ShelterBox to you, your family and your community. With my continuing gratitude for your generosity to families less fortunate than ourselves, who need our thoughts and our help this Christmas.

Alison Wallace, Chief Executive, ShelterBox Image: Alison meets beneficiary familes in the Philippines.

Children in an Aleppo classroom with school equipment delivered by ShelterBox.

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 Tsunami interviews by: Rosie Thomas and Sarah-Jane More. Charity No: 1096479 Company No: 4612652 President: HRH The Duchess of Cornwall ShelterBox is a Charity independent of Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation.

On Boxing Day in 2004 the world woke to news of one of the most cataclysmic events to strike planet Earth. The massive undersea earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra at almost 01.00 GMT was among the most powerful ever recorded, and the longest-lasting quake in history.

Image on page 4: A Sri Lankan family returns to the site of their destroyed home.

BOXING DAY TSUNAMI // TEN YEARS ON The energy released was 1,500 times greater than the Hiroshima atomic bomb, triggering other earthquakes as far away as Alaska. The shifting of underwater plates caused the entire globe to move by 1 centimetre, coastlines changed forever, and smaller islands to the south-west of Sumatra were moved or submerged forever. But, it was not the quake itself that is etched in our memories. It is the deadly ripple it caused across a whole ocean. The vertical movement of the sea bed threw up an enormous tsunami of up to 100 feet, and every coastal community around the Indian Ocean felt its fury. It took anything between 15 mins and 7 hours to reach different coastlines. With little or no time to warn or evacuate, in some areas a series of deadly waves pushed further than a mile inland. In 2004 ShelterBox was a fledgling charity only four years old. Nonetheless it had already responded to 16 major disasters around the world, and already delivered 2,600 boxes. But the Boxing Day Tsunami, engulfing coastal communities from Sri Lanka to India to Thailand to Indonesia, was a devastating call to action. 230,000 people lost their lives, and when the waters receded at least as many survivors were in desperate need of shelter. Three months later yet another earthquake was to shake the northwest coast of Indonesia, leaving a further 200,000 displaced and homeless. Throughout 2005 ShelterBox geared up to send almost 12,000 boxes to the areas affected by these two disasters. This was to be a transformative year for ShelterBox, during which it established a way of distributing aid that became a blueprint for its future. Our response teams became as distinctive a sight in the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disaster zones as the bright green boxes themselves. On the following pages are some personal accounts of the tsunami by people who were involved, affected or bereaved. They are powerful stories.

BOXING DAY TSUNAMI // WENDY’S STORY ‘He said, ‘we looked at one another and

we knew we were going to die.’ And that was the last time he saw her.’

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Truro is Bosvigo House. Every February owner Wendy Perry opens the kitchens and gardens of her charming Georgian house to fundraise for ShelterBox. This modest event has become an annual pilgrimage for gardeners, particularly to see the blaze of colour produced by Bosvigo’s dainty Hellebores. Even TV presenter Carol Klein, from BBC Gardener’s World, is a frequent visitor. Wendy and her team have between them sponsored over 20 ShelterBoxes. And there is a very poignant and personal reason why. Wendy says, ‘My daughter Hannah and her husband of four months, Matthew, were in Thailand on holiday. When the news came that a big wave had hit Thailand, we initially thought nothing of it. It was only when more news came in that we realised they could be affected by it. At 3am the following morning my husband and I were woken by Matthew’s mother phoning to say that he had been found, but Hannah was missing. We knew then that she was lost and we didn’t hold out much hope.’ Wendy’s husband decided to fly out to Thailand to try to find his daughter. A local taxi driver managed to get him to the beach at Khao Lak where Hannah and Matthew had been staying. ‘Hannah and Matthew were staying in a beach hut and woke up to find water coming in under the door, then the second wave hit and came crashing through the door.’ Matthew later told Wendy that they were doggy-paddling near the ceiling of their hut as the volume of water was so great. ‘He said, ‘we looked at one another and we knew we were going to die.’ And that was the last time he saw her.’ Matthew had survived by clinging onto what he thought was a bush, but was actually the top of a 30ft palm tree, the water had risen so high. He clambered down and ran for higher ground along with some Thai people. He was later rescued by the army.

The utter desolation of coastal communities after the tsunami. Image on page 5: TV’s Carol Klein (left) with Wendy Perry.

Wendy’s husband searched the hospitals and put Hannah’s photo up on a giant wall of missing persons alongside thousands of others. ‘They eventually found Hannah, around February time. She had been taken into a temple by the monks fairly quickly after the tsunami hit.’ Wendy describes her loss as feeling like she had ‘dropped down a very deep well, into a parallel universe’. But to give a sense of purpose, they decided they would hold a Hellebore fundraising day for fisherman in the Thai villages. ‘The fisherman had no insurance, so their livelihoods had been lost. For the first two years we raised enough money to commission new fishing boats for them.’ Then they thought about joining up with a local charity, and ShelterBox fitted the bill perfectly. ‘I thought the charity was a brilliant idea, absolutely brilliant. It was a practical thing and I’m all for practical help. There is enormous local support for ShelterBox and a great deal of affection.’ Continuing the tradition, the next Hellebore Day at Bosvigo House will be on Saturday 21 February 2015 from 10am-16:30. More details and information can be found at www.bosvigo.com

BOXING DAY TSUNAMI // SALLY’S STORY Panjee - ‘I keep a hat on as I lost all my hair through the stress of clearing up all the bodies after the tsunami.’ Sally Kettle is a ShelterBox Response Team volunteer. But her route to becoming an SRT had its origins in the Boxing Day Tsunami. Described as ‘an adventurer with a passion for travel, exploration and people’, few people have as wide-ranging a CV – rower and yachtswoman, model, broadcaster, aid worker, motivational speaker, photographer. Sally has three entries in Guinness World Records, including being the first woman ever to row the Atlantic twice from east to west. She not only supports ShelterBox, but also the London Sports Trust, the Children’s Trust, the British Inspiration Trust and Girl Guiding. She has also found time to raise £268,000 towards research into epilepsy. When the tsunami hit, Sally had just completed her first Atlantic rowboat crossing with her mother, and was in the process of forming a team of girls to row for the second

time towards the end of 2005. One of her team was in Thailand at the time. Sally was then working for BBC Radio, on the receiving end of international reporting on the after-effects of the catastrophe. Sally tells us how her friend had arrived in Bangkok, but was told that everywhere in Phuket was fully booked so she should go north. ‘And it was that night that the tsunami hit, so she missed it, just by chance.’ But relief about this near miss was soon followed by another blow. While training for the second Atlantic row Sally discovered a good friend of hers had died in Phuket. ‘It was really quite a difficult time’ says Sally, but led to her resolve to support ShelterBox. In March 2005 she visited Cornwall, arranging to be trained as an SRT, and for the charity to be involved in her next Atlantic adventure. ‘Off we went on the row, with our brand new pink boat, and supported by ShelterBox.’

Sally Kettle, experienced sailor and transatlantic rower. (Left) Sally gives a TV interview for ShelterBox in Sumatra.

In 2007 Sally was in Sumatra, on her first deployment for ShelterBox as a fully-trained SRT member. There she had a chilling reminder of the tsunami. ‘Our translator and supporter, Panjee from Java, must have been about 17 or 18 when the tsunami struck. Now he always wore a hat. We said to him, you must be so hot with your hat on all the time, and he said ‘I keep my hat on because I lost all my hair through the stress of clearing all the bodies after the tsunami.’ Sally tells us how Panjee’s hair never grew back. ‘That was really so humbling at the time, to meet somebody who continued to support these efforts having been through something so utterly traumatic, and at such a young age.’ About being an SRT member, Sally says, ‘When you go out, you are living on your wits and your abilities, and you’re having to deal with change all the time. Everything you need is in your backpack, and that is a real freedom actually, and one that shouldn’t be overlooked. And when you come back you feel bogged down by the weight of your own possessions, the regular trudge of life with all your stuff and bills and work it is hard. They call it post-deployment blues, and that’s exactly how it felt.’

‘So, ShelterBox for me has been something incredibly close to my own heart, and has affected people that I know. It’s an amazing charity that I will continue to support for as long as I can.’ Sally is currently working towards producing a film ‘The Row Girls’ which will retell her story of the second row with three colleagues in memory of her good friend who lost her life during the tsunami. ShelterBox will be featured in the film.

Sally in Sumatra on deployment as an SRT

BOXING DAY TSUNAMI // SHELTERBOX’S STORY ‘A major catastrophic event on our TV

screens while everybody’s sat there with Christmas dinner in them.’ In 2004 ShelterBox was still taking tentative steps as a new charity. In October that year it had only just signed the deeds and mortgage to its headquarters building in Helston. The first mortgage payment would be due on 1 January 2005 so the organisation was on tenterhooks. The original business plan was to deliver around 800 boxes a year, Ian Munday remembers. ‘Then, on 26 December 2004, everything changed. A quarter of a million people annihilated in the space of a few hours. A major catastrophic event on our TV screens while everybody’s sat there with Christmas dinner in them.’ Ian had been involved with ShelterBox from the very beginning in 2000, first as a guest member of Rotary International, and later when he joined the Board of Trustees in January 2004. A Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy who now owns a marine business, Ian recalls sitting in his house thinking that ShelterBox must be able to do something about this unfolding tragedy. There were 300 boxes packed and ready to be shipped. ShelterBox made a swift arrangement with Sri Lankan Airlines to get them transported out to Sri Lanka, where local Rotary Club members

Young people in Banda Aceh, Sumatra welcome the arrival of ShelterBox.

ShelterBoxes are floated to beneficiaries at Ulle where a bridge had been destroyed.

would collect and distribute them. Because ShelterBox managed to get this aid out and into the disaster zone before the new year, the media latched on. Ian pays tribute to those early volunteers. ’The effect was great because it stimulated volunteers to come and help. Looking back over ten years there’s a theme in this story that says, if these people hadn’t stepped up and helped us on a voluntary basis we wouldn’t be where we are today.’ Transport has always been fundamental to ShelterBox’s success. There was valuable help from local trucking firms in those early weeks. They invariably had empty delivery vehicles driving out of Cornwall after bringing goods into the county. The Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard was the seed-bed of ShelterBox, and last year they gave their highest accolade to SRT Joe Cannon in recognition of his humanitarian work. Immediately after the tsunami Joe took an empty ShelterBox and stood outside a Cornish supermarket. Within five days he had collected £35,000 in donations. Joe later deployed to Sri Lanka, among our pioneering response team members. Our focus was on Sri Lanka in the west

of the Indian Ocean, and Banda Aceh on Sumatra in the east, where the terrain suited the portability of ShelterBoxes. As ever, the final few miles of the journey to beneficiaries can be the most testing, but ShelterBoxes were loaded on to small boats, three-wheeled ‘tuk tuks’, even bicycles. Among those first response teams was firefighter Mark Boeck, who now heads up SRT training. He says, ‘The Indonesian island of Simeulue was struck by another 8.6 magnitude earthquake on 28 March 2005. This caused Simeulue to rise almost 2 metres, lifting its coral reefs above high tide, leaving them dry and dead. But on the east coast land was submerged, allowing seawater to flood fields and settlements. It also sparked fires in the capital, Sinabang, destroying over half the downtown area and damaging the port.’ Nonetheless, Mark’s team managed to deliver 300 ShelterBoxes to Simeuleu. ShelterBox was beginning to take shape. A winning formula combining Naval expertise, Rotarians’ global reach, generous transport providers, coupled with a willing army of volunteers, dedicated fundraising support, and the response team model of aid delivery – all this was coming together to create a new force in international disaster relief.

BACK TO SCHOOL A phrase familiar enough in the lives of most children, but not if your family is fighting for survival in a war or disaster zone. Read how ShelterBox is helping young people in Zimbabwe and Syria back into the classroom.

Orem School near Aleppo, Syria.

The worst flooding for 40 years, and a fractured dam, caused over 20,000 people to abandon their homes in south eastern Zimbabwe. ShelterBox has been helping for over six months to shelter these displaced families, and now to support their children’s education. At the vast Chingwizi resettlement camp ShelterBox Response Team members Liz Odell (UK) and Richard Loat (Canada) oversaw the distribution of SchoolBoxes. These blue boxes with red lids each contain school equipment for up to 50 pupils. Bright yellow schoolbags containing stationery, pens, pencils and drawing instruments, become a source of pride for young people who have lost their own possessions back on the flood plains. ShelterBox delivered enough equipment for nearly 2,000 Zimbabwean pupils to continue their schooling, while their parents try to rebuild their lives. Richard says, ‘The Chingwizi settlement, home to over 3,000 families, has been the focal point of ShelterBox’s efforts. They are building new relationships, villages, and a new society from scratch. At the core of this has been the opening of three

SchoolBox delivery at Chingwizi Camp, Zimbabwe. Image below: Schoolboxes arriving by truck.

primary schools and a secondary school.’ Some pupils travel upwards of 10 km a day, many without adequate footwear, just to attend classes. The headteacher of Nyuni Secondary School best captured the impact of ShelterBox’s work, saying, ‘ShelterBox’s tents provide comfort for the children at home, which allows them to come to school in the right mood to learn. ShelterBox’s school supplies give them something to call their own, which motivates them to learn as we all get through this difficult time.’ Thousands of miles away another delivery of SchoolBoxes was greeted by excited children and grateful teachers in one of the world’s worst conflicts. In the last four years up to a fifth of Syria’s school buildings have been destroyed, militarised, or pressed into service as refugee shelters. Syria, which once had 100% school enrolment, now has 2.8 million children out of school, the second worst attendance rate in the world. With long-term partner charity ‘Hand in Hand for Syria’, ShelterBox has been sending truckloads of aid deep into Syria, containing tents, shelter repair kits, mosquito nets, water filters and carriers, blankets, groundsheets and solar lamps. Now ShelterBox has received heartwarming photos of SchoolBoxes being used at Orem school in the countryside near Aleppo (see also page 2).

ShelterBox Chief Executive Alison Wallace says, ‘One can only imagine what life is like for families in Aleppo and elsewhere across war-torn Syria. Their youngest children have known nothing but war in their short lives. The scale of need is vast, but I am immensely proud of ShelterBox’s ability to reach a helping hand into this hostile environment.’

STRONGER SHELTER A transitional shelter beside a ShelterBox tent.

The most storm-ravaged communities on earth need more resilience against the forces of nature. ShelterBox is working in partnership to give 8,000 people in the Philippines better, safer homes. It is a year since the most powerful storm ever recorded hit the island communities of the Philippines like a hammer blow. Typhoon Haiyan on 8 November 2013 claimed 6,200 lives and destroyed a million homes. Thus far we have delivered emergency shelter to help over 7,200 families, including 1,513 ShelterBoxes. We distributed an additional 5,763 tents, but ShelterBox also provided other non-food items including 10,000 solar lights, 870 water filtration systems, 2,300 mosquito nets, 445 tool kits and 30 SchoolBoxes. Our Response Teams worked in shifts, many of them in remote island communities. But our assistance hasn’t stopped there. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we have been able to extend the type of help we are able to offer, and move ever closer to becoming a global leader in shelter provision. The ShelterBox itself is still at the heart of what we do, and our distinctive family relief tent remains a key part of most deployments, but different disasters need different responses.

SRT volunteers en route to Rapu Rapu island, Albay. L-R Matt Roberts, Jon Berg and Harry Roberts.

In response to Typhoon Haiyan, for example, alongside tents we also distributed Shelter Repair Kits containing tools, tarpaulins and fixings to help beneficiaries begin the process of rebuilding their homes. Now we are taking this process to the next level. After a careful assessment process, we have entered into four project partnerships with leading international agencies including ACTED (Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development), Handicap International, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) which will lead to the construction of nearly 1,700 ‘core transitional’ shelters. Designed to house a single family each, the shelters will be constructed using locally sourced materials, wherever possible, in areas that were in the path of Typhoon Haiyan: in Eastern Samar, where the typhoon first made landfall; in northern Leyte, close to the devastated city of Tacloban; and on the island of Bantayan, in northern Cebu. In each community, a rigorous beneficiary selection process ensures that we prioritise the most vulnerable. This will not only provide more than 8,000 vulnerable people with safe, durable homes but will also help to train the wider community in how to ‘build back better.’

CHRISTMAS IN A CLICK Visit www.shelterboxshop.org for a range of ShelterBox branded Christmas gifts that show you care Give a gift with a difference this Christmas. Our range of Global Gifts support our disaster relief work all over the world, ideal for those ‘hard to buy for’ friends and relatives who already have everything! From £15.00 The latest in our series of children’s books is published in early December. Endorsed by Michael Foreman and Michael Morpurgo OBE, ‘When the Wind Blew’ is illustrated by primary school pupils. Coming soon - check online for availability. £4.00

Lots of stocking fillers and gift items from £1.00

Christmas Cards. Pack of 10 cards ‘Season’s Greetings’ inside, with 5 modern designs £4.00 14

Front and back cover: Sri Lankan Tsunami refugee, Manathanakuru Sulojani, and her family at the ShelterBox camp, Batticaloa Town, January 2005.