SHELTERBOX RESPONSE TEAM
Delivering aid direct: ShelterBox prides itself on getting aid direct to the people who need it most – and one of the ways we achieve that is through our ShelterBox Response Teams or SRTs.
Members of our SRTs are all volunteers and come from all walks of life. The first teams were deployed following the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004. Since then, SRT members have delivered ShelterBoxes to victims of disasters in Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe and South America.
ShelterBox photographer Mark Pearson recorded the scenes in the video below while on an SRT deployment to the Terai region of Nepal in September 2007.
To view this clip you may need to download Quick Time first.
Leading from the front...
ShelterBox is keen to recruit and train more SRT members but deploying with our aid is not for the faint-hearted.
Applying to become an SRT should not be a decision taken lightly. We are looking for fit, hard working, resourceful people, who can apply themselves and make the right decisions when under pressure.
Conditions in the field can be very basic and SRTs may be operating within days of a disaster that has killed huge numbers.
Apart from the human tragedy, the infrastructure of the affected area may be in ruins.
This means our teams must be totally self-sufficient – capable of operating without adding to the burden of the people we are there to help.
Selection process:
Interview
For British residents this will be held at ShelterBox HQ in Helston, Cornwall, UK.
If you are successful at the interview stage you will go through to selection weekend.
Selection Weekend
The weekend will test basic fitness and interpersonal skills. The applicants will be constantly monitored and assessed by the SRT Training Manager, and current SRT members. If successful you will be put forward to our quarterly Nine Day Training Courses.
Nine Day Training Course
This is a residential course in Cornwall.
This is a very intensive course where applicants will be trained on logistics, security and ‘how to get the job done’.
The first stage for anyone interested in joining the team is to complete an SRT Application Form
International Applicants
Applicants from our affiliate countries (USA & Australia) should apply to srt@shelterboxusa.org or themaynes@bigpond.co.au
Interviews and selection weekend will take place in the respective countries, however '9 Day Training' will take place in the UK for all potential SRTs.
