the team player

richard loat

about richard

Canadian born Richard first became a ShelterBox Response Team Volunteer as a teenager.

Richard had lived through two floods in India and knew the importance of post-disaster support to communities.

I wanted to join the team because I felt, then, that my time was worth more than any money I was able to contribute.

Richard has now been on nine deployments with ShelterBox.

He responded to many different disasters including flooding in Sudan in 2013, and Typhoon Haiyan in 2014.

More recently he has been part of the team responding to widespread flooding in Kenya.

In this video, Richard talks about why he chooses to volunteer for ShelterBox. After all, it’s not normal to want to go to a disaster zone – is it?

We asked Richard to tell us about his favourite photo from deployment.

He chose an image from a special moment in the Philippines in 2014.

Richard was captured playing basketball with the children, showing no matter what has happened, life goes on, and people still play.

Hear the full story in the video.

richard in the field

Responding to flooding in Kenya in 2018

Richard in the Philippines

Richard responding in the Philippines

On deployment in Mozambique

Responding to flooding in Kenya in 2018

Richard’s favourite photo

meet the other response team members