Octogenarian jumping from 15,000 feet for birthday fundraiser
David Earl is celebrating his 80th birthday by jumping out of an aeroplane to raise money for ShelterBox
Press release - 16 March 2022
ShelterBox is nearing in on sheltering around 100,000 people whose homes lay in the path of a super typhoon that hit the Philippines.
ShelterBox was one of the first charities to start distributing aid in the aftermath of Typhoon Rai that devastated the islands and damaged 1.7 million homes just as families were preparing for Christmas.
The Philippines is ravaged so frequently by severe storms that ShelterBox pre-positions aid in the country and has a four-person team based there permanently. It means the charity, which has worked in the Philippines more than 30 times, can scale up its response to meet the needs of people more quickly.
Dave Ray from Cornwall formed part of a small team from the UK that deployed to help ShelterBox Operations Philippines support the most affected communities to rebuild.
As distributions come towards an end, Dave says: “In total we will have reached 20,000 families by the end of this response. That’s around 100,000 people who have better shelter as a result of all the support we’ve had from our supporters.
“We have emptied our warehouse on this one so now it’s time to regroup, restock and prepare for the next time we are needed. With the help of our supporters, we can keep growing our presence here in the Philippines so that ShelterBox can be at the forefront of shelter responses here.”
The international disaster relief charity provides emergency shelter and other essential items to families across the world who have lost their homes to disaster and conflict.
The charity has been distributing aid including corrugated iron sheets, hurricane strapping, tarpaulin, rope and tools to island communities who are finding it most difficult to access essential resources to build shelter.
Dave says: “From what I’ve seen families are really getting the most use out of all the shelter items we’ve distributed and are really happy with the quality of them. Not many other agencies were around giving shelter materials, and the damage levels were extensive, so all the items are of great use to families.
“At the most basic level, a tarpaulin has made the difference between a shelter made of salvaged materials that leaks to one that doesn’t. That is a huge difference in itself, not only to the protection of household items and physical health but to people’s emotional and mental wellbeing.”
ShelterBox has been distributing solar lights to communities that don’t have a stable electricity supply, mosquito nets in areas known to have Dengue fever, as well as cash assistance.
Dave says: “Families have been able to buy new materials and hire skilled labour to construct strong new homes, which are so much more than a repaired shelter. There was a real sense of these new shelters being people’s new homes, as they would be using them for a long time. It’s been fantastic to see the sense of pride with which families were repairing and rebuilding the homes that had been destroyed.”
Robust local partnerships with Rotary, Humanity and Inclusion, and local governments have helped ShelterBox get aid to some of the hardest to reach locations such as Bohol.
“Our relationship with Rotary has been phenomenal and it’s been fundamental to the success of this response,” says Dave who has deployed for ShelterBox more than 30 times.
“Rotarians gave us local connections to communities that had been overlooked so we were able to assist them. They were at distributions providing amazing support there and the Rotary Club of Cebu connected us to suppliers and helped with transport.
“We are really proud of the support and friendship we are able to share together in times of disaster.”
Three months after Typhoon Rai made landfall, ShelterBox is looking to restock its in-country aid so it can be ready to respond to the next disaster.
“We are constantly working to be prepared for responding to disasters and to grow and develop our capacities, both in scale and in quality and being able to serve needs in a diverse way,” Dave says.
“Everywhere we respond we always make great local connections that serve well for the future. This ever-increasing knowledge is perfectly complimented by having prepositioned items in our warehouse in Cebu.
“This capacity, plus the understanding we’ve built up about how to effectively move aid anywhere in the country, means that we are constantly ready to respond to needs quickly, flexibly and with what communities really need to recover.”
To find out more about ShelterBox and its response in the Philippines visit shelterbox.org.
Read more
Retired vicar’s 425-mile charity walk across England and Wales
David Foster is hoping to raise £12,000 during five week challenge
ShelterBox launches Spring fundraising appeal
The Appeal aims to raise £100,000 to help people affected by conflict and extreme weather events
Response to help people left homeless by Cyclone Freddy
ShelterBox will provide shelter and other essential items
Rotarians carry a ShelterBox 80 miles along Hadrian’s Wall
Dozens of Rotary clubs across the northeast of England took part in the fundraising walk
Rotarian’s three-day fundraising adventure in a homemade boat
Paul Weatherill’s three-day charity voyage along the River Avon will raise money for ShelterBox
Fred's ultra-marathon for disaster relief charity ShelterBox
Father-of-one inspired by devastating earthquakes will run 37 miles in one day
Devon man giving up his bed in aid of Tent for Lent appeal
John Cleverley will be bracing the winter weather and sleeping in a tent for one night every week of Lent with his dog Lula
ShelterBox helping people in Türkiye and Syria after earthquakes
Crucial aid supplies – tents and thermal blankets – have arrived in the two countries
ShelterBox launches Tent for Lent appeal
People pledge to give up something for Lent, donating what they raise or save to provide emergency shelter
Mum opening garden gates at Bosvigo House in memory of daughter
Chelsea Flower Show judge to open this year’s Hellebore Day fundraiser
ShelterBox’s Ukraine response receives funding boost
A donation by the Z Zurich Foundation will help fund the charity’s work in Ukraine
Charity book club’s one-million-pound milestone
ShelterBox Book Club members helping people across the world with emergency shelter
Global leaders “cannot continue to be bystanders”
ShelterBox CEO, Sanj Srikanthan, has been visiting people affected by monsoon flooding in Pakistan
ShelterBox helping people in Ukraine survive sub-zero winter
Charity launches urgent fundraising appeal to help disaster affected people around the world
The cherry on top of Ella’s bake sale - help from her friends
Schoolgirl enlists the help of her friends to fundraise for ShelterBox
Schoolboy's 75-mile cycle for ShelterBox
Arthur Bix completed the three-day fundraising challenge with his Dad.
Father-son duo prepare for cycling fundraiser across Cuba
Joe and Jed will cycle over 350km in 5 days, in 30-degree heat and sweltering humidity
ShelterBox's stark warning to PM ahead of COP 27
Open letter demands PM helps people right now, prepares for future disasters, and works with global leaders
Doc Martin stars get hands on with ShelterBox’s lifesaving aid
Cast members celebrate Cornish charity as final season of Doc Martin draws to a close
Cornish model raising funds for ShelterBox
Lydia Cooke is hosting an online raffle to raise crucial funds for the disaster relief charity
Rotary club raises more than £11,000 for ShelterBox
Community mission to help people displaced by conflict or disaster
ShelterBox sending team to flood-ravaged Pakistan and launches emergency appeal
Powerful flash floods have swept away people, homes, and livelihoods.
ShelterBox helping thousands of displaced people in Burkina Faso
Almost two million people have been forced to flee their homes and now have nowhere to live.
20 million people affected by East Africa drought
ShelterBox to help people left with nowhere to live, having had to leave their homes behind in desperate search for food.
Emily's school summer holiday challenge
Teenager prepares to paddleboard the River Thames to raise funds for ShelterBox
ShelterBox secures support from new charity partner
Liberty Specialty Markets announces ShelterBox and Cool Earth as its new charity partners, following an employee vote.
Ryan bakes up a success for ShelterBox
Ryan has raised more than £50,000 for different charities through Ryan’s Cookie Box.
ShelterBox sending team to flood-hit Bangladesh
Flash floods left millions of people stranded or displaced in northeastern Bangladesh.
Typhoon Rai six months on
100,000 people received emergency shelter aid from ShelterBox in the aftermath of Typhoon Rai.
Rotary and ShelterBox announce partnership renewal
Partnership enables ShelterBox and Rotary to support more people, in more places, in more ways.
Intensifying storms will displace more than 200 million people in the next 20 years
The growing intensity of storms is making it more difficult to live in many parts of the world.
ShelterBox supporting people uprooted by Ukraine crisis
ShelterBox is working in Moldova. It’s supporting people displaced or stranded in Ukraine as well as those who have fled across its borders.
Boy responds to Ukraine crisis with Shelter Snails
A schoolboy from Hampshire has come up with a creative way to help fundraise for ShelterBox after hearing about the crisis in Ukraine.
ShelterBox announces senior appointments
ShelterBox has welcomed its new director and deputy director to its International Programmes team.
Tom sells homemade cakes to help people in Ukraine
An eight-year-old schoolboy had been baking and selling cakes to help raise money for ShelterBox.
ShelterBox aid worker shares strength and resilience of communities affected by Typhoon Rai
Henry Thompson shares his thoughts and learnings after his first ShelterBox deployment.
ShelterBox to deliver aid to families in Yemen
ShelterBox to help uprooted families in Yemen as humanitarian crisis gets worse.
Wendy Perry hosts Hellebore Day every year to fundraise for ShelterBox
ShelterBox fundraiser Wendy Perry shares why she invites people to her garden every year for Hellebore Day – in memory of her daughter.
Ellie Harrison backs Tent for Lent appeal
Countryfile presenter shares how Tent for Lent fundraiser helps shelter families who’ve had to flee their homes.
ShelterBox launches Typhoon Rai appeal
Super Typhoon Rai (Odette) displaced over half a million people in the Philippines. ShelterBox will be supporting communities that urgently need help.
ShelterBox urges the gift of a warmer night as it launches Christmas appeal
Almost two thirds of Brits are considering donating to charity this Christmas, instead of buying gifts.
COP26 - Open letter to the UK Prime Minister
We’re asking the Prime Minister to take bold decisions during COP26, that will define our futures.
ShelterBox and Habitat for Humanity team up to support people in Haiti
ShelterBox and Habitat for Humanity have started distributing emergency shelter aid to communities who lost homes in the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that recently devasted southwestern Haiti.
Airlink and ShelterBox charter planes to deliver aid after Haiti earthquake
ShelterBox and Airlink have partnered together to rush two shipments of humanitarian aid to families in Haiti impacted by the recent 7.2 magnitude earthquake.
ShelterBox responds to Haiti earthquake
ShelterBox prepares to send a team to neighbouring Dominican Republic, after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake and aftershocks rocked Haiti.
Pride - statement from Sanj Srikanthan
June is LGBT+ Pride Month. It is a festival of rainbows, colour and people which celebrates the role of LGBT+ people in our societies – our friends, partners, colleagues and our families.
ShelterBox statement on G7 climate change commitments
ShelterBox responds to the underwhelming announcements on climate change from the G7 summit
10 years of conflict leaves Syrians ‘with diminishing resources to survive’
As a tragic milestone in the Syrian conflict is reached, ShelterBox calls on all parties to prioritise the civilians of Syria.
Brits to light up homes earlier this year
As Brits put up their Christmas lights early to cheer their homes, ShelterBox reveals it gave 300 million hours of solar light to families in 2019.
ShelterBox responds after super Typhoon Goni
ShelterBox is preparing emergency shelter supplies, solar lights and other essentials in the Philippines, after the latest in a series of violent storms ripped through the country
Time for UK readers to think outside the bookcase
While we love revisiting favourites, UK readers could miss out on broadening their horizons, a survey for ShelterBox Book Club reveals.
ShelterBox closes Truro visitor centre
Cornish disaster relief charity, ShelterBox, has announced it will be permanently closing its visitor centre in Truro due to concerns over coronavirus and the financial impact of the pandemic.
Black Lives Matter - statement from Sanj Srikanthan
ShelterBox Chief Executive says that ‘black lives matter and all should be treated equally and humanely, while ensuring respect for each individual life’
Families ‘face crisis within a crisis’ with new coronavirus threat
ShelterBox urges people to remember the millions of displaced families who are even more vulnerable to coronavirus.
Coronavirus statement from Sanj Srikanthan
ShelterBox Chief Executive says that ‘compassion and dedication to humanitarian values are more important than ever’.
ShelterBox condemns ‘moral failure on all sides’ in Syrian conflict as 900,000 flee
The CEO spoke as almost 1 million people have fled violence in Idlib since December.
Give a Tent for Lent
As thoughts turn to giving up chocolate or quitting caffeine, disaster relief charity ShelterBox has a positive way to mark Lent this year.
Make darker evenings shine with a meal that makes a difference
As the clocks go back, ShelterBox invites family and friends to get together and hold a fundraising dinner for people affected by disaster
ShelterBox aid for evacuated families after latest military action in Syria
Families fleeing airstrikes in north east Syria have received ShelterBox aid this weekend (October 2019)
Photographer documents one village’s recovery from Cyclone Idai
Devon photographer Sian Davey has teamed up with ShelterBox to show how families have rebuilt in Malawi
ShelterBox announces new Chief Executive
ShelterBox has appointed Sanj Srikanthan as its new Chief Executive
Emergency appeal after ShelterBox supports 250,000 in Syria conflict
More than 50,000 families fleeing the violence of Syria’s civil war have already received ShelterBox aid
ShelterBox and Rotary celebrate the power of partnership
ShelterBox is celebrating signing up for another 3 years as Rotary’s Project Partner in Disaster Relief
ShelterBox sends a team to Malawi floods in the wake of Cyclone Idai
ShelterBox is preparing to send a team to Malawi, after floods hit the south of the country in early March.
A new Chair of Trustees at ShelterBox
The trustees have appointed James Sinclair Taylor as their new Chair.
If you go down to Truro today...
You’re sure of a big surprise. ShelterBox has set up a Teddy Trail for young adventurers and map-readers.
‘Canadian Brit’ Richard Loat heads to Mozambique as a ShelterBox volunteer
Richard Loat has dual nationality, but a single-minded approach to how sport can unite international development.
Granny Takes on Zipwire
Granny Bin – AKA 87-year-old Alison Midwood – sparked a media storm with her intrepid flight on the UK’s longest and fastest zipwire
The £43m alliance - Rotary and ShelterBox
One of the world’s most effective humanitarian collaborations has been officially renewed