Press release – 18 February 2025
- Royal invite for charity’s milestone moment
- ShelterBox has supported 300 people every day on average
- Worldwide displacement triples in 25 years, standing now at 120m people
- In the next 25 years, 1.2 billion people at risk of losing their homes to disaster
More than three million people have been supported by a Cornwall-based disaster relief charity 25 years after it was formed to support people across the world with emergency shelter. That’s more than 300 people every day.
To mark the milestone moment, ShelterBox has been invited by The King and Queen to a special event at Buckingham Palace later this week (20 February) celebrating work in the humanitarian sector.
Since being founded in 2000, ShelterBox’s dedicated supporters, volunteers, and staff have supported people uprooted by conflict, the climate crisis, and other disasters in around 100 countries with shelter and other essential items. Their work has spanned Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania, Europe, and North America.
ShelterBox was founded in 2000 after an idea from the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard to reach a few dozen families a year. From the hard work and passion of a handful of founding volunteers, ShelterBox is now a global community working to see no one without shelter after disaster and is project partners with Rotary International.
When the charity started at the turn of the century, the number of people displaced around the world was no more than 40m. Twenty-five years later and it’s three times that. Right now, over 120 million people worldwide have been forced from their homes by disasters, conflict and the climate crisis – a number that is growing every day.
The work of the charity has never been more urgent and it’s scaling up by building a global network of partners and storing aid around the world so it can support more people and respond wherever there’s a disaster.
“Our aid has developed over time, and we learned to go beyond the green ShelterBoxes that gave us our name to reach more people in more places,” says ShelterBox chief executive, Sanj Srikanthan.
“Every disaster is different, and our responses are too. We listen to affected communities to find out what is needed most and tailor our response depending on what is culturally appropriate and what works best with the local weather.
“As well as tents and other shelter aid, we provide essential household items, training, and cash assistance which means people can pay for tradespeople to repair or rebuild.
“And we are making shelters more robust too with concrete bases in places that repeatedly flood like in Pakistan and Syria; storm strapping to make timber shelters more robust in the Philippines, shelters with iron frames and fire-resistant insulation in Yemen, and in Burkina Faso, wooden frame Sahelian tents to withstand local weather.”
Disasters and extreme weather are increasing, fuelled by climate change. As extreme weather gets worse, hits the same places more often, and lasts longer the homes of more and more people are being damaged or destroyed. New and long-running conflicts continue to force families to flee. Many communities are trapped in a cycle of disasters where they don’t have the time, resources, or support to recover before the next one hits.
In the next 25 years around 1.2 billion people will be at risk of losing their homes to disaster – that’s around 1 in 6 of people alive today.
Head of Emergency Responses at ShelterBox, Alice Jefferson says: “ShelterBox has always been good at reacting to events, responding quickly when major disasters unfold. But we want to get even better. That’s why we are putting more effort into anticipating what might happen where and preparing accordingly.
“We are working to expand and improve our supply chain infrastructure: prepositioning aid more effectively, increasing our database of approved suppliers, and plotting potential pipelines.
“And we are building our network of potential partners to ensure we have eyes and ears on the ground in the places we most often work.
“When disasters strike without warning, emergency shelter can be the difference between life and death. This preparedness work will help us be ready and become even more efficient and effective.”
For a quarter of a century, the charity has relied on voluntary contributions to fund its work. It’s had one focus – shelter. That remains the same. Shelter is a human right and ShelterBox is committed to making sure no one is without shelter after disaster.
Mr Srikanthan adds: “In a perfect world we wouldn’t be marking this milestone, but the need for emergency shelter around the world has never been more urgent and we recognise that our work is not yet done.
“While much has changed in 25 years, what remains the same is the people we support are at the heart of what we do and our supporters and volunteers are driving us forward – giving their time to make a difference to others, raise awareness, and funds for people they will never meet.
“As we mark 25 years, we remember the achievements and commitment of our supporters, our partners, volunteers, staff, and the quality of the aid we’re able to support people around the world with because of what we have learned over the last 25 years.
“Above all, we hold the resilience and courage of people we serve as we hope to inspire future generations who will continue our work in the next 25 years and beyond.”
For more information about ShelterBox visit shelterbox.org.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
- Images and captions included. More available on request.
- Interviews available with Sanj Srikanthan and Alice Jefferson.
- B-roll with more available on request.
About ShelterBox
ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and other essential items to families who have lost their homes to disasters. With operational headquarters in Cornwall, the charity also has 13 affiliate organisations worldwide.
The charity has been Rotary International’s project partner in disaster relief since 2012. ShelterBox has supported more than three million people since it was founded in 2000. www.shelterbox.org.
