Press release – 19 November
The international disaster relief charity ShelterBox is today (Tuesday 19 November) launching an urgent fundraising appeal to support people displaced by conflict in Gaza and around the world. For over a year Gaza has been torn apart by unrelenting and unpredictable conflict, with the need for shelter still overwhelming as people whose homes have been destroyed brace for a second winter.
The renewed appeal comes just days after an Israeli airstrike hit a camp in a designated ‘safe zone’ in northern Gaza where hundreds of people were seeking refuge in ShelterBox tents.
ShelterBox is supporting people in Gaza, working with local organisations Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) and Agricultural Development Association (PARC), providing emergency shelter for thousands of people who have been displaced.
The destroyed ShelterBox tents were in a camp set up by PARC and its international partners. People were killed and hundreds of people have been left homeless once again.
CEO of ShelterBox, Sanj Srikanthan says: “Safe zones are meant to provide refuge for families – offering a brief respite in a conflict where civilians are paying an unprecedented price. Yet this is one of many highly populated safe zones affected by airstrikes.
“Israeli military evacuation orders are forcing people to move from one unsafe place to another. Staying or evacuating is an impossible choice when nowhere is safe.
“The timing of our end of year appeal could not be more critical in raising much needed funds as we continue to work with our partners to reach more people with lifesaving aid.”
ShelterBox has been responding in Gaza since the end of last year, supporting thousands of people with emergency shelter, blankets, water carriers, and kitchen sets.
It has supported people like Salman who has been displaced with his family more than 15 times – moving between homes, tents, and flattened streets. They have endured extreme hardship, intense heat, lack of water, electricity, food, and other essentials. They are sheltering in a ShelterBox tent distributed by the Social Developmental Forum (SDF), in a displacement camp not affected by the recent airstrike.
Salman says: “Being forcibly displaced from one place to another is an exile on its own. A process of torment, away from home, which is no longer there. My home has been destroyed and become a matter of the past.
“Being displaced means that you are homeless with all what it holds of pain and alienation. My children are segregated in different places. Everyone is scattered. We don’t know when we’ll be reunited, or how we’ll survive until we meet.”
As well as a tent, Salman was supported with bedding, blankets, water carriers and other essential supplies.
Regional Director for Asia and MENA at ShelterBox, Haroon Altaf says: “The crisis in the Middle East remains critically underfunded and there is still a severe lack of shelter. By supporting ShelterBox people can help families who no longer have a home.
“Gaza is unrecognisable. Almost all buildings have been damaged or destroyed, including houses, schools, and hospitals.
“The scale of suffering and devastation is immense. Lives have been completely shattered and now on top of that people are facing a second winter being entirely homeless. In the Middle East, winters can be cold and wet. Without adequate shelter or basic items people may not survive.”
The charity is also responding to the crisis in Lebanon in partnership with Basmeh and Zeitooneh (B&Z), supporting thousands of people sheltering in communal buildings like schools. ShelterBox continues to call for lasting peace and the protection of all civilians.
The Cornwall-based charity was founded in 2000 and specialises in emergency shelter. Funds raised during its end of year campaign, will support people around the world who have been uprooted from their homes after disaster or conflict.
As well as its responses in the Middle East, ShelterBox is responding to extreme weather in the Philippines, and conflict in places like Mozambique, Somalia, Chad, and Cameroon.
For more details on how to support ShelterBox’s end of year fundraising appeal and find out more about its work around the world, visit shelterbox.org.
ENDS
For more information contact the press office at ShelterBox via [email protected].
Notes to Editors
- Interviews available with Regional Director for Asia and MENA Haroon Altaf, Programme Manager Jack Bailey, CEO Sanj Srikanthan.
- Case study stories and images available
“Even though we’re living in a tent, my children and I feel safe because we know we are not alone; the aid we receive through ShelterBox and SDF is a beacon of hope, which makes our life better and enables us to face the challenges we have.”
