14 January 2010 – Immediate
The Rotary Club of Canterbury has been quick off the mark in supporting the international relief operation in Haiti following the devastating earthquake there. The Club has released nearly £500 from its disaster contingency fund to the international Rotary-run charity, Shelterbox, to provide emergency accommodation for people whose homes have been destroyed in the earthquake.
At the heart of each Shelterbox – which costs £490 – is a ten-person tent designed to withstand extreme temperatures, high winds and heavy rainfall. Also included is a range of survival equipment including thermal blankets and insulated ground sheets. Where malaria is prevalent mosquito nets are supplied, as well as means of water purification. Water supplies often become contaminated after a major disaster, as infrastructure and sanitation systems are destroyed.
A stove, cooking utensils and a basic tool-kit is included as well as a pack containing drawing books, crayons and pens for children who have lost most, if not all, their possessions.
Shelterbox works closely with local and international to ensure the effective delivery of the boxes. Richard Kemball-Cook, President of the Rotary Club of Canterbury, said: “Shelterbox is a Rotary-run charity that has these crucial, life-saving, bits of kit strategically positioned so they can be released at a moment’s notice to be flown anywhere in the world whenever disaster strikes”. He added: “The funds we are releasing today have been provided by the people in Canterbury who always so generously support our fundraising activities like the annual Duck Race, our Christmas supermarket collections and the Club’s Charity Auction”.
Note to editors:
Further information of Shelterbox can be found at:
http://www.shelterbox.org/index.php
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