ShelterBox, the grass-roots humanitarian aid organisation supported by Rotary members worldwide, has received extraordinary pictures showing how their quick response has helped hundreds of innocent people in cyclone ravished Burma (Myanmar).
Response team member Mark Pearson took the amazing pictures in the Labutta Division in Irrawaddy where he discovered a three mile camphome to 5,250 survivors of the Cyclone Nargis.
Mark reported: "There are around 700 ShelterBox tents there, all arranged perfectly. The survivors have camp security, a hospital, clean water, food and schools – all run by the government. The ShelterBox kits are in a good position above sea level with a cool breeze all day and, most importantly, they give shelter from the heavy monsoon downpours which happen most days and nights. The survivors have set up shops in our tents and all sorts of little industries inside the three mile camp."
He continued: "The population in Labutta was around 40,000 at its peak. The families remaining are from the worst hit areas and the people I have spoken with their villages were completely wiped out so getting up to Labutta was their only option."
Through the sheer persistence and hard-work of ShelterBox, the delivery and distribution of vital aid continues. Following Mark Pearson’s compelling report, the ShelterBox warehouse volunteers have begun to pack 200 tents, 2,000 mosquito nets, 2,000 tool kits, 600 woodburning stoves, 600 cooking pots, 4,000 groundsheets and 50 classrooms in a box. This additional aid will reach Myanmar early July.
09/07/08
