Blinds

Shelterbox Comes to the Highlands

Many evacuees have another reason to smile despite of the tragedy, thanks to disaster relief charity ShelterBox who delivered dozens of emergency accommodations to disaster affected areas of Benguet and Cordilleras.

Shelterbox is sponsored by Rotary clubs from six different countries. “ShelterBox specializes in providing emergency accommodation and other survival essentials to disaster victims,” explained Brian C. Joy a Rotarian from the United Kingdom. “The tents provided by Shelter Box is designed to help a family of 10 survive for at least six months.”

The charity has delivered a total 73 emergency tents to Benguet. The Philippines first receive 100 Shelterbox tents after a cyclone hit the province of Pangasinan in May this year. Earlier this month, the Shelterbox Response Team (SRT) has deployed more than 200 tents to the victims of typhoon Ondoy in the National Capital Region. Worth of each tent is estimated to be Thirty two thousand Five Hundred.

La Trinidad received 34 of the tents while Itogon got 27 and 22 went to the municipality of Tublay. Vice Mayor Armando Lauro of Tublay explained that “the tents are needed to ease out the cramped schools off the evacuees so that students could go back to school.” Most of the tents were deployed in schools. Children and women, including the senior citizens, helped out in setting up the tents in Coroz Elementary school where 148 families were evacuated. The evacuees decided how to divide themselves in using the tents. Close relatives will fill the 10 person capacity of each tent.”

Up to the press time, Shelterbox representatives are still doing surveys in affected areas. Twenty tents will soon be delivered to Tadian, Mountain Province and 200 more with complete starter kit will arrive tomorrow, October 27, 2009.

"The concern of Shelterbox is the needs of people who have lost their homes as the result of a disaster - politics and financial status doesn't matter when your house has been washed away," explained Fidel Demot, a Rotarian from La Trinidad. “Shelterbox operate irrespective of race, religion or political affiliation and with its links to different Rotary organizations worldwide, they were able to provide assistance in so many places.”

ShelterBox was set up by a Cornish Rotary club in 2000 and now has international affiliates established by Rotary clubs in six other countries. Since its inception in 2000, ShelterBox has firmly established itself at the forefront of international disaster relief providing shelter to over 80 disasters in more than 50 countries.

Women Power

Women and Children including a Senior Citizen helped in setting up emergency tent from Shelterbox in Coroz, Tublay. These tents were installed to help ease out the schools of evacuees so that kids could go back to school.

A Time to Rest

A member of the Philippine army working in the rescue operation in a community known as little Kibungan in Puguis takes a rest, or perhaps praying for a miracle that the people still missing will eventually come home alive. But come hom...e to where when their houses were already taken by Pepeng?