As spring arrives in many parts of Canada, we’ve got some uplifting updates from ShelterBox responses and partnerships around the world – and we wanted to share them with you.
Jamaica: reaching communities after Hurricane Melissa
In Jamaica, distributions following Hurricane Melissa are now complete, including to small, hard-to-reach mountainous communities.
Thousands of people in Westmoreland and St James have received emergency shelter support. Items were shipped from our warehouses in Barbados and Panama, where supplies were already in place ahead of the hurricane season – helping us respond more quickly when the storm hit.
This response has relied on local knowledge and coordination to reach people who needed support most.
Philippines: shelter support complete after Typhoon Kalmaegi (Tino)
In the Philippines, shelter distributions are now complete for families affected by Typhoon Kalmaegi (Tino).
The Rotary Club of Cebu led the distributions across the worst-affected areas, supported by Rotary District 3860 and ShelterBox, alongside Rotary Club members, Rotaractors, and Interactors. Teams worked closely with local government units to make sure support reached families affected by flash flooding.
Communities also took part in demonstrations showing how tarpaulins and shelter tool kits can be used to repair homes and make them watertight. Alongside emergency items, Rotary supported families with corrugated iron sheets, ropes and other materials to help strengthen shelters.
Malawi: starting a new project focused on preparedness
We’re also at the start of a new project in Malawi, focused on helping national shelter organizations prepare for disasters and strengthen shelter responses when emergencies happen.
The project is being designed with Habitat for Humanity Malawi. We began by researching Malawi’s shelter and disaster preparedness landscape, helping us understand existing capacity, key organizations and where support could be most useful.
In November, our team visited Malawi to meet partners and learn more about the needs of national organizations and the shelter cluster. What we learned will shape a Capacity Strengthening Plan, which we’ll begin putting into action next year.
ShelterBox has responded in Malawi before, after flooding in 2015, Cyclone Idai in 2019, Cyclone Freddy in 2023, and flooding in 2024, and this project builds on those experiences with a focus on longer-term preparedness.
Thank you to everyone who’s supported this work
None of this happens without our incredible global supporters.
