In the last decade, the number of people forcibly displaced from their homes has more than doubled.
Here at ShelterBox, we are committed to providing those who have lost everything with a safe place to call home ... because when you have a home, hope follows.
Over recent months, this has seen us travel to all corners of the globe, providing essential aid and emergency shelter to help people begin the long journey to recovery.
The above image is from Mozambique, where violence at the hands of extremist groups has forced thousands of families - including Albertina's (pictured), to leave their homes. We've been distributing our aid in Mozambique for several months now - and Albertina's smile is a reminder of the power these aid items hold in transforming despair into hope.
This wouldn't be possible without you - thank you. You can read more below about the difference your support is making in other countries.
Ngā manaakitanga,
The ShelterBox New Zealand team.
ShelterBox aid set to help families in Pakistan
Right now, one third of Pakistan is underwater, due to severe monsoon flooding. More than 1.7 million houses have been damaged or destroyed, creating a staggering need for emergency shelter.
A ShelterBox Response Team is currently in Pakistan, working to provide essential aid items to thousands of people who have been left with nowhere to live.
The first of our aid items - including tents, water filters, mosquito nets and solar lights, have arrived in the country. More is due to arrive soon, and over the coming weeks and months, our specialist team will be working alongside Islamic Relief Worldwide and Islamic Relief Pakistan to distribute these items. They'll be focusing on the hardest hit areas first.
We've launched an emergency appeal to help people survive this devastating disaster. If you're in a position to support, please consider donating to help us provide lifesaving aid for families.
To learn more about our response efforts, you can listen to our Vice Chair - Brent Eddy, chat with Lloyd Burr on Today FM here.
Turning despair into hope around the globe
At present, we are also providing aid in:
- Ukraine (we're distributing mattresses to collective centres, ShelterKits to those living in damaged buildings, and high-priority items to refugees fleeing to neighbouring countries)
- Ethiopia (we're providing household essentials and hygiene items to 60, 000 people who have been forced from their homes due to conflict)
- Somalia (we're distributing aid to vulnerable communities who have been affected by the worst drought in more than 40 years)
- Syria (we're providing people with emergency items to help them through the winter)
- Lake Chad Basin (we've just finished distributions of 2, 000 SheterKits to internally displaced families)
- Mozambique (in response to one of the world's fastest-growing displacement crises, we're supporting vulnerable communities with ShelterKits)
- Lake Chad Basin (we're supporting people affected by violence with locally-adapted shelters and other essential aid items)
- Burkina Faso (we're providing Sahelian tents, constructed from locally sourced materials, to those affected by one of the fastest-growing displacement crises in Africa)
- Yemen (as violence flares up, we're providing people with tents and other essential household items)
We're sending our best wishes to Guy Cassidy this weekend! As we speak, Guy and four of his friends are participating in a 24-hour motorsport endurance event, in an effort to raise funds for ShelterBox New Zealand.
Guy's personal motto is 'service above self' - and he's taking that to new heights by spending all-day and all-night racing in a ShelterBox-themed car to support us. Already, he's raised an inspiring $16, 000, and we can't wait to continue cheering for him through the weekend.
