Dear supporters, I hope that you’re well.
The Typhoon and Hurricane season is in full swing, keeping ShelterBox teams busy across the globe. The Philippines has suffered five typhoons (and a serious earthquake) in recent weeks, and now the Caribbean, most notably, Jamaica has been hit by a category five hurricane. In both of these regions we’ve been able to respond quickly with prepositioned aid. Planning ahead and learning from experience enables us to launch timely and appropriate responses, reaching those who need it most. This is only made possible by our supporters, like you, who trust us to make informed, but sometimes difficult decisions. On behalf of those we help, thank you!
We recently held our 2025 Champion Awards Night, where we recognised 122 Rotary Clubs for generous and consistent support over a three-year period. We were joined by Senior Emergency Coordinator, Martin Strutton and Australian volunteer SRT member, Megan Graham, live from the Philippines earthquake response. It was great to hear how the Rotary partnership is a force multiplier on the ground.
The 10th of December is World Human Rights Day. It is also our annual Giving Day, where we promote shelter as a human right and raise funds for disaster relief. We are currently looking for matched funders to make the day as much of a success as previous years. If you know of a foundation, trust or corporate that would like to support our efforts, please ask them to get in touch. More news about Giving Day soon.
This month’s quote comes from H. Jackson Brown Jnr: “Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more..”
Thanks for being part of the team.
Mike Greenslade
CEO ShelterBox Australia
The Caribbean – Hurricane Melissa
Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a powerful Category 5 storm on Tuesday, causing catastrophic damage. With winds reaching up to 183mph (295 km/h), it swept across the country for hours bringing with it waves up to four metres high. Three quarters of the island is without electricity and there is widespread flooding in the west of the island. Jamaica’s Prime Minister has declared the country a disaster area. Thousands of families spent the night in hundreds of emergency shelters in Jamaica.
Damage is widespread. Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic all suffered – with landslides, collapsed homes, and blocked roads slowing rescue efforts. Dozens of people have died.
An emergency response team from ShelterBox arrived in Jamaica this weekend to support people affected by Hurricane Melissa. We’re shipping enough aid this weekend to support 5,000 people from our warehouse in Barbados to Jamaica. Vital supplies of shelter kits (tarpaulins and tools), rope, thermal blankets, water carriers, mosquito nets, and solar lights will arrive in Kingston as early as today (Monday). Our team will be visiting affected areas and talking directly with communities to understand how we can best support them.
Just before this hurricane season, we opened a new aid hub in Barbados to boost our readiness. This follows last year’s Hurricane Beryl, when we supported thousands in Grenada with shelter and essential items.
Philippines – Earthquake & Typhoons
We’re responding after a series of powerful storms and earthquakes caused widespread destruction in the Philippines. Hundreds of thousands of people are without shelter at what is only the start of typhoon season. We have a team permanently based in the Philippines and emergency shelter supplies pre-positioned in Cebu, so we’re ready to go in these moments.
Cebu Earthquake ShelterBox is responding to the strongest earthquake to hit the Philippines in over ten years – just days after typhoons and flooding swept the country. We’re distributing emergency shelter and essential items to thousands of people whose homes have been completely destroyed. Our distributions will support thousands of people in San Remegio, Bogo City, and Tabogon. Right now, many are sleeping in makeshift shelters with little protection from the rain. Coughs and respiratory infections are spreading, and the need for shelter is urgent. We’ve been speaking directly with communities near the epicentre in northern Cebu. We’ve held workshops with affected communities to understand what they need most. People want to rebuild, but they don’t have the materials or money to do it alone. We’re registering families for support. Many are elderly, have young children, or live with disabilities. Emergency aid has left our warehouse in Cebu – tarpaulins, shelter repair kits, solar lights, mosquito nets, and blankets ready for distribution. (We’ll have a firsthand account this response in our next newsletter, from Australian SRT volunteer, Megan Graham).
Typhoon Bualoi – Aid has arrived from our warehouse in Cebu to Masbate Island ready for distributions to begin next week – supporting thousands of people whose homes were devastated by Typhoon Bualoi. We’re working in partnership with FACE Inc to support families rebuild with essential items and cash assistance for shelter. Rotary has a vital role – co-ordinating warehousing, transport, and donating essential items for community use. Rotary has secured a local warehouse in Masbate to support smooth delivery of aid. In Mobo, one of the hardest-hit areas, many homes were completely destroyed. With little income to rebuild, our support will focus here – reaching 5,000 people, prioritising the most vulnerable: elderly, pregnant women, and female-headed households.
Pakistan – Flooding
Thousands of families in Pakistan were left homeless after relentless monsoon rains swept through towns and villages, destroying homes, belongings, and crops.
ShelterBox and Islamic Relief Pakistan have supported thousands of people to begin recovering with emergency shelter and essential items.
In northern Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, we delivered emergency shelter and essential supplies. Tents, tarpaulins, thermal blankets, floor mats and mattresses are helping people stay warm and dry during cold nights as temperatures drop.
Kitchen sets mean people can cook hot meals and boil water, while solar lights, hygiene kits, and mosquito nets offer better protection. In each village, we hired local people to clear debris and set up temporary shelters – providing vital income and ensuring shelters are set up properly in suitable locations.
In eastern Pakistan, where floodwaters take longer to recede because of how low-lying the land is, we’ve just finished distributing tents and tarpaulins so people have somewhere temporary they can stay near their damaged homes while they start to repair and rebuild. Blankets, mattresses, and solar lights bring comfort, while mosquito nets, hygiene kits, and kitchen sets help protect against disease – especially important as there’s a dengue outbreak in Punjab.
With our preparedness efforts, many of these items were already stored in country and ready to go. Learn more.
Chad – Hawa’s Story (Re-visit):
In October 2024, during a ShelterBox deployment to Chad, the team was able to sit down with Hawa and talk to her about her journey from Sudan to Chad. She explained the challenges that she has faced both in Sudan, and as she was beginning to build her new life in Chad.
During our most recent visit, the team was lucky enough to re-visit Hawa, to see how she has settled into her new semi-durable shelter and understand how it has affected family life for her and her children. Hawa welcomed us into her new home with great joy and a huge smile on her face, she sat down on her bed and got comfy, visibly delighted to be sitting with us once again, to update us on how life has been.
We asked Hawa what the process of receiving the semi-durable shelter was like. She began by telling us how shocked she was to receive a new home. “We hadn’t even imagined that we would have a house. I asked myself, what exactly did I do at ShelterBox and Help-Tchad to get them to build me a house?”
“They were looking for those who don’t have a house and those who have many families. I explained my situation to them, and they came to see my area and see my situation. They asked me questions, and through my answers, they tried to help me.”
“I called my children and told them that ShelterBox and Help Tchad wants to build us a house. They asked when they would come. Then came the yellow car with materials and bricks.”
It was evident how happy Hawa was with her new home. To understand the importance of what having a stable home means to Hawa, we asked what her favourite thing about the new shelter was. “Before, during the night, I would wake up three or four times to check on those around me, but now that the house has been built, I wake up late when the children go to school, they are the ones waking me up.”
She goes on to say how much safer her home feels now that she has a sturdy door to lock. “Now I’m safe when I go out, I can lock the house, I have water and electricity, which is already essential for me.”
“Before, when I went out, I tried to get home quickly, but now I’m safe, so I go home whenever I want.”
As well as feeling safer, Hawa expressed how it helps with the harsh climate. “Before, when we went inside, it was so hot, but now, you see, I don’t have any problems.”
It was clear to see how strongly the community supported each other, always thinking of each other, always looking out for ways to help each other. A testament to the good nature of the people who have had to flee Sudan and restart their lives in Chad. Everything Hawa told us always relayed back to her community and how she hopes they also receive aid.
“Seeing my house, I’m so happy. My neighbours often come to see it and wish they had it too.”
“We suffered, but now that they built us a house, we feel safe. We hope that ShelterBox and Help-Tchad will try to help others by building houses so that they feel safe like us.”
Speaking of her future, Hawa explained that she still had concerns, for her children and what their next steps will be.
In the future, I need education for my children. Two of my children were going to college, another was in elementary school, and they haven’t attended for two years. Both say, “Oh, time is passing, and we can’t continue our studies, so what will our future hold?”
As well as uncertainty regarding education, and opportunities for young people in the community. It also became clear that in general, people are struggling to find ways to make a living. “Living conditions are complicated, I was looking for bundles of wood to sell. Here, there are no activities we can do, like work or business. As you can see, there are no activities; we don’t know where to go or what to do.”
During our visit we witnessed lots of infrastructure being built to support the community, including schools, places of worship and income generating activities. Reassuring us, that in due time, this community will become a strong, resilient and thriving one.
