Aquaboxes and Shelter Boxes

The Club is very happy to do all it can to help these two initiatives provide very practical humanitarian support to disaster areas anywhere in the world.

The Aquabox scheme is administered by the Rotary Club of Wirksworth in Derbyshire and is designed to offer instant practical help to those caught in the aftermath of a disaster - either natural or man-made. The box is filled with a selection of useful hardware and hygiene items and clothing, together with a filter cartridge and water treatment tablets which provide safe drinking water for a family of four for up to four months.

The Aquabox Scheme provides a simple way for you as an individual or your organisation to "do your bit" in supporting the work of the major relief agencies, through whom the Aquaboxes are distributed to those in greatest need. A donation of just £50 secures delivery to you of an empty Aquabox with a list of suitable aid items to be placed in the box - click here to see a poster showing the sort of things involved. Once you have filled the box, it is collected by ParcelForce and taken to the depot, from where it is dispatched to one of the current emergency areas. Each box is numbered and you can find out the destination of "your" Aquabox via the Aquabox website (www.aquabox.org), which of course contains full details of the scheme.

The ShelterBox scheme was set up by the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard in Cornwall and consists of a tough plastic box which holds a tent and ancillary equipment - such as insulated groundsheets, thermal blankets, multi-fuel stove, cooking equipment, tools, mosquito nets, water containers etc - enabling a family of up to 10 people survive for at least six months in an area where a disaster (natural or man-made) has struck.

Since 2001, the ShelterBox scheme has helped over 800,000 people and operated in 57 countries – responding to earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, wars, volcanoes etc - and working directly with local organisations and in partnership with other aid agencies via the international Rotary network. Teams of volunteers often oversee the distribution of boxes to individual recipients – making sure aid gets direct to those people who need it most.

Each box costs around £490 though it is possible to donate towards the cost of individual items such as water containers and purification equipment (£20). Full details are available on the ShelterBox website - www.shelterbox.org

If you are interested in filling an Aquabox, or would like to sponsor an Aquabox or ShelterBox box financially, please contact The Rotary Club of Folkestone by clicking here.