Disaster survivors to benefit from new agreement between Rotary International, ShelterBox

Survivors of natural disasters worldwide will benefit from a new agreement between the humanitarian service organization Rotary International and the disaster relief charity ShelterBox that leverages the strengths of both organizations to provide temporary shelters and critically needed supplies to displaced families quickly and efficiently.

Thousands of individual Rotary clubs have supported the work of ShelterBox since it was founded 12 years ago by Tom Henderson, a Rotary club member in England. The new agreement formalizes the relationship by designating ShelterBox as Rotary International's first "project partner."

With more than 34,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and regions, Rotary is well positioned to help ShelterBox identify and prioritize immediate relief needs in disaster-affected communities and to assist with deployments. And Rotary clubs worldwide will now have a proven disaster relief charity to receive their contributions.

ShelterBox has provided emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families affected by more than 175 disasters in nearly 80 countries. A ShelterBox Response Team was deployed to Madagascar in March after powerful cyclones left more than 250,000 people homeless. The team has distributed more than 550 tents to affected communities. ShelterBox Response Teams are made up of trained volunteers, many of them Rotary members. Teams are currently operational in Peru, Turkey and the Democratic Republic of Congo.