Shelter Box
The ShelterBox Trust was founded by Rotary clubs in the UK. The goal of the trust is to provide emergency aid to regions of the world that have been affected by disasters, both natural and man-made. This is accomplished by assembling boxes containing temporary shelters and enough emergency supplies for a family of up to 10 people for six months. Since the program was started, The ShelterBox Trust has distributed aid to more than 500,000 people in more than 40 countries.
Rotaract of Howard County has been raising funds from a variety of sources for some time. When the shelter box program was brought to our attention, we immediately decided that it was an ideal cause to contribute raised funds. In May 2008, our Rotaract club donated the funds for a shelter box. This box was sent to the Sichuan Province in China to help earthquake victims. Since then, we have donated two additional shelter boxes that have been sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo to assist with those displaced by war and to Haiti following the devastating earthquake in 2009.
For more information, visit the ShelterBox web site.
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Cambodian Demining
For the first time ever, the Rotaract clubs of District 7620 in central Maryland and Washington, DC got together for a district-wide collaborative project. The goal of the project was to raise funds to support demining efforts in Cambodia. Funds raised were donated to the Mine Action in Cambodia foundation, in partnership with the HALO Trust. The main component of the fundraising effort was a wine tasting event held at the Cambodian Embassy in Washington, DC in May 2008. Funds raised by this project and efforts from other Rotaries has been used to clear mines as well as build roads and support local schools.
For more information on the HALO Trust and demining efforts in Cambodia, please visit the HALO Trust web site.
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