Selfie Disaster Project

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After two weeks in the field and meeting nearly 300 families to assess the quality of aid distributed we’re wrapping up our work as ShelterBox’s 250th deployment comes to an end. We’ve managed to help at least 1000 families that were affected by Cyclone Dineo thanks to a strong partnership with the Red cross.

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Volunteer. Retired Principal. Father, Grandfather, Great-Grandfather-to-be.

Sr. Alfred Roche.

On the ground it’s often hard to get into local communities without some local support. Mr. Roche was one of our local volunteers that had strong relationships with local chiefs who were able to help us reach families affected by the Cyclone. 

The father of nine has a family growing quicker than he can keep up and it’s clear that as a family man he is passionate about supporting families that have been affected by disaster. 

Always with a smile on his face the retired teacher had a remarkable way with people. Carrying himself with the utmost poise, Mr Roche was the gold standard for everyone to learn from. He was the gold standard of class.

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Red Cross Chief. Father of Three. Community Expert.

Senhor Julio.

When responding to disasters we often have to work in partnership with local organisations that have access to community leadership structures. Working with community leaders and chiefs allows us to find families that have been affected the mots and to get them aid and relief as soon as possible.

At one point we were on a road in the middle of Mozambique and met two men. One was the Chief of the Left Side of the Road and the other was the Chief of the Right Side of the Road. 

Julio was key to mobilising local volunteers that could take us into the back-of-beyond to find remote and rural houses that you literally didn’t see until you were upon them. In Mozambique, many of the families affected were extremely rural. We’re all familiar with the term rural, however this was taking things to another level.

It was very interesting that Mozambique in many ways reminded me a lot of responses I have been to in the Philippines. The environment was so strangely similar. Likely something to do with being in the Tropics!

Julio has been with the Red Cross for his entire career and it’s clear that he’s passionate about supporting the communities of Mozambique that are prone to natural disasters. Mozambique’s rivers all start in neighbouring African countries and as a result very often they do not control the flow of water. THis often leads to flooding and the country is also prone to landslides and the occasional cyclone. 

While we were in country there was even an earthquake slightly further north than we were. Luckily there was no major damage.

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Philosopher. Opera-lover. Driver. Father. Poet. Expert Ninja. Translator. The Problem Solver.

Salomao.

In the face of dodgy-ness there shines a bright light. Salomao. The man could go from being a Jason-Statham-Transporter, to Plato at the doff of a cap. Having supported all the ShelterBox team that had come into Mozambique, Salomao was the next best thing to Superman.

Salomao was our local expert, driver, translator - everything. When working in-country there’s no more important a team member than your driver and we were fortunate to have been gifted an incredible 

He was more than a driver. more than a Philosopher, more than a pundit. We could go from Socrates to Steph Curry - from Plato to Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang.  

There is little this man hasn’t done. With a panache for culture and a passion for story telling this man has put more years into his life than some could even imagine. 

Beyond a driver he became a friend. A te amanhã, amigo.

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After Cyclone Dineo struck Mozambique, ShelterBox responded to deliver aid to families that had lost their homes. Working in Partnership with the Red Cross a team of us with members from N. Ireland, England and Canada head in to support the response to families. On this occasion we had the extra remit of monitoring and evaluating the aid which had been sent in before and meeting with beneficiary families to find out if the aid was appropriate.  

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Rotaractor. Budding businessman. Nepali. Mr Get it Done. Manchester United Diehard. 

Jitendra.

The college business student is a native of the Surkhet area in the country. When ShelterBox first entered the country his home town was devastated and he heard we were looking for a translator he quickly answered the call.

Working with us for over three months in all regions of the country, there wasn't a problem this young man didn't have an answer for. 

With an unparalleled work ethic, an excitement about giving his time, or anything that would make a difference, this young Rotaractor was the talk of his club after joining the Response Team in the field. 

The future of Nepal looks bright with people like Jitendra leading the way.

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After extra ordinary monsoon weather hit Nepal in September, the damage to the country's rural area has been indescribable. 

In the North Eastern region of Sindhupalchuk the entire side of a mountain collapsed into the Sun Khosi river. That doesn't actually even do justice to the size of land shift. An entire mountain side moved leaving rocks larger than mining calibre trucks there.

A village of just under 2,000 people were asleep at 2:35am in the morning when this happened. Those homes not buried in the slide were then submerged by the flooding that ensued after the Sun Khosi was dammed by the slide. 

145 people died. Only 27 bodies were recovered. There won't be a recovery mission for the bodies. It's simply not possible.

The village was wiped out - the only road to China was blocked.

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Broadway star. Movie Actor. Rotarian. Serbia's finest. Kladovo to Belgrade.

Svetislav "Bule" Goncic.

Motor bike enthusiast. 

There is something about Bule which is special. Something hard to explain if you haven't met him. The man just constantly gives in every way he knows. The broad way sweetheart, turned movie actor, turned broadway star turns heads on every occasion.

When he's not the lead in Serbia's adaptation of Some Like it Hot the man was quick to the rural areas of the country trying to distribute aid to places submerged by over two meters of water.

The Rotarian has a heart that thinks quicker than his head and has been working across Serbia to help get people back on their feet after unprecedented natural disaster hit a country that has been relatively free of them historically.

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Igor. Truck Driver. Srbija. The Serbian Transporter. No English.

Bosnia born, Serbian raised.

The aid world is full of remarkable people. The humble, and accepting resilience of a people in the face of a disaster is incredible and something that is at the very reason which we go into the aid world as aid workers.

Igor was our driver and transporter. When working along the Western borders of Serbia it was a treat to hear about how the split of former Yugoslavia impacted his family originally from the now Bosnia Herzogovinia. He was so grateful for our presence and just keen to play his part in the disaster recovery.

A man of few words - even fewer of English because he spoke none, we got to know him thanks to the wonders of technology.

Sitting for coffee, when amidst work and needing to figure something out, or just when ordering lunch were it not for Google Translate on his Android it would have made for a very quiet trip.

However - the look on his face when through Google Translate we went back and forth was something I'll never forget. That conversation, one that otherwise would never have been possible, was truly special. Here we were: one side purely english, no Serbian and the other all Serbian, no English.

It would have been a sight for sore eyes!

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Serbia was hit by massive flooding in the East and West of the country. After being called out to help assess and distribute aid to those affected in the East it was sad to see the way in which the side of a mountain just disappeared into the Danube. 

Made this friend on the way.

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Peter. Zimbabwe born. Shona bred.

As a local that has grown up subject to a transient Zimbabwe and the trials of Robert Mugabe, Peter's dedicated his early career to humanitarian aid work.

Zimbabwe, a country that lost 4,000,000 people permanently in a mass exodus just prior to 2010 is one of the biggest countries of constant migration. The International Organization for Migration, an arm of the United Nations, is one of the organizations trying to help the constant flow of people in and out of the country. Peter plays a big part of that. 

Working in Chingwizi to help nearly 15,000 displaced people settle Peter's been involved in the resettlement from day one to it's continuance.

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Young. Innocent. Blissful in ignorance. 

In experiencing disasters, one truth that stands universal is: a child is a child is a child.

More than 3,000 children displaced in Chingwizi are forced to learn in conditions not suitable for substantially less.

It's one thing seeing a white guy (if you can call me that). It's another thing seeing a camera. 

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Back on the road - this time to ZImbabwe where floods have displaced nearly 20,000 people and forced many of them to flee over 140km to a new place they are trying to call home.

Far. Desolate. 

The situation is beyond dreary. 

Chingwizi - not yet a home - but they have little choice but to start from scratch.

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Beauty Queen. Noodle Packer. Pre-Christmas Elf. Ms. Tourism International for the Philippines.

The faces behind the disaster relief are all different, but they are laced with that same smile, and light of wanting to help make people's world's a little bit better.

In the Philippines, Christmas is the biggest time of the year outside of a Pacquiao match and it's something the kids live for. Cue Ms. Philippines. Sure, bringing the crown back is at the top of her mind, but when not flashing that award winning smile, she's trying to bring ear-to-ear grins to the faces of small children and others who could use a pick-me-up through this time of year.

There's no predicting when a disaster is going to hit and being hit before Christmas has really put a wrench in the plans of most people with little to call a home let alone a Christmas.

Packing goods whether it was food, or other supplies she's continued to play her behind-the-scenes part. As a little bit more she's also doing her best impression of Santa's Little Helper (no - not the Simpson's family dog - but as one of his elves) packing toys to be distributed to children which are very oft forgotten at this time.

While she knows bringing back the crown would mean so much to the Philippines, she knows her priorities are more local and that helping people on the ground is making more of an impact than anything else.

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Social Worker. Radiator of awesome. Nurse. Canadian.

Tracey.

Like most aid workers, Tracey wanted to make a hands on difference. Not just for the instant gratification of being able to meaningfully help those that need it, but because in many cases our time can do so much more. 

The Vancouverite from Canada's left coast wanted to take her medical training to those that needed it most.

In the wake of a natural disaster, there are often a lot of pregnancies that occur at once due to heightened stress levels. Now imagine the volume of pregnancies, injuries, and medical need after something like Typhoon Haiyan.

In her element, whether it was delivering babies, treating wounds, taking blood, or fixing up patients and educating them on how to stay safe and self-treat themselves for the remainder of the healing process she was on it.

In true Canadian style, with a couple of "ehs", a quirky smile, and bundles of energy she was providing medical aid, but some much needed and under-served emotional aid to anyone she could.

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Lady Volcano. Ruby star. Leading lady. Cebuano.

With almost four million people, had Super Typhoon Haiyan hit Cebu city, the death toll would have been unimaginable. Thankfully, Cebu escaped, by just 100km and has now become a vital staging point for getting aid and supplies to affected areas.

Monica, one of the leaders of the local Rugby community in Cebu had to do something to help the relief efforts. Everyone can contribute in their own way. We all have our means. Her passion was rugby and she was going to put that to use.

Five weeks ago, a rugby tournament was due to take place in the Philippines. When the typhoon hit, the game in Cebu was nearly called off. But someone had the idea of making it a relief effort and fund raiser instead.

The 6th Annual Cebu 10s raised over 300,000 PHP for the cause with the winger literally "playing a part" in helping those on the neighboring Leyte Island.

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Father. Gamer. Internet Guru.

Vincent.

Post disaster a lot of areas are disconnected and digital comms are hard to come by. Internet is a scarce resource and he who is connected is King. Vincent runs the only internet cafe in rural Leyte for teams based in Baybay making it a hub for NGO workers that want to get connected to process admin work after a day of field work.

But - in order to even be able to afford aid workers that luxury, he had to rescue the 30 computers he has in his shop amidst the typhoon weather as the roof was collapsing. For someone that relies on his internet cafe to keep his family afloat, he doesn't realize it but by keeping teams that are working on multiple islands remotely and in sequence connected he's fuelling aid reaching it's destination a little bit quicker than it otherwise would. Which means? Less people have to go without aid for longer.