August 28, 2026. Right now, over 123 million people around the world have been made homeless by disaster and conflict. The Rotary-inspired global program of ShelterBox is working to change this. By providing emergency shelter and tools for families robbed of their homes by disaster, ShelterBox helps transform despair into hope. Read the update below from our RotaryGuelph ShelterBox Representative, Carolyn Weatherson.
SHELTERBOX UPDATE - ROTARY CLUB OF GUELPH
August 2026
I want to take a few minutes to update you on ShelterBox—and, more importantly, what our support as Rotarians means when disaster strikes.
When we hear about an earthquake or flood on the other side of the world, we often hear the numbers first: the magnitude, the homes destroyed, the people displaced.
But behind every number is a person—a family suddenly without a safe place to sleep, without privacy, and without that basic sense of security we often take for granted.
Right now, ShelterBox is responding to several major disasters.
In Nepal, devastating flash floods following a glacier collapse have destroyed homes, roads and bridges in August 2026. ShelterBox is on the ground assessing needs and providing emergency shelter to families who have lost everything.
In Colombia, following the powerful August 10, 2026 earthquake, ShelterBox is closely monitoring the situation and working with Rotary partners in District 4281. Infrastructure has been severely damaged—including schools, health centres and water systems—and ShelterBox has emergency supplies pre-positioned in Panama and Barbados, ready to deploy if needed.
In Venezuela, two massive earthquakes struck just 39 seconds apart in June 2026. ShelterBox, working with Rotary partners and other humanitarian organizations, is providing emergency shelter supplies, blankets, sleeping mats and solar lights to families who have been displaced.
And the work doesn't stop there. ShelterBox continues supporting families in Gaza, Burkina Faso, Madagascar and Ukraine, helping people find emergency shelter, repair damaged homes and begin rebuilding.
One thing I really want us to appreciate as Rotarians is this: The response starts long before the disaster happens.
ShelterBox pre-positions supplies, builds relationships with local Rotary Clubs and prepares for the moment when people need help. That preparation can mean the difference between assistance arriving in days - or weeks.
Because ShelterBox isn't really about tents.
It's about dignity. It's about safety. And it's about giving people a place from which they can begin again.
We can't stop an earthquake or prevent every disaster. But through Rotary and ShelterBox, we can be ready to help when they happen.
And to me, that's the heart of Rotary: people deciding that someone else's suffering matters to us.
Thank you for supporting ShelterBox—and for helping us be there when someone's world has suddenly fallen apart.
Carolyn Weatherson
Rotary Guelph ShelterBox Rep.
https://shelterboxcanada.org/