ShelterKits

Earthquakes. Hurricanes. Floods. Every year thousands of families see their homes destroyed in a matter of minutes.

In the wake of a disaster, families can use the contents of a ShelterKit to make immediate repairs to their damaged homes.

Our ShelterKits are proven to work. They have helped families survive in the flood plains of Malawi, displacement camps in the Middle East, and the mountains of Nepal.

We customise the contents of the kit to meet the individual needs of each community we help. Sometimes they include corrugated iron to help make resistant roofing, as well as items like tarpaulin and timber.

We often add a number of other essentials like solar lights, blankets and water containers to help families return to a normal life as soon as possible.

Inside a ShelterKit is a range of simple and rigorously tested tools to repair a home, start a new life and find a way out of the rubble.

• Tarpaulin: two sheets of heavy-duty tarp can be used to create walls and roofs
• Rope: this universal essential can make shelters secure and stable
• Hoe: this tool can prepare the ground and later be used for farming
• Tie wire: fix tarpaulins or bamboo structures with 500g of wire
• Tin snips: the snips can be used to cut tie wire or tin roofing plates
• Handsaw: the saw will enable people to use timber or bamboo if it’s available
• Roofing nails: we include 500g worth of nails, with washers to seal out the rain
• Shovel: this can prepare foundations for a shelter or dig drainage ditches
• Nails: 1kg of timber nails will also secure any repairs
• Claw hammer: another universal tool for nailing together a home

We provide training in the field to help families understand how to use their new equipment.

In this video, a ShelterBox team works with a local community in Cameroon, training them on how to use our ShelterKits.

These community members will then go on to train other members of their community.

Watch this video to see our aid and specific tips and techniques, like how to secure a tarpaulin.