In Pictures: Our Coronavirus Response

This is Irish standing outside her home which was totally destroyed when Category 3 Typhoon Vongfong made landfall in the Philippines in May. Torrential rains brought devastating damage, with nearly half a million people affected. Together with our partner, we are supporting families across 19 barangays (villages) whose homes have been completely flattened. Communities in these areas have not received any support from other humanitarian organisations after the disaster.

This is Raymond outside his home in the Philippines which was damaged by Typhoon Vongfong. Families who have been severely affected by Vongfong are currently living in evacuation centres or staying with relatives.

We’re working with our new partner Terres des Hommes (TdH), to provide essential aid to families who have seen their homes totally destroyed by Typhoon Vongfong in the Philippines. This image shows aid items being stored and loaded into the local warehouse in Eastern Samar ready for distributions.

Distributions of tarpaulins, rope, solar lights, mosquito nets and other essential household items began in July. The emergency aid will enable people to rebuild their homes after Typhoon Vongfong and provide a private space to protect themselves from the threat of coronavirus.

Socially distanced seating at aid distributions in the Philippines. Families whose homes were damaged by Typhoon Vongfong received training on how best to use our aid items before taking them home to rebuild. Our project aims to decongest evacuation centres, providing some private space for families to allow them to protect themselves from coronavirus.

Coronavirus mitigations were in place at the distributions of vital aid items to families whose homes were destroyed or damaged by Typhoon Vongfong in the Philippines.

Handwashing stations at aid distributions in the Philippines. Coronavirus mitigations were put in place to ensure the safety of our team members and our partners attending the distributions, as well as the families we are helping. Mitigation measures include physical distancing, handwashing, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Families collecting tarpaulins, rope, solar lights, mosquito nets and other essential household items in the Philippines. The emergency aid will enable people to rebuild their homes and provide a private space to protect themselves from the threat of coronavirus.

Families collecting tarpaulins, rope, solar lights, mosquito nets and other essential household items in the Philippines. The emergency aid will enable people to rebuild their homes and provide a private space to protect themselves from the threat of coronavirus.

All smiles in the Philippines! Together with our partner Terre des hommes, we’ve supported families who’ve seen their homes swept away by Typhoon Vongfong (local name Ambo).

In Burkina Faso, more than 920,000 people had been forced to flee their homes due to extremist violence. This has led to the country having one of the fastest-growing displacement crises in Africa. We have been working with our new partner Help Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe to support the most vulnerable communities. We have supported families with tarpaulins, kitchen sets, water carriers, sleeping mats, high thermal blankets, mosquito nets and solar lights.

The Burkina Faso government has introduced measures to stop the spread of coronavirus, including closing land and air borders and banning gatherings of more than 50 people. However, despite the many challenges, we are working with our new partner Help to support the most vulnerable communities. Coronavirus mitigation measures include the use of antibacterial gel, masks, gloves and physical distancing. Help have also used the aid distributions to provide more information about coronavirus to rural communities.

Distributions taking place in June 2020 in Cameroon with our long-term partner IEDA Relief. This is Project 8 which includes 743 tents with household items including water carriers, kitchen sets and blankets, 560 shelter kits, 2,000 tarpaulins and rope, and additional household items for families with added vulnerabilities. Distributions are held to support families displaced by the ongoing conflict in the Northern Region of Cameroon and the Lake Chad Basin.

In 2019, we responded to flooding in Paraguay, where we supported families with tools to rebuild their homes. This year we focused on the country once again for a response that was a little bit different. With the additional threat of coronavirus lurking over already vulnerable families, we partnered with Habitat for Humanity Paraguay to create coronavirus information campaigns.

Our coronavirus information campaigns in Paraguay included leaflets and posters that show people how they can use their ShelterBox aid items to create additional space, as well as guides on how to isolate somebody, how to clean effectively, the importance of handwashing, and more.

Distributions of tarpaulin, kitchen sets and other household items to families displaced by conflict in the West Guji area, Ethiopia. Since leaving their homes, some families have been living in clusters of makeshift shelters, many using banana leaves for roofing material.

The distributions in Ethiopia took place through our partner IOM (International Organisation for Migration) who we have been working with in Ethiopia since 2018. The ShelterBox tarpaulins and household items will protect families from rain, strengthen their ability to withstand infections (including coronavirus), and allow them to extend their shelter to create more space.

To mitigate against coronavirus, we displayed banners with key coronavirus messaging at all distributions with a health specialist present to answer questions. Here he can be seen teaching handwashing techniques to people as they wait to receive ShelterBox aid.

Men and women sit a safe distance apart from each other to mitigate against spreading coronavirus before collecting their aid items, including tarpaulin, kitchen sets and other household items.

The field team train men and women on how to use the ShelterBox aid items ahead of distributions.

All staff wore masks and disinfected all material used at distributions in Ethiopia, and handwashing stations were also set up. All conversations were conducted a safe distance apart.

Women walking away after collecting their aid items during distributions of tarpaulin, kitchen sets and other household items in Ethiopia. The ShelterBox tarpaulins and household items will protect families from rain, strengthen their ability to withstand infections (including coronavirus), and allow them to extend their shelter to create more space.

Collecting ShelterBox aid items with a smile!

This is Rexon at the distributions of ShelterBox aid items in the Philippines. He became displaced after Taal Volcano erupted in January 2020. Speaking to our local partner YKBI he said: “First of all, thank God that everyone is safe. To ShelterBox, thank you so much, this is a big help to us. Godbless.”

When Leona collected the aid items pictured, she told us: “Thank you so much for the things we received. This is a huge help especially the solar lights, we badly needed this. ShelterBox is also a great blessing to us and we can use these items for emergency purposes.”

This is Catalina from the Philippines. She became displaced after Taal Volcano erupted in January 2020. We have supported her with some essential items that will help her to safely distance and protect herself from coronavirus. She said: “I am very pleased with your great help. We have used the tarpaulin because our roof has a hole. Solar lights are also very useful. We thank YKBI, ShelterBox, and Rotary.”

In the Philippines, people who have been affected by the Taal Volcano eruption wait in a queue to receive essential ShelterBox aid.

ShelterBox Operations Philippines is working with a local NGO, Yakap sa Kaunlaranng Bata, Inc. (YKBI), to distribute aid to nearly 2,000 families who became displaced when the Taal Volcano erupted in January 2020. The aim is to increase the size of the shared accommodation, allowing families space for physical distancing to prevent the speed of coronavirus. Before they can receive the aid, people get their temperature checked, and wash their hands and feet. They are then validated for the aid with identification before collecting it.

Handwashing stations are in place in Somaliland, where we are supporting families who have been forced to leave their homes due to drought. We are also limiting distributions to 50 people at a time to minimise physical contact and ensure that people are maintaining a safe distance from each other.

Nadin (10) washing her hands in a camp in the Syrian Region. She told us “The soap is good to clean our hands and stop the spread of the virus.” We are providing essential aid items as well as hand soap and washing basins to enable families to protect themselves from the deadly coronavirus.

Our aid distributions in Somaliland now include preventative measures for coronavirus, such as handwashing stations and limiting distributions to 50 people at a time. This is to minimise physical contact and ensure that people are maintaining a safe distance from each other.

Women in Somaliland in a social distancing queue as they wait to receive ShelterBox aid. We are supporting families in Somaliland who are dealing with the fallout of severe and persistent drought.

Reda (aged 5) told us, “I am wearing a mask because my Mum told me it will protect me from coronavirus.” Reda is pictured here with ShelterBox aid.

Maryam, 12 years old,  washes her hands using the soad and washing basins we have provided. She told us “It is important we keep clean to protect ourselves from the virus”.

We’re providing essential aid items in the Syrian Region which will help people to keep distance from each other and stay as healthy as possible.

ShelterBox aid arrives at a displacement camp in the Syrian Region

Our partners, ReliefAid, have been taking extra precautions to keep themselves and the people living in camps protected from coronavirus.

Our aid is unloaded after arriving at a camp in the Syrian Region. ReliefAid workers are taking extra care during distributins, including wearing face masks and gloves, frequent hand washing, and maintaining a distance from people in the camps.

While many of us are queuing at safe distances to enter grocery stores, in the Syrian Region families queue for essential aid.

Our frontline workers. The ReliefAid team won’t let coronavirus stop our aid from getting to the people who need it the most.

A woman collects ShelterBox aid. Many families don’t have the basics they need to protect themselves, like shelter and soap.

Hospital workers from Eversley Sanitorium in the Philippines collect tarpaulins and ropes. The hospital will use these items to create extra spaces to treat patients in both emergency admissions and triage areas.

We provided tarpaulins, ropes, and fixings to Eversley Sanitarium, a public hospital in Cebu, Philippines. The aid was used to create extra spaces to treat vulnerable patients in both emergencies and triage areas. This is to help the hospital from becoming overcrowded.

Nancy Sabuero (pictured right), the Head of Medical Social Services Unit (MSSU) unit from the hospital said: “We would like to thank the ShelterBox for donating supplies for our much-needed Holding Area and Triage. These facilities were set-up adjacent to the Emergency Room. All cases/patients therefore before entering the emergency room passes through the triaging (triage area). The Holding area serves as temporary accommodation for patients that may need a referral or transfer to our Isolation Ward (quarantine ward) or a referral to another hospital but cannot be transported yet for some other reasons. We are thankful that ShelterBox Operations Philippines came in on the most important time that we need it the most, and that our patients need it the most.”

Hospital workers make up beds in the new Holding and Triage areas that the hospital have been able to build using ShelterBox aid.

Our partner IEDA Relief offloading ShelterBox aid that has arrived in Cameroon in preparation for distributions. The IEDA Relief team have been protecting themselves and the communities they support by wearing face masks and gloves, and using hand sanitiser.

The IEDA team queue to wash their hands during distribtions in Cameroon. Working in partnership with IEDA Relief, we’ve helped nearly 8,000 families in Cameroon.