Ely rotary club hoping for positive impact thanks to Morocco and Libya aid
The club is helping a charity send emergency aid to the countries
A rotary club in Cambridgeshire hopes its decision to help give more emergency aid to people in Morocco and Libya will pay off.
The Rotary Club of Ely wants to help fund shelter boxes, costing around ÂŁ600 each and include items such as shelter kits, to those hit by the recent Moroccan earthquake and Libyan floods.
More than 3,000 people were killed in the 6.8 magnitude earthquake earlier this month, while the United Nations confirmed at least 4,000 deaths in Libya.
So far this year, the club has paid for three shelter boxes to help international disaster relief charity ShelterBox, which provides shelter and other essential items to help people rebuild their lives after a disaster.
Viv Doji is the president of the Rotary Club of Ely:
"The club has seen the devastating pictures coming out of Libya and Morocco," she said.
"We are committed to sending funds for at least one shelter box annually which will be used in countries which have experienced disasters such as flooding and earthquakes.
“Our individual club impact is small, but there are a lot of Rotarians doing the same thing so the impact is great."
What is a shelter box?
The ShelterBox charity helps deliver essential items and survival kits to families and others in need across the world following a disaster.
A shelter box can contain items specific to a family's needs and can include family-sized tents, water storage bags, tools, solar lights and cooking utensils.
"We'll continue to do whatever we can to help"
“The club will be funding more shelter boxes this year but people can contribute in many ways; they are always needed even if there is not a specific disaster," Viv added.
“Our individual club impact is small, but there are a lot of Rotarians doing the same thing so the impact is great.
“One of our mottos is service above self. We’re all volunteers and funds raised go to help people in need, not anywhere else.
“We will continue to do whatever we can to help.”