source: © shelterbox.com - bangladesh 2007

Next time you’re browsing through a camping supply shop at all the amazing tents, sleeping bags and ‘luxury’ camping equipment, spare a thought for all those people who can’t afford such luxuries. There are some people in the world who don’t have a home, or a tent, to sleep in. People all over the world have been left homeless by natural disasters, civil wars or ethnic upheavals – they are destitute and at risk. In these situations, basic camping supplies can mean the difference between life and death. This is why UK charity Shelterbox works so hard to provide people with a tent and essential items to keep them safe in states of emergency.

Since it was established in January 2001, the charity has helped over 600,000 people and worked in more than 45 countries, responding to earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, wars, volcanoes and more. Victims receive a Shelterbox which contains a large tent, thermal blankets and a groundsheet, cooking equipment, water purification containers and a practical tool kit.

Shelterbox teams were some of the first aid teams on the ground when the tsunami hit Sri Lanka in 2004. They provided shelter for the victims of Hurricane Katrina in the southern United States in 2005. They’ve sent Shelterboxes to those displaced by conflict in Iraq, Afghanistan and Uganda. Wherever there is a natural or man-made disaster, anywhere on the globe, the charity sends its team with a plane full of boxes to help those affected. This is camping at its most basic – camping for survival. We should feel very lucky next time we’re voluntarily tucked up in our expensive sleeping bags on a safe campsite!

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