ShelterBox Relief Featured in Myanmar Media

For Immediate Release

BRADENTON, Fla./EWORLDWIRE/May 16, 2008 --- ShelterBox USA confirmed arrival of a pre-approved charter DC-10 flight into Yangon, Myanmar, with a load of 1050 ShelterBoxes. The flight originated at East Midlands Airport in Birmingham, U.K. on Wednesday, May 14, and arrived in Yangon Airport early Friday morning, May 16.

Accompanying the Box shipment was U.S. ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) member Patrick Olson from Plymouth, Mich. He will be joined in Yangon by a second U.S. SRT team member, David Eby from Nashville, Tenn. on Friday. Both men received special Visa permission from Myanmar officials to ensure the emergency shelter arrival. The Americans are scheduled to rendezvous with the initial four-person ShelterBox Response Team from the U.K. who accompanied the first of 400 Boxes received last week. The organization stockpiles Boxes in strategic locations throughout the world to decrease initial disaster response time.

The original U.K. team was reportedly the first international aid group to gain officially approved access to the disaster-torn nation after the cyclone. To date, ShelterBox personnel have not gained permission to conduct direct distribution in the affected areas. They have been conducting Train-the-Trainer sessions with Yangon fire and rescue personnel in the proper use of the self-contained portable disaster kit. More than 400 Myanmar blue light personnel have received instruction, with additional training sessions planned. They, in turn, will share their new knowledge with cyclone survivors who receive the big green Boxes.

ShelterBox, a U.K.-based internationally sponsored disaster relief organization, has gained favor in Myanmar media, where distribution efforts in Yangon area have been shown. Team members report that big construction companies and private corporations are now responsible for major relief and resettlement efforts. Unlike ShelterBox, many NGOs are hampered in any direct donations and have been forced to donate through Myanmar business groups.

Additional Boxes for Myanmar are expected to be assembled by community volunteers in the organizations Operations Centre in Cornwall, U.K. Each ShelterBox contains a 10-person tent, sleeping mats and mosquito netting, a stove and cooking implements, water purification supplies, and hand tools. A complete ShelterBox costs $1,000 to sponsor, but financial contributions of any size are welcome. Sponsors include Rotary clubs, individuals, community, church or school groups in the six countries that ShelterBox currently has national affiliates established, including in the U.K., the U.S., in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Germany.

Originating as an international Rotary club service project, ShelterBox is represented in the United States by ShelterBox USA, a 501 (c)(3) organization, affiliated with the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch, Fla., in the Sarasota area. The organization solicits U.S. Box sponsorships on behalf of the U.K. operation and provides donors of $200 or more with follow-up information including specific assigned Box number and disaster distribution information. Information and online donation access to ShelterBox USA may be found on the organizaton's Web site at 'http://www.shelterboxusa.org'. Additional Box shipments for Myanmar depend solely on the volume of incoming donations.

Pictures: Still images and video footage from previous deployments can be downloaded from ftp://www.shelterbox.org - user name shelterboxmedia, password sh5938.

HTML:   http://www.eworldwire.com/pressreleases/18513
PDF:   http://www.eworldwire.com/pdf/18513.pdf
MOBILE:    http://e4mobile.com/view_release.php?id=18513
ONLINE NEWSROOM:   http://www.eworldwire.com/newsroom/310499.htm
NEWSROOM RSS FEED:   http://newsroom.eworldwire.com/xml/newsrooms/310499.xml
LOGO:   http://www.eworldwire.com/newsroom/310499.htm

CONTACT:
Beth Palmer
Shelterbox USA
PHONE. 941-400-5242


Erica Sirotich
ShelterBox USA
8374 Market St. #203
Bradenton, FL 34208
PHONE. 941-747-8500

SOURCE: ShelterBox USA

AVAILABLE MEDIA:

View fullsize
: Myanmar Media features ShelterBox (size: 0.1 kb)
Myanmar Shelter Aid arrives on ShelterBox Charter Flight
http://www.eworldwire.com/mediauploads/shelterboxloadingboxes.jpg

View fullsize
Photo: Loading ShelterBox Charter Flight in Birmingham UK (size: 2.0 kb)
jpg
http://www.eworldwire.com/mediauploads/26825_796939_1210908713.jpg