Gifts in Wills fund much of our work. Your support, no matter what size, will help people like Shelly and her son, John, rebuild and recover after conflict or disaster.

When Cyclone Harold made landfall, it decimated houses, gardens and anything else in its path as it tore across Vanuatu.

Earlier in the evening, Shelley had reinforced the thatched roofing of her kitchen with pieces of cloth, tying the beams to fixtures on the ground. As Shelley and her neighbours huddled shoulder to shoulder in her kitchen, the cyclone raged on. A flying piece of tin roofing smashed a hole in one of the walls. Every adult who was not holding a child or heavily pregnant was holding on to the house.

Shelley, John and others in their community are some of the 2,000 households that received ShelterBox aid in the wake of Cyclone Harold. 

Tarpaulins afforded Shelley and John a dry night’s sleep, whilst a spade, shovel and nails meant she could rebuild their house. Shelley and John rely on subsistence farming  for their livelihood, as does 70% of Vanuatu’s population. The spade and shovel allowed Shelley and her neighbours to get back to work quickly and begin to rebuild their lives.