Blog Tag: Disaster mitigation

Discovery College Shelterbox Club

Posted by Peter MUIR

Do you want to make a difference?  Then join the Discovery College ShelterBox Club!

What is Shelterbox? Shelterbox is an international disaster relief charity that provides temporary shelter and life saving supplies to displaced families.

What will you do in the Discovery College Shelterbox club? Learn about disaster issues and disaster relief; organize fundraisers and other events to raise awareness of Shelterbox.

Where and when will you meet? Tuesdays at lunchtime in 2208 (Mr Hansson’s classroom).

For more details – email Mr Hansson: daniel.hansson@dc.edu.hk

DC Shelterbox Project

Posted by Peter MUIR

ShelterBox LogoA Shelterbox Scavenger Hunt will be held at DC on the 20th of June. This scavenger hunt will be hosted by the DC Shelterbox group and aims to promote awareness about what Shelterbox does. This event will take start in the foyer, with teams having to hunt around the school for items and facts related to Shelterbox and disaster mitigation.

Shelterbox provides emergency shelter and other vital supplies to people and communities that are affected by natural disasters and humanitarian crisis. Shelterbox also delivers the essentials that people and communities need to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of a disaster.

The Shelterbox Scavenger hunt will involved teams of secondary students representing their house, having fun hunting around the school while learning a little about Shelterbox and the issues  they address.  Click here for more details about the Shelterbox Scavenger hunt, including how to enter.

ShelterBox project

Posted by Peter MUIR

There are no natural disasters, only natural hazards – a disaster happens when such hazards affect a community that is ill-prepared to cope with its impacts.  This is a key message from  the organization ShelterBox.  Shelterbox prepares to support communities in response to natural hazards by preparing their ‘big green boxes of humanitarian aid’ ready for rapid delivery to an affected area.  ShelterBox responds instantly to earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, hurricanes, cyclones and conflicts by delivering their boxes to provide emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies to families around the world who have been made homeless by these occurrences.

DC would like to set up a ShelterBox project group, and is inviting year 10 students to join.  Their aim will be to organise a ShelterBox awareness event before the end of this academic year. Email Mr Muir if you are interested.

A message form DC students

Posted by Peter MUIR

Dear DC Community,

We are a small group of DC students leading the donation drive for the Typhoon Haiyan victims in the Philippines.

Our group has set up a donation box at the school entrance for members of the DB community to donate goods needed by those communities affected by the Typhoon. Please visit this website to view the items to donate and drop your donations at our collection point.   Collected items will be sent to the Philippines next Saturday Nov 23.  For cash donations we have asked different shops in DB ( i.e Berliner, Duvet, McSorley’s, Caramba, Fresh Fruit Juice Paradise and Uncle Russ located in the North Plaza) and at Pier 3 (i.e Uncle Russ and The Beer Bay) to help with our cash boxes. There is also a cash donation box in the college front office.  We will continue to asses the actions of organistions on the ground to determine where our cash donations are sent.  For those of you that have already donated we thank you for your generosity.  As they say “No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted”.

Collection drive for the Philippines

Posted by Peter MUIR

The DC community would be acutely aware of the unfolding disaster in the Philippines following the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan. The storm has caused unprecedented death and damage.

This disaster affects all of us in that there would be few DC families without a Filipino connection (either as parents, students or aunties/helpers), the scale of the tragedy is appalling and immediate, and it has occurred in a country with limited resources to respond effectively.

Our college has had literally dozens of students, parents and staff asking how best they can help with this. As such, our approach is being driven by the students themselves, and is outlined below:

Collection of essential goods
A group of DC students are leading a collection drive for needed goods that will be delivered through the Remar Charity organisation to areas hit by Typhoon Haiyan. Our students will be collaborating with other community initiatives to get essential supplies to those in need. The school invites all members of the DB community to donate to this collection, which will be located and manned at the front entrance of the College from tomorrow morning, Thursday 14 November and running through until the end of next week.

If you are able to donate goods, please read the list below, as it is important that we only collect and send essential supplies at the moment.

Items to make up Kitchen Kits:

  • Durable small cooking pots with well fitting lids
  • Plastic basins / tubs
  • Metal kitchen knives
  • Wooden spoons
  • Plastic plates
  • Metal spoons
  • Plastic mugs
  • Mosquito coils
  • Can openers
  • Candles (10-15 cms long) and matches
  • Canned goods that can be preferably be easily opened opened (sardines/tuna, corned beef, luncheon meat, pork & beans)

Items to make up Hygiene Kits:

  • Toothbrushes
  • Items suitable for a basic first aid kit (plasters, paracetamol, bandages, saline solution, slings, etc)
  • Large tubes of toothpaste
  • Bars of antibacterial soap
  • Face cloths (small face towels)
  • Bottles of shampoo
  • Small towels
  • Disposable razors
  • Laundry detergent (biodegradable, if possible).
  • Feminine sanitary napkins

Raising of money
The student group is also initiating a dress casual day on Friday 22 November to show our solidarity with those affected by the disaster. They have asked that all staff and students dress in the colours of the flag of the Philippines, and make a small cash donation that will then be donated to an approved orgnisation who is directly working in the areas hit by the typhoon.

ShelterBox

Posted by Peter MUIR

There are no natural disasters, only natural hazards – a disaster happens when such hazards affect a community that is ill-prepared to cope with its impacts.  This was a key message delivered to Year 10 students by guest speaker Martin Roeth, from the organization ShelterBox. According to Martin, the most important step in disaster mitigation is to build a community’s capacity to deal with the impacts of a hazard, and to have this preparation done well in advance.

ShelterBox slides DC April 2013

Shelterbox prepares to support communities in response to natural hazards by preparing their ‘big green boxes of humanitarian aid’ ready for rapid delivery to an affected area.  ShelterBox responds instantly to earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, hurricanes, cyclones and conflicts by delivering their boxes to provide emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies to families around the world who have been made homeless by these occurrences.

DC would like to set up a ShelterBox project group, and is inviting year 10 students to join.  Their aim will be to organise a ShelterBox awareness event before the end of this academic year.  For students who are interested in joining click here to sign up.