Following the initial earthquake on the 26th February, ShelterBox deployed a team to PNG. Our team was on the ground on the 15th March and spend two weeks searching for an implementing partner (a humanitarian organisation that will support us with importation, installation or distribution of our aid); our preferred mode of operating. There are very isolated villages in the disaster area we need to access and in order to do this effectively the local villagers need to have an understanding of us and how we work, and we also need to be familiar with how they operate. In this instance we could not gain this knowledge or secure a local partner to operate in this manner.
The lack of an implementing partner, and the recognised security risk in PNG, meant we were not able to operate as a single agency, and were not prepared to put our volunteer ShelterBox Response Team members at risk. Consequently, we won’t be able to operate in PNG; the team has withdrawn and returned home.
While our team has departed, we are keeping a close eye on the situation and should there be a change in circumstances in PNG we may return.
We are aware that a number of Clubs and individual Rotarians made donations specifically for the PNG disaster. Those funds can still be used to support ShelterBox operations in Syria, Somaliland, Bolivia and the Lake Chad basin. There is always more to be done … and we don’t know when the next disaster will strike. Nonetheless, if any donor wishes to have their PNG donation applied to another specific disaster, or returned to them, ShelterBox will respect those wishes. All they need do is contact ShelterBox on 1300 996 038 to make those wishes known.