Tough conditions as ShelterBox tents go up in Ethiopia

A ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) is battling against the elements to provide shelter for vulnerable families in refugee camps in Ethiopia. 

SRT members, Adrian Sumner (UK) and Rebecca Ridgway (UK), are facing desert conditions and sand storms to pitch tents and distribute emergency equipment in Bokolmayo Refugee Camp. They have put up 76 tents so far and are working in partnership with Save the Children to identify the families most in need. 

‘Initially we are concentrating on children with disabilities and parentless children who are being fostered by refugee families,’ said Adrian. ‘It is wonderful to have overcome the obstacles of working in such difficult conditions and to be moving families into their new homes.’ 

14-year-old Ugas Abdi Yola crossed the border from Somalia into Ethiopia on his own after his father died. He is now being fostered by a refugee family at the camp and they have all been housed in a ShelterBox tent. 

Aodo Rno Absher is a 17-year-old orphan who lives with her sister and two brothers. They were forced to flee from Somalia due to the famine and drought. Aodo suffers from polio, which makes living in the harsh conditions of the camp even more difficult. 

ShelterBox have set up a tent for the family, which will provide them with security and protection from the elements. ShelterBox teams will continue to distribute the rest of the 1,600 ShelterBoxes, which have been sent to Ethiopia for families in need of somewhere safe and sheltered to live.