Aquabox has had one of its busiest years as a humanitarian charity providing aid to Ukraine, Morocco, Libya, Syria and Turkey.
The charity, managed and run by the Rotary Club of Wirksworth in Derbyshire, provides boxes of essential humanitarian aid together with a special filter to guarantee potable drinking water, to people in crisis-hit areas.
After last February’s massive earthquake which struck southern and central Turkey, along with northern and western Syria, Aquabox responded to the disaster along with other humanitarian charities by providing aid.
They have been helping families on either side of the Syria/Turkey border who are without adequate shelter or safe water supplies, and unable to return to their homes. Of greater consequence has been the harsh Balkan winter weather.
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Teaming up with Water Survival Box, a partner charity which also provides humanitarian aid, Aquabox prepared a large joint consignment of aid which left the depot in early October.
The water filters and Gold boxes packed with pieces of aid equipment, were distributed by volunteers to impacted communities in Syria and Turkey – before the winter weather took hold.
The devastating earthquake which hit southern Morocco in September killed many people, destroying homes, villages and vital infrastructure.
A week later, severe flooding in Libya claimed hundreds of lives, as well as destroying essential infrastructure.
In the immediate aftermath of disasters like this, there is a high risk of deadly water-borne diseases such as cholera – and the need to provide safe drinking water is critical in order to avoid further loss of life.
Since the disasters occurred, Aquabox has been working with partners in the region to set up a secure supply route into the disaster zones.
Early in October, a large consignment of filters was sent to Morocco and Libya, together with a substantial shipment of Aquabox Gold boxes.
Aid from Aquabox was distributed by volunteers across Syria and Turkey after the devastating earthquakes experienced in both countries.
Aquabox’s partner in this response is International Emergency Team UK (IETUK), the FIRE AID-affiliated charity who they worked with when responding to 2022 floods in southern Pakistan.
IETUK has established a team of trusted distribution and delivery partners on the ground in both countries, and they will manage the distribution of our shipments to those most in need.
Following a fantastic fund-raising effort by Rotary District 1940 in Germany, as well as generous support from supporters across the world, Aquabox has been able to send a further consignment of water filters to Ukraine.
The shipment was transported by Aquabox’s logistics partner, John Midgely, to the Rotary Water Sanitation and Hygiene hub in Lviv.
From the hub, half of the shipment will be onward shipped to Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine to provide safe water to communities impacted by the collapse of the dam earlier this year.
The remaining part of the consignment was distributed across the country by the WASH team in Lviv to families and communities with the greatest need – in total meeting the water needs of almost 15,000 people.
You can find out more on the Aquabox website.
