ShelterBox, a British charity currently providing thousands of temporary shelters and aid packages in Pakistan, has suffered its second international break-away this year with affiliates in Australia creating their own charity to provide the same service.

Founded in Cornwall in 2000, Shelterbox now has 14 branches around the globe, four of which opened this year with one in the Phillippines and one in South Africa joining just last month. But earlier this year ShelterBox Canada’s executive director Don Ohlgren and the rest of his team split from ShelterBox to set up Disaster Aid Canada. It now provides an almost identical service donating and delivering basic habitation packs to areas of crisis.

However spokesman for ShelterBox, Tommy Tonkins advises that reports stating the Australian branch has followed suit are not accurate, telling Civil Society that it was ShelterBox that withdrew its affiliation and not the other way around.

“Six months ago, ShelterBox withdrew its affiliation with the group who had been running ShelterBox Australia,” he said. “A new team, based in Adelaide, immediately took control of ShelterBox in Australia and have already been instrumental in taking the charity’s work forward.”

He would not comment on the reasons for the split other than to say the decision was taken “at board level”.

Dispute remains in Canada

A dispute remains between ShelterBox Trust and the founder of ShelterBox Canada as to whether the action there constitutes a name change or the formation of a new charity.

While Tonkins advises “we still have an affiliate office in Canada being run by our Canadian ShelterBox Response Team volunteers,” ShelterBox Canada’s founder Dr Alan J. Lomax who instigated the split said: “What ShelterBox Canada has done is simply to change its name to Disaster Aid Canada, and to discontinue the agency arrangement with the ShelterBox Trust, in order to carry out its own program.”

The move has seen criticism heaped on the ShelterBox service as Disaster Aid Canada currently produces aid boxes for £459 rather than ShelterBox’s £490 pack. Both boxes contain temporary accommodation tents, blankets, basic building tools, cooking facilities and educational tools. While Disaster Aid’s tent accommodates seven people and a removable tarp for an additional two people, ShelterBox’s tent accommodates ten people.

“We have spent 10 years developing what we believe to be the best relief tent there is on the market and it is tested rigorously including in 120kmph wind tunnels to ensure it will be able to withstand the weather environments of differing extremes which can leave people so vulnerable after disasters.

“The cost of our box also includes the highly trained and highly experienced ShelterBox Response Team members who distribute the boxes in disaster zones.

“We could, potentially, provide a cheaper product by lowering the quality of our kit but the ethos on which ShelterBox was built is to provide shelter, warmth and dignity and a home for as long as a family need it,” said Tonkins.