F.3 Case Study: Overcoming land issues in Haiti

In this project implemented following the 2010 earthquake, shelter support was provided irrespective of land tenure status. Shelters were intended to be constructed on land where the beneficiaries lived before the earthquake, promoting the return of displaced people to their places of origin. However, there were multiple challenges as land ownership was difficult to verify and rental agreements with the landowners had been made verbally in most cases. To overcome this, a variety of approaches were used to develop signed agreements on land ownership and rental status. All of the approaches involved local authorities and intensive community mobilization. If families were landless, community networks were encouraged to help them to find land. There were also negotiations with local authorities to find a solution for beneficiaries who had lived in squatter settlements.

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G. Shelter and settlements go hand in hand

G.1 Case Study: Holistic programming in urban communities in Lebanon

In this project in Lebanon, the organization took a holistic participatory approach to supporting refugees and host communities in dense urban areas. At the household level, shelter rehabilitation and upgrades were provided, along with improvements to water and sanitation facilities. Campaigns on hygiene promotion and housing, land and property rights were also conducted. At the community level, the project provided a catalyst for change and community-wide projects were implemented to improve service delivery such as water and solid waste management. The project also helped to identify engagement opportunities for better responses in the future. As an example, the committee in one of the neighborhoods was able to solve a ten-year problem related to solid waste management.

G.2 Case Study: Building community resilience in the Philippines

Following Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in 2013, this program adopted an integrated approach, taking shelter as an entry point for area-based programming. It then expanded to a broader program of community resilience-building. The program supported remote indigenous communities and in addition to shelter assistance, supported 41 community managed projects. These projects included infrastructure, livelihoods, water and sanitation, and disaster risk reduction initiatives. The program was based on a key principle of maximizing communities’ agency, with the communities managing their own funds, planning and implementation of the activities. The program led to a variety of collective infrastructure projects and communal facilities, led by the communities themselves. 

G.3 Case Study: Site planning to reduce fire risk in Somalia

This project aimed to meet the shelter needs of displaced people living in urban temporary settlements in the cities of Galkayo and Bosasso in Somalia. The exceptionally hot and dry climate combined with overcrowding, poor sanitation and social tensions between host and displaced communities meant that large groups of shelters were frequently destroyed by fire. To reduce the risk of fire, fire breaks were introduced by creating more space between shelters. Additionally, sites were cleaned up, the most flammable shelters were removed and replaced by tents designed to be more fire-resistant, safe cooking areas were established, and stoves were distributed. Further support was provided in sanitation, hygiene promotion, and the construction of latrines.

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H. Shelter and settlements assistance must link to other sectors and priorities

H.1 Case Study: Protection awareness and education in the Syrian Arab Republic

Linking relief to recovery, this project supported displaced people and host communities in Aleppo and Idleb. It conducted repairs to the main damaged parts of their houses and distributed shelter repair kits, heaters, winterization kits and kitchen utensils. Throughout this project, physical and psychological protection were seen as priorities, and protection awareness and education were integrated into the other activities. The project created safe havens within communities wherever possible (homes, schools, underground sites). It also increased privacy within households by establishing internal partitions. The organization also delivered a range of sessions to reinforce emotional and psychological protection. The sessions focused on 1) human rights; 2) anti-violence, and prevention of domestic abuse and GBV; 3) energy sources; and 4) hygiene and health promotion, and the importance of maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships.

H.2 Case Study: Supporting local economies through voucher fairs in DRC

Since 2008, there has been a dramatic transformation in the way the humanitarian distribution of household items takes place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Distributions have increasingly used vouchers that can be redeemed at organized “voucher fairs”. Previously they exclusively used in-kind distributions of basic household, personal and hygiene items. The voucher fair approach enables families to select items based on their own priorities, while also supporting local economies. By 2013, over 50 percent of all NFI beneficiaries in DRC were being assisted using the voucher fair approach, and a total of 790,000 families – nearly 4 million people – had bought goods at voucher fairs.

H.3 Case Study: Livelihoods support to returnees in Nigeria

This project helped displaced people return to their areas of origin in northeast Nigeria. Crucially through taking a holistic approach to recovery, it also helped people to re-establish themselves upon their return. The project was linked with several livelihood activities in the same locations. This included the provision of short-term cash-for-work opportunities to rehabilitate community infrastructure (schools, markets, roads, etc.). Vocational training was provided to the same communities on the trades that were most in demand and these were supplemented by a start-up business grant. The project also provided capacity-building and para-veterinary kits to a local group and distributed animal food to livestock owners in the same communities.

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I. Local environmental damage is long-lasting

I.1 Case Study: Reducing the environmental impact of shelter construction in Tanzania

This project provided durable shelter in three camps in western Tanzania for refugees fleeing violence in Burundi. Three designs were constructed with the refugee communities. They were tested against four criteria, including environmental impact (consideration of materials used from natural resources, distance to transport, impact on host community, water, forest and other environmental resources). The communities chose the adobe brick shelter design, which was deemed the least environmentally damaging and most culturally acceptable. The project then engaged the refugee communities in adobe brick production. For environmental reasons, there was a strong focus to ensure the restoration of the soil extraction areas in each community. A parallel project planted banana trees in the pits as part of a restoration phase. The shelter design was approved and promoted by the government as it met the required minimal environmental impact standards while also providing a durable solution.

I.2 Case Study: Fuel-efficient stoves in South Sudan

In a Protection of Civilians site for internally displaced people, this project supported the construction of fuel-efficient stoves using a design developed by the community. Stove designs were tested on insulation, firewood consumption, smoke reduction, local production and material availability. The use of fuel-efficient stoves reduced firewood consumption. This lessened the strain on the surrounding environment and the frequency of long trips to get firewood, which regularly put women and girls at risk of attack. The use of fuel-efficient stoves also improved users’ health by reducing smoke pollution. 

I.3 Case Study: Salvaging materials to reduce environmental impact in Sri Lanka

This project supported people affected by floods and landslides with lifesaving shelter assistance. The project worked with a network of community-based organizations and affected families. They were engaged to conduct shelter repairs, build transitional shelters for those unable to return, distribute household items and upgrade evacuation facilities. Salvaged materials were used to reduce costs by decreasing the procurement of new materials, and to limit the environmental impact of the disaster by recycling debris. Affected households recovered roof tiles and timbers, and doors and windows damaged by the disaster, stored them on site and reused them both for repairs and new construction. The debris available on site (such as bricks and concrete rubble) was sorted, cleaned and reused as aggregates for foundations and as floor concreting.

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J. Locally appropriate technical solutions work best

J.1 Case Study: Bamboo transitional shelters in Indonesia

In response to the Jogyakarta earthquake, this project aimed to empower community members to rebuild their lives, starting with the construction of a transitional shelter. A locally appropriate shelter design was developed based on traditional building materials and construction techniques. It was designed after considering the local availability of materials, community needs and the capacity of the humanitarian organization. Cash was distributed to support affected families to build their shelters, and construction was supported by hundreds of volunteers. Extensive instructional and promotional materials were made, including short training manuals, video compact discs, posters and radio advertisements. The project was able to build on the Javanese self-help culture of ‘gotong royong’ (shared burdens) and successfully used materials that kept funds in the local economy. 

J.2 Case Study: Seismic retrofitting in Tajikistan

This project helped to rebuild communities affected by earthquakes in the Kumsangir district. It also aimed to help prepare remote rural communities against further earthquakes and mudslides. The project used alternative and affordable construction technologies and provided loans to help families to rebuild or retrofit their homes. A mesh of mulberry branches was used to retrofit existing rural homes to make them more seismically resistant. This was a new technology to the area. It aimed to stop buildings collapsing and lessened the risk that smaller tremors would damage houses. The low technology reinforcement and construction technology was simple and was 30 percent cheaper than the standard reinforcement techniques.

J.3 Case Study: Tukul construction in Ethiopia

This project supported the construction of transitional shelters in a camp for South Sudanese refugees in the Gambella region of Ethiopia. The shelters were constructed with traditional techniques, locally available materials and a high level of involvement of the beneficiaries. The chosen design consisted of a mud tukul (traditional house) with a eucalyptus wooden structure finished with bamboo or grass-thatch matting for the mud render. The shape, as well as the thick mud layer, protected the structure from the weather conditions and helped keep the inside of the shelter cool.

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K. Good projects reduce the impacts of future shocks

K.1 Case Study: Adaptation to recurring floods in Colombia

This project in Colombia supported a community who were facing increasingly long periods of seasonal flooding. Until recent years seasonal floods lasted about one month, isolating households and interrupting schools and livelihoods. The 2010 floods lasted six months. This project aimed to increase resilience without resorting to resettlement and was implemented with a focus on participation. Over the course of one year, the community created a village which serves as a model for other places. Homes were reconstructed to a new design, elevated 2.5m above the ground, and connected by elevated walkways. A school, an elevated collective garden, a community center and an elevated children’s playground were also built. Disaster preparedness activities, first aid, hygiene promotion and safe construction trainings were also provided. The project is now an example, both at regional and national level, of what can be done to support riverside communities to mitigate the effects of recurrent floods.