For any population displaced by conflict or natural disaster, the provision of shelter such as plastic sheeting or tents and non-food items, including blankets and cooking utensils, is essential. These basic items can provide protection from the elements and sustain the lives of those affected by an emergency. In an emergency situation, large numbers of the population are often in need of shelter. Following the huge earthquake in Pakistan on 8 October 2005, for example, 3.5 million people were left homeless and around 600,000 homes were destroyed or damaged [Reuters Alertnet]. 

Shelter professionals are able to carry out the site selection and planning of a transitional settlement such as a refugee camp by taking into consideration local culture, climate variations, appropriate construction methods and available materials. They also assess damaged structures and ensure that programmes support the rebuilding of sustainable permanent housing and infrastructure.

A number of our Members are engineers with experience in the construction of emergency shelter for relief operations. Many have experience in specific technical areas such as earthquake-resistant buildings and structural damage assessments.
 

Shelter training in the UK

RedR's courses run in the UK teach the basic principles of shelter requirements and planning, and the links between appropriate shelter and the survival of people. They are suitable for anyone involved in the management and implementation of humanitarian shelter projects and those interested in developing this area of work.

Last year in the UK we ran workshops in Structural Design and Shelter Essentials. Recently, RedR has also been involved in the UN-led Cluster Approach, providing training for the Shelter Cluster.
 

Shelter training overseas

Shelter-related courses have been an important part of our overseas programmes. Following the Pakistan earthquake in 2005, one of the main focuses of the training programme was Camp Management and Camp Closure – both strongly connected to emergency shelter and site planning.  In total we trained 236 people in Pakistan over the course of 6 months. We also delivered shelter courses in Sri Lanka following the Asian tsunami, in 2005-2006 we ran 10 courses, training 293 people in areas relating to shelter.

 

 

 

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