Shelter and settlement planning in emergencies by RedR India

‘Settlement Planning & Shelter in emergencies’ is a four-day residential course run by RedR India that helps you understand strategies and practices that are intrinsic to the shelter sector and humanitarian sector in general. The course is one of RedR’s Trainings, which aims to improve the effectiveness of specialist and non specialist in emergency response.

Course Outline:

The overall objective of the course is to introduce non-specialist and specialist participants to Settlement Planning and Shelter impacts and options by developing practical skills in the development of appropriate strategies for settling and sheltering populations affected by conflict and natural disasters. Emergency programmes, ranging from host family support and refugee camps to reconstruction and disaster preparedness; and projects, ranging from support of local health infrastructure to the distribution of shelter will form the back drop of this course.

By the end of the course, participants will:

- Understand the range of possible impacts of settlement and shelter upon local, national and regional security, protection, community relations, public health, natural resource management, and other sectors of response such as water supply.
- Understand the range of transitional settlement options available for support, including host families, self-settlement, collective centres, camps, and reconstruction following conflict and natural disasters, and how these options can be combined into a strategic response for an affected population and their hosts.
- Understand the mechanisms and phases of coordination and response, assuming that non-specialist representatives and country managers often make the most significant decisions for transitional settlement and shelter, and assuming that assessment and participation are key to programme success.
- Understand the relevant standards (Country specific, Sphere and UNHCR) and best practice in the use of these standards. Gain an overview of how to develop and manage programmes in areas of natural and man-made risk, such as earthquakes and floods, and in hot and cold climatic conditions.
- Gain an overview of basic field survey and appropriate construction techniques, including an understanding of health and safety, direct and contracted labour, project and site management, and the current range of materials.
- Gain an overview of safe shelter and appropriate construction technologies in context of disaster response and preparedness.
- Feel confident in contributing to a transitional settlement or shelter programme, whether in the role of coordinator, manager, settlement and shelter specialist.