Shelter in the Americas

Shelter in the Americas

www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

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Natural disasters affect thousands of people in the region every year. Over 32,000 people in the Americas received shelter solutions from the Red Cross in 2016 Training Ecuadorian Red Cross volunteers on the construction of temporary shelters. June 2016 Vladimir Rodas/ Ecuadorian Red Cross Cover photo: Rebuilding with Red Cross shelter kit and building material in camp Jacobad, Haiti. Jakob Dall / IFRC

Peruvian Red Cross supports the construction of temporary accommodation in rural areas in situations of extreme vulnerability after the 2007 earthquake in Peru. IFRC

Shelter

in the Americas Having a safe place to live and sleep is essential for health and wellbeing, especially during times of crisis, disaster or hardship. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) works with National Societies and partners to ensure that people affected by disasters and crises have access to safe, appropriate and dignified shelter.

80% of the population in the Americas live in urban contexts, with the associated vulnerabilities of urban living. When a disaster or crisis occurs causing population displacement, shelter staff must be prepared to offer solutions that preserve human dignity and promote community resilience.

How we help

By offering shelter solutions to populations affected by disasters and crises, using methodologies tailored to the context, needs and local customs, type of disaster, National Society capacities, scale of the disaster and available resources

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

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What we do in the Americas The main function of the Shelter programme is to provide technical support to Red Cross National Societies to develop and strengthen their capacities in shelter and human settlements for emergency operations, through the provision of specific and tailor-made services.This technical support is directly linked to the shelter capacity of each National Society at the time of a disaster and to the characteristics of the disaster. Support can include coordination, management, and administration of temporary shelters, and design and implementation of emergency shelters, including tools such as the Shelter Kit. During the early recovery phase, Shelter programme staff accompany National Societies in the implementation of the Participatory Approach for Safe Shelter Awareness (PASSA), and the design of temporary or progressive shelters. This ensures that families can live in structures that are dignified and safe until permanent housing solutions are possible. Another key element of the technical support provided to National Societies is the use of cash transfer to address shelter needs.

Training and the transfer of knowledge to National Societies is a pivotal element of all emergency operations.

The shelter cluster has been activated seven times in the region since 2006 Following the 2010 earthquake, the Red Cross built hundreds of transitional shelters in the La Piste camp in Haiti. IFRC

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Shelter in The Americas

Impact data Over the past six years, the Shelter programme has participated in 40 emergency operations in the Americas, providing 562,979 direct beneficiaries with shelter solutions.

Beneficiaries 315.394

The following figures show the number of operations that received shelter support, as well as the number of people that were benefited.

562,979

direct beneficiaries in 40 operations during the last six years in the region

144.255 25.200

2011

12.270

2012

2013

28.675

37.185

2014

2015

Operations

2016

14 10

6 5 3 2

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

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Beneficiary story

“Now I can sleep well knowing that my family will have a decent place to live” A few kilometres away from Pedernales is Coaque, a small community that shows, at a glance, the damage left by the earthquake of April 16, 2016 on the Ecuadorian coast.

The soccer field has become a shelter for around 100 families. About 3,000 people live in Coaque, and they were all affected in the aftermath of the disaster.

The story of Baron Zambrano and his family is heartbreaking, much like that of many other affected people. He is a single father of two children, 9 and 10 years old.

His sister Maria and her family live with him, because they had no other place to go. Baron owns land in the community of Coaque, where he has lived since he was a little boy, and where he had built a house for his family and then later another one for his sister and her family.

The day of the earthquake they lost everything. “We were left on the street with nothing but the clothes on our backs.

The walls collapsed, destroying everything that was inside”, says Baron with sorrow.

During the earthquake, Baron and his young daughter were inside the house. The

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Shelter in The Americas

earth shook with such force that they were not able to get out, and they were trapped under the rubble for several hours. They were rescued, but they have not been able to fully recover emotionally. The children endure the emotional scars of that day, and although Baron and his sister are aware of the fact that they need professional help, their financial situation prevents them from accessing support.

Baron works at a local shrimp packing company, and he’s currently the only member of the family with a stable job; the financial burden of the entire family is on him. His sister Maria takes care of the children. The Zambrano family decided to start anew after this tragedy. They cleared the debris and improvised a new home built with tarps and bamboo canes.

Baron thought that he could not recover from a disaster of this magnitude and could not rebuild his home easily.

However, one day, Red Cross staff approached their lot and gave them the news that their family would receive the benefit of a home. “I had resigned myself

to waiting who knows how many years, to build my house again, but thanks to the Ecuadorian Red Cross today I can sleep peacefully, knowing that in a short time my family will have a decent place to live”, Baron says enthusiastically.

Ecuadorian Red Cross, in cooperation with the Spanish Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, have begun construction of progressive housing for those affected by the earthquake on April 16, an initiative that will, in its initial face benefit 149 families at the onset. Baron Zambrano and his family were the first beneficiaries of the programme. In a few days they will receive their new home.

Baron Zambrano with his daughter Ecuadorian Red Cross

Contact information:

Santiago Luengo R. Regional Disaster Management Coordinator. Shelter focal point. santiago.luengo@ifrc.org Julie Hoare Head, Partnerships and Resource Development julie.hoare@ifrc.org

Š International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. 2017