Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items

As one of the partners to first arrive at displacement sites, IOM’s teams are best positioned to deliver the first line of life-saving assistance to vulnerable mobile populations including the provision of household Emergency Shelters (ES) and Non-Food Items (NFIs) and Improved Emergency Shelters (IES). IOM’s ES/NFIs response covers the Darfur states and South and West Kordofan states. In 2014, IOM Sudan re-established its ES/NFI programming to provide assistance to 7,755 individuals through its Shelter and NFI programmes which have consisted of two approaches: firstly, the distribution of Improved Emergency Shelters and secondly, the distribution of ES/NFI kits.

Improved Emergency Shelter

The improved emergency shelter kits were piloted in South and North Darfur states in 2014 with the aim of supporting the growing number of female-headed households (FHH) which comprise 63% of the new displacement persons (IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix, 2016). The improved emergency shelter is composed of traditional mats locally produced and is fully supported by bamboo sticks and wooden poles, the structure includes a door and a roofing structure (including a plastic sheet that is distributed alongside the shelter to fortify the structure during the rainy season).

The improved emergency shelter has gained considerable popularity among beneficiaries, with Post Distribution Monitoring results continuing to show beneficiary preference for Improved Emergency Shelters. The flexibility of these shelters, continues to allow beneficiaries to move the structure utilizing a minimal amount of labor.

Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items

IOM’s ES/NFI assistance targets the most vulnerable IDP, returnee and vulnerable mobile populations identified based on data collected and needs assessment provided through the Displacement Tracking Matrix. Based on identified and verified needs, coordination with the ES/NFI sector lead is done to mitigate assistance duplication and ensure that ES/NFI distributions are closely implemented with local partners based in each locality. As ES/NFI needs continue to rise due to mobility factors, IOM has found it increasingly important to expand its ES/NFI programming while maintaining prepositioned stocks in key warehouse locations.

Contact information

For more information, please contact AbedElQader GARAIBEH: ES/NFI Project Officer AGARAIBEH@iom.int