Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06KHARTOUM1646
2006-07-12 12:49:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Khartoum
Cable title:  

Darfur - Shelter and Settlements Assessment

Tags:  EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI SU 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO6596
OO RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1646/01 1931249
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 121249Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3669
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001646 

SIPDIS

AIDAC
SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/SPG, PRM, AND ALSO PASS USAID/W
USAID FOR DCHA SUDAN TEAM, AFR/SP
NAIROBI FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA, USAID/REDSO, AND FAS
USMISSION UN ROME
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH
NAIROBI FOR SFO
NSC FOR JBRAUSE, NSC/AFRICA FOR TSHORTLEY
USUN FOR TMALY
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI SU
SUBJECT: Darfur - Shelter and Settlements Assessment

-------------------
Summary and Comment
-------------------

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001646

SIPDIS

AIDAC
SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/SPG, PRM, AND ALSO PASS USAID/W
USAID FOR DCHA SUDAN TEAM, AFR/SP
NAIROBI FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA, USAID/REDSO, AND FAS
USMISSION UN ROME
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH
NAIROBI FOR SFO
NSC FOR JBRAUSE, NSC/AFRICA FOR TSHORTLEY
USUN FOR TMALY
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI SU
SUBJECT: Darfur - Shelter and Settlements Assessment

--------------
Summary and Comment
--------------


1. The conflict in Darfur has significantly altered the region's
settlement system. A majority of internally displaced persons
(IDPs) has been settled for up to three years; however, small-scale
returns are ongoing and new incidents of displacement continue.
These factors necessitate that the humanitarian community move away
from the principal approach to shelter assistance that has been
implemented to date. From May 6 to 18, 2006, the USAID Office of
U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) Shelter and
Settlements Advisor traveled to North and South Darfur to assess
shelter and settlement conditions and monitor USAID/OFDA-funded
shelter projects. The assessment revealed that a misapplication or
lack of application of basic shelter assessment methods and
beneficiary selection criteria continues to plague the sector.
Recommendations for improving programs include viewing plastic
sheeting as an input to more durable shelter solutions and
complementing this with other inputs, such as improved
fuel-efficient stoves, as part of an upgraded shelter package. End
summary and comment.

--------------
Assessment Activities
--------------


2. USAID/OFDA supports shelter projects implemented by two
non-governmental organization (NGO) partners, CHF International and
Catholic Relief Services (CRS),in the three Darfur States. The
projects total approximately USD 2.8 million and provide shelter
support to an estimated 20,000 beneficiaries living in three
distinct environments: camps, host communities, and rural areas.
Although modest in scope, these projects are, strictly speaking, the
only two specific shelter projects in Darfur. Other NGO partners
provide a form of shelter assistance through the provision of
plastic sheeting and other inputs as part of emergency relief item

packages; however, these activities should not be considered focused
shelter projects because the sheeting is often used for other
purposes, such as fencing, drying mats, and covering food.


3. From May 6 to 18, 2006, the USAID/OFDA Shelter and Settlements
Advisor traveled to North and South Darfur to assess shelter and
settlement conditions and monitor USAID/OFDA-funded shelter
projects. During this period, the Shelter and Settlements Advisor
met with USAID/Sudan and USAID/Darfur Field Office (DFO) staff,
implementing partners and other relief organizations, UN agencies,
and the Sudanese Humanitarian Affairs Commission. The Shelter and
Settlements Advisor and USAID/DFO staff visited several project
sites, including Otash, Dereig, Kalma, and Bilel IDP camps in South
Darfur and Abu Shouk, Al Salaam, and Zam Zam IDP camps in North
Darfur. The Shelter and Settlements Advisor also traveled to
Kabkabiya, a host community approximately 140 kilometers west of El
Fasher to assess shelter and settlements conditions in the city, as
well as accessible villages in outlying rural areas. IDPs in all
locations visited expressed views on shelter conditions, prospects
for returns, and related issues. Due to security concerns, the
Shelter and Settlements Advisor did not assess shelter conditions in
West Darfur, but did meet with CRS in Khartoum to discuss project
activities in and near El Geneina.

--------------
Settlement System Changes and Challenges
--------------


4. The conflict in Darfur has significantly altered the region's
settlement system. Hundreds of rural settlements have been
destroyed, and large numbers of people have moved closer to larger
towns and cities. The three Darfur state capitals have experienced
enormous population growth, with El Fasher increasing by 300 percent
in just three years.


5. Challenges to the provision of shelter assistance in Darfur
include the harsh environment, long supply lines, and
government-imposed obstacles. There is also a limited sense of a
shelter sector in Darfur. No weekly shelter sector coordination
meetings occur, no lead agency on shelter exists, and only two NGOs
are recognized as having significant shelter sector capacity (CRS in
West Darfur and CHF in South and North Darfur).


6. A further complication is that basic assessment methods and
beneficiary selection criteria are often misapplied or not applied;

KHARTOUM 00001646 002 OF 002


for example, needs have not always been recognized and the most
vulnerable have not always been the beneficiaries of assistance.
This practice has been widespread, particularly regarding the use of
plastic sheeting. Shelter is often perceived as the provision of
plastic sheeting, which is subsumed as part of a relief commodity
package. However, because shelter requirements are not part of
commodity needs assessments, no guarantee exists that sheeting will
be used for the intended purpose of constructing some form of
shelter.


7. Given the onset of the rainy season, a major concern is
distribution of plastic sheeting. Based on field assessments,
however, additional mass-volume distributions of sheeting are not
required. Many IDPs are already using one sheet and have one, two,
or even three sheets in storage, implying that the humanitarian
community may have over-resourced plastic sheeting. In addition, an
impressive and dynamic black market for plastic sheeting has
emerged, another sign that sheeting is readily available and that
sheeting is not always being incorporated into shelter projects.

--------------
Shelter Inputs
--------------


8. Because the Darfur settlement system has been greatly altered by
conflict and the majority of IDPs has been settled in camps or host
communities for up to three years, their needs are different from
newly displaced or recently returned populations. Despite this,
commodity distributions continue to feature one-size-fits-all
packages that have become increasingly irrelevant to the needs of
settled IDP populations. To date, plastic sheeting has been
included as an item in a non-food item package, subject to annual
replenishment. Viewing sheeting as an input to a durable shelter
solution, however, would improve existing shelter conditions and
serve as the basis of a shelter package that might permit a more
effective transition to permanent shelter in the event that returns
are possible. Interviews with IDPs revealed that many who had begun
to construct mud-brick houses did so solely to improve miserable
living conditions and not because they intended to stay in their
current locations.


9. IDP camps in Darfur are densely populated and made almost
entirely of highly flammable building materials such as straw. Any
measure intended to enclose open cooking fires, like fuel-efficient
stove use, should be promoted as a fire prevention measure.
Fuel-efficient stoves are also an input that can improve public
health, mitigate environmental impacts associated with fuel wood
collection, generate livelihoods, and provide economic benefits to
consumers. In addition, the introduction of metal fuel-efficient
stove production would involve men as a new beneficiary group and
result in more durable stoves that are capable of being moved in the
event of returns.

--------------
Shelter Package
--------------


10. Designing a durable, low-cost package of shelter assistance is
possible and recommended. This upgraded shelter package could be
applied rapidly to enhance current living conditions considerably
and contribute to the transition back to villages of origin in the
event that returns occur. The package would include local materials
like poles and millet straw to expand and cover living space, an
improved fuel-efficient stove, a treated mosquito net, and plastic
sheeting when necessary to be placed under the straw for a more
durable and effective roof. This package would greatly enhance the
quality of shelter conditions in the extremely harsh environment of
Darfur and should be provided consistent with sound assessment
practices. More appropriate use of plastic sheeting will greatly
improve shelter conditions, as covering the sheeting with straw will
reduce internal air temperatures and ultraviolet degradation,
thereby extending the effective life of the plastic. The package
would also provide an alternative to the pervasive practice of
improving shelter conditions through construction of mud-brick
houses in and out of camp settings, which consume vast quantities of
scarce and costly water resources.

HUME