Transitional Shelter as a binary shelter typology: What tell to donors to break the ethinotype mis-norma?

MALIRO's picture
Submitted by MALIRO on 27 December 2011 - 12:12pm

The major humanitarian issue in Somalia is the huge number of displaced people who live in a protracted emergency situation as long-term IDPs (internally displaced persons) in emergency makeshift shelters at the fridges of urban centers for almost two decades since the 90ties. They are clustered in small- to medium and large size IDP settlements, melted into the urban fabric and mixed with the urban poor. The living conditions are harsh with extremely limited access to all basic services, like water and sanitation. There is no personal or property protection (forced evictions), no affordable housing alternatives and only very limited work opportunities. Most long-term IDPs are socially and economically tied to their location, and generally have no property elsewhere – This makes an eventual return to their home areas highly unlikely. This situation continues to keep the young generations without prospects for any improvement of their living conditions, and viciously so in a loop of dependency on aid and a situation of constant vulnerability. The major issue for humanitarian assistance in Somalia is therefore be hypothesized as a chronic absence of long-term solutions to the continuous emergency situation, to the lack of livelihood opportunities, lack of proper shelter and security of land tenure, to forced evictions led by private landowners and local governments. The current famine catastrophe has once more shown the need for a multi-sector approach in humanitarian assistance to bridge the gap from live-saving assistance into resilience building and early recovery programming that can lead to a sustainable improvement of livelihoods and living situation. Why therefore, are post disaster recovery agencies trapped in a pendulum swash of institutional ethnography; unable to attach meaning to the truest meaning of 'Transitional shelter'? why are fortunes spend each year for the last twenty years to procure NFI's that bake in the tropical heat in not time? why stop at a 'quick fix CGI typology that rusts and corrodes away in the salts of Somalia? what would be ideal as proper transitional Shelter?

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daniel.smith's picture
Submitted by daniel.smith on 19 January 2012 - 3:32pm.

A big question

This is a very big question sir and one that, to be honest is difficult to answer. I believe it is replicated in many fragile states.

First of all I should stress that I haven't worked in Somalia so I can only go by theory. But it appears the biggest problem is political instability. The term 'Transitional Shelter' would infer that there is a stable state to transition to. But at the moment, I believe that the stability is not there.

But this doesn't help anybody very much. The question, I suppose, is how long will people be living in these structures and what do they need immediately to enable sustained development at a personal level. You're right, providing inappropriate products is not the answer so focusing on processes would be more effective. What is the process that is needed to enable people to sustain their own livelihood and (basically) improve where they live?

There are a number of things that could be considered here like land tenure, appropriate building methods, incorporating traditional construction techniques, participatory programme management methods, contracts, etc, etc. But I believe much of this cannot be easily achieved without the consent of the Government. But without a stable Government this would be difficult.

Perhaps the answer is in co-operative settlement projects where people manage their areas as a community. Thus increasing the security of each individual somewhat. But again, I doubt the Government would appreciate anything that indicates permanency and the agencies must work within the confines of the state.

I'd be really interested if there is anybody that is or has been working on this in Somalia that could verify or vilify my theory.

Thanks

Dan

luca.tiralongo's picture
Submitted by luca.tiralongo on 19 January 2012 - 5:59pm.

Broad argument that needs more and more persons

Dear Maliro, dear Daniel,

First of all thank you very much for your comments and posts, Shelter Centre is glad to have such involved humanitarian workers  among the members of its community. 

As Daniel stated, this is a broad argument that actually needs to be analysed under different points of view and perspectives: the reasons of Somalia's (and others sub-saharian and western african countries) intability are either political, social, economic and, nonetheless, natural or post-conflict catastrophes-related.

I would like you to have a look at a few resources Shelter Centre possesses among its online library, they examine different humanitarian crisis that struck Somalia in the last years, I am sure you can find some of the answers you both are looking for:

I hope that will be useful and wait for your comments on it.

Thank you

Luca