ShelterBox Operations Update

ETHIOPIA – Conflict displacement
 

ShelterBox is delivering emergency shelter to people displaced by conflict in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. Most displaced people are living in schools, staying in host communities, sleeping on dusty floors in abandoned buildings, or sleeping outside. Living conditions are crowded, and people are vulnerable to COVID-19, or at risk of pneumonia and malaria as the rainy season approaches. There is a deepening humanitarian crisis here, which has been driven by the conflict and made worse by severe food shortages and the constant threat of coronavirus. Working with our partner IOM, we’re supporting people who’ve fled their homes within Tigray with emergency shelter, household essentials and hygiene items. In some areas we’re providing families with materials to build individual shelters, but we will also help set up communal shelters for some of the groups currently living in crowded schoolrooms.

As of the beginning of September 2021, 2,850 households have received shelter and household item kits.

 

MOZAMBIQUE – Conflict displacement
 

Since October 2017, an Islamist extremist group has launched attacks on the northern province of Cabo Delgado. Violent incidents involving the group, known as Ahlu Sunna Wal-Jama, include attacks on civilians, government forces, and military installations. The violence has increased in 2021, causing people to flee to neighboring provinces. As of 27th July, over 118,000 people have been displaced from the coastal town of Palma since it came under attack by armed groups on 24th of March. This is in addition to the 700,000 already displaced in the region. Reports suggest that 85% of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) are living within host communities. 52% of the IDPs from Palma are children. ShelterBox has now finalized the project proposal with CARE Mozambique - the project is slotting into an existing CARE project which focuses on Protection and Gender. ShelterBox will be supporting on the shelter element of the project, aiming to respond with 3,000 Shelter and HHI kits. Aid for the project has now left Dubai and will be expected to arrive in Mozambique by the end of September.

 

BURKINA FASO – Conflict displacement
 

Burkina Faso is one of the fastest-growing displacement crises in Africa. Over 1 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to extremist violence. Efforts by both government forces and local militias to fight it have uprooted even more communities. Some of the families forced to flee can stay with relatives or friends, but many more are in crowded camps or buildings such as schools. The insecurity and instability make it difficult for aid workers to reach some of the people in need, and coronavirus is making the situation even worse. For our third project in Burkina Faso, we’ve been working again with our partner Help to support more families with tarpaulins, kitchen sets, sleeping mats, blankets, and other essential items, including soap and buckets. Aid for Project 3 has now arrived in Ouagadougou, with distributions expected to begin in late September.

 

SYRIA - Conflict displacement
 

ShelterBox has been responding to the Syria crisis since 2012. There has been a recent escalation of conflict ac­tivity along the Idlib fronts in the north of Syria, as well as escalations in the South of the country. While we have seen the conflict dynamics in Syria show a trend towards stabilization, these escalations are a worrying re­minder that there remains the potential for the situation to descend into conflict. Ahead of the upcoming win­ter months, work is well underway for the two winterization projects in the Northwest and Northeast. Tem­peratures can drop below freezing during the colder months of the year, as such providing materials to repair damaged shelters, household items like blankets, mattresses and warm clothing are essential and is considered lifesaving due to the extreme conditions.

 

 

Extremist attacks, severe weather conditions and the impact of coronavirus in the Lake Chad Basin have result­ed in a dire humanitarian crisis in the Far North region of Cameroon. The area now hosts almost 114,000 ref­ugees as well as over 321,000 internally displaced people and more than 123,000 returnees (people who were displaced but who have re-turned). The host population is also extremely vulnerable. We have been work­ing with our trusted partner IEDA Relief in the Far North region since 2015, with activities taking place both on camp (Minawao Camp) targeting refugees and off camp, mainly targeting internally displaced people. The overall goal of the response is to improve the living conditions of people displaced due to the Lake Chad Ba­sin Crisis through the provision of emergency shelter and household items. Our most recent project (Pro­ject 9) was a 6-month project that started in March. The project supported families with covid-19 mitiga­tions by including the distribution of soap and face masks. Project 9 distributions are now complete and post distribution monitoring is ongoing. Project 10 work-up is now underway with a focus on logistics, more specifically: loading plans, packing lists, stock orders, freight quotes and confirming shipping schedules.

 

 

After nearly seven years of conflict, Yemen remains the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. 20 million people - over 66 per cent of the country’s 30.5 million population - need humanitarian assistance. We have identified an aid package and reach based on current budget size. This may be up to change with further estimations on logistical costs and/or additional funding resources. We expect to support 1,700 households who are displaced in Yemen’s Marib after a Houthi offensive that began at the start of September.