Emergency shelter is likely to be one of the most important determinants of general living conditions and is often one of the largest items of non-recurring expenditure. While the need for shelter is similar in most emergencies, such considerations as the kind of housing needed. What materials and design are used, who constructs the housing and how long it must last will differ significantly in each situation. The first steps are assesss the adequancy of any emergency shelter arrangements refugees have immediate needs through provision of simple local materials.

This website is for use by agencies operational in the shelter sector in Afghanistan. 

The key objective of the Technical working group (TWG) of shelter and NFIS cluster is to provide technical support to agencies involved in shelter assistance, with the aim to increase the quality of emergency & transitional shelters designs in Afghanistan. It also acts as a platform for discussion and peer review of shelter design models, technical details, including but not limited to engineering designs, training and outreach materials, and shelter delivery models.

Please use this site to: contact agencies operating in the sector; share information about your programmes; and highlight priority areas.

This webpage is structured as follows:

1. TWG Meeting details and minutes
2. Shelter Designs & Standards
3. TWG Strategic Documents
4. Shelter Needs Assessment Tools
5. Presentations given in the TWG
6. Useful links and documents shared in the TWG 

Please note that this group is still under construction.

Please email the Information Manager with any requests for information you do not see here (esc.twg.kabul@gmail.com).

1. TWG Meeting details and minutes

• TWG Meeting - 11 June 2009
• TWG Meeting - 3 August 2009
  

2. Shelter Designs & Standards

•  **New Revised UNHCR 2010 Shelter Design Guidelines**. 
• UNHABITAT shelter for flood victims (August 2009)  -- Option 1 -- Option 2 -- Option 3 -
   
• MoUD various shelter designs
• Annexes
  

  Annex 01  Annex 02 Annex 03 Annex 04 Annex 05 Annex 06 Annex 07 Annex 08 Annex 09 Annex 09.A Annex 09.B Annex 09.C Annex 09.D Annex 09.E Annex 09.F Annex 09.G Annex 10 Annex 11 Annex 17 Annex 18 Annex 18 A Annex 19 Annex 20

  
  

3. TWG Strategic Documents

• ESC/TWG Terms of Reference (February 2010)
• ESC/TWG Topics of Discussion (August 2009)
   

4. Shelter Needs Assessment Tools

• ES & NFI Cluster Rapid Assessment Form
• ESC/TWG Rapid Shelter Assessment (August 2009)
• For further information on rapid assessments related to natural disasters, you can refer to UN-HABITAT C-DAMP Guidelines (Community-based Disaster Awareness and Mitigation Programme) - endorsed by ANDMA (2005)
• ESC/TWG Detailed Shelter Assessment (August 2009)

5. Presentations given in the TWG

From Canvas to Winterized Shelter. A tent and camp upgrading approach for earthquake victims in AJK and Pakhtoon Khuwa,  Pakistan. Designed by UNHCR.  

Power point presentation by Werner Schellenberg.

1. Presentation A
2. Presentation B - 1 of 2
3. Presentation B - 2 of 2
    

6. Useful links and documents shared in the TWG

Members are encouraged to submit documents for upload, please contact the Information Manager (esc.twg.kabul@gmail.com). 

• ESC/TWG Bibliography
• NRC winterization activities within Sozma Qala transit camp and surrounding return villages (December 2009)     
  
• Technical guidelines for winterization strategy. Emergency Shelter Cluster Technical Unit. South Asia Earthquake, Pakistan (2005)
• Worldwide Shelters "Tent-to-home Series 1100 Transitional Shelter". Prototype built at NRC Warehouse (May 2009)
• ROFI LES Tents. Specification sheet of tents designed for tropic and arctic climatic conditions (-32˚C to + 49˚C) (shared by UNHCR June 2009).