SHELTER
More than three and a half million Afghan
refugees have returned home with
UNHCR’s assistance since the voluntary
repatriation programme from Iran and
Pakistan was launched in the spring of
2002. In 2005, more than half a million
Afghans returned from these two countries
with UNHCR’s assistance, making it the
largest repatriation operation in the world
for the fourth successive year.
Considering past repatriation trends and
continued
positive
indications
in
Afghanistan’s political stabilization and
economic
reconstruction,
UNHCR
anticipates that another 605,000 Afghan
refugees will return in 2006 from Iran,
Pakistan and other countries.
In co-operation with the Afghan authorities, UN- and partner agencies, UNHCR's
main objective is to facilitate durable
solutions
for
these
returnees
in
Afghanistan. This is achieved by facilitating a safe and voluntary return and by
assisting their reintegration into the
communities.
SHELTER – THE MOST
IMPORTANT NEED
As expressed by returnees themselves,
shelter is their single most important need
for reintegration. Although there is no
accurate figure of the number of houses
and buildings destroyed during the 25
years of conflict, it is estimated that more
than 500,000 homes were either totally or
partially ruined. Immediately after their
return, many returnees have no choice but
to live with their relatives or friends, often
in overcrowded conditions. Others who
cannot enjoy such hospitality must live
under tents or be accommodated in substandard public buildings, which often lack
basic infrastructure.
When Sayeed Mahmood returned
from Pakistan nearly four years ago
he found his house destroyed. For
several months he and his family
lived with a relative before being
selected by the village council, or
shura, as a beneficiary for UNHCR
shelter assistance. ”The assistance
we received to help us build our
house helped a lot. With the
materials we received from UNHCR
my children and I were able to
rebuild our house and now we are
living happily in these two rooms,”
says Sayeed Mahmood.
Recognising this enormous and immediate
need, UNHCR, together with the Afghan
authorities, has embarked on a large-scale
shelter programme which took off in the
spring of 2002. Since then, UNHCR has
been able to provide shelters to more than
140,000 families, benefiting some 25 % of
the three and a half million assisted
returnees.
UNHCR targets provinces of high return.
Although the focus has traditionally been
on rural areas, UNHCR has also
implemented shelter programmes of a
limited scale in urban centres, particularly
in Kabul.
Sun-dried mud bricks for building shelters
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BENEFICIARY SELECTION
Priority is given to vulnerable returnee
families who possess land or are allowed
to use land but who lack the necessary
financial or material resources to
reconstruct their house. These include
families headed by a female, elderly or
disabled person, very large families or
families with very low income and others
who cannot build their home alone. To
ensure a fair process for the selection of
beneficiaries,
UNHCR
follows
a
community based approach, where the
community takes the primary responsibility
for identifying eligible families based on
the agreed selection criteria. For this
purpose,
Beneficiary
Selection
Committees are set up which consist of
the village shura (the council of the village
elders), representatives from the local
government and from UNHCR and its
implementing partner organisations.
Shelter beneficiaries in the Western region
Women are involved in the selection and
implementation process to the maximum
extent possible given the local cultural
context. Women’s participation in the
Beneficiary Selection Committees allows
for a direct dialogue with female
beneficiaries and helps identify eligible
families who might otherwise not come to
the attention of the Committee.
by supervising them to achieve a minimum
standard of quality. In accordance with the
Sphere Standards, the design is based on
a mud house structure with an average of
32 sqm floor area, two rooms, a corridor,
and an external latrine.
The type of shelter varies depending on
the climatic conditions and local cultural
traditions. In most of the regions, a flat roof
type with the roof supported by iron beams
is prominent, whereas a dome-roof type is
frequently adopted in the Western region
of Afghanistan.
With the help of the community, the
returnees make the sun-dried mud bricks
and build their own houses. Partner
agencies provide technical assistance as
well as additional construction materials.
The shelter package also includes a small
cash grant of US$ 50-200 depending on
the type of shelter. It is intended to
compensate for reduced wage earning
opportunities during the construction
period and to offset additional material and
labour expenses. Additional cash support
is also granted on a case-by-case basis
for the most vulnerable returnees requiring
additional labour support for construction.
Many other agencies are also delivering
support for shelters, either on behalf of
UNHCR, or as part of ongoing efforts to
expand operational partnerships. In order
to harmonise the shelter assistance
package and to facilitate the work of its
partners, UNHCR has issued Shelter
Guidelines.
These
are
constantly
improved, based on the accumulated
experience as well as on the Government
of Afghanistan’s guidelines.
SHELTER PACKAGE
The UNHCR shelter assistance is a
community based, self-help programme.
UNHCR does not itself build the homes for
returnees but supports them by providing
a shelter package which includes essential
construction materials such as tools,
roofing beams, doors and windows, and
UNHCR shelter monitoring
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returnees meet the vulnerability selection
criteria.
WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED
During the years 2002-2005, UNHCR has
been able to provide shelter assistance to
more than 140,000 vulnerable returnee
families, mainly in rural areas.
Assisted return to Afghanistan by region
Region
2002
2004
2005
North
407,386
105,251
2003
185,090
101,105
Total
798,832
East
378,610
91,085
69,835
90,265
629,795
Central
864,206
194,070
314,771
157,323
1,530,370
S.East
3,227
11,477
20,826
104,957
140,487
South
92,856
26,439
68,473
26,342
214,110
West
78,573
46,076
101,439
32,976
259,064
Total
1,824,858
474,398
760,434
512,968
3,572,658
In 2004, UNHCR undertook an evaluation
of the performance and impact of its
shelter programme. The report indicates
an impressive 99% annual completion rate
over the three year period and confirms
that UNHCR has surpassed its target by
reaching approximately 25 % of the
assisted returnees. It further highlights the
fact that through this assistance, UNHCR
facilitates reintegration for vulnerable
returnees by providing families with a new
home.
Planned shelter for 2006
Region
North
East
Central
Bamyan
Southeast
South
West
Total
Shelter Allocation 2006
3,610
4,100
3,625
650
3,250
1,040
1,950
18,225
WHAT YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE
UNHCR plans to spend some US$ 11
million on shelter assistance in 2006. The
total cost of building a house including
material and cash assistance varies not
only according to the type of shelter but
also by the region, as some material is
procured locally. The average cost of a
house with a dome shaped roof is US$
440 whereas it lies between US$ 550 and
US$ 640 for a flat roof house. These
amounts include the costs of procurement
already done in 2005 for the 2006
programme.
Completed shelters, 2002-2005
Region
North
East
Central
Bamyan
S. East
South
West
Total
2002
7,797
9,113
12,757
2003
9,529
6,723
16,339
1,500
1,400
7,292
39,859
4,648
4,459
9,587
51,285
2004
5,000
3,900
6,538
800
2,895
2,344
5,000
26,462
2005
6,830
2,393
8,103
800
1,234
1,514
2,196
23,070
Total
29,156
22,129
43,737
1,600
10,277
9,717
24,075
140,691
WHAT IS PLANNED FOR 2006
During 2006, an estimated 605,000
refugees (100,000 families) are expected
to return to their areas of origin. The
government estimates that 60% of these
families will return to rural areas. Against
this number, UNHCR has committed to
support around 18,225 families to build
shelters, benefiting approximately 110,000
individuals. As in previous years, these
shelters will be implemented in provinces
of high or potential return and where
A boy taking care of pigeons inside the compound
of this family’s newly built shelter
WHERE TO FIND
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
A wealth of information on the UNHCR
assisted repatriation operation and on the
current situation in Afghanistan can be
found on the following websites:
http://www.unhcr.org
http://www.aims.org/af
You will also find the Shelter Guidelines
2005 on the UNHCR website.
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