Shelter

Finding shelter is an essential aspect of human survival. On a harsh desert plain, in tropical heat, in freezing snow or torrential rain, something as simple as a plastic tarpaulin, a canvas tent or blanket can mean the difference between refugees surviving or dying of exposure and disease.

With many refugee populations living in extreme climates, providing emergency shelter is a priority for relief agencies like UNHCR. Families living in the open - under a thorn bush in eastern Chad for example - are highly prone to violence and wild animal attack and more vulnerable to dehydration and insect borne disease.

UNHCR is a world leader in the provision of mass emergency shelter. Appointed the lead agency for shelter relief in many crises and disasters, we have managed to get hundreds of thousands of vulnerable families under cover. Our emergency teams often include site planners, camp management experts and civil engineers.

The shelter needs of refugees can vary. In northern Pakistan's sweltering heat, there was a desperate need for shade structures. During the bitter Georgian winter, displaced families were provided with simple folding beds to keep them off the freezing ground. UNHCR also provides building kits for returning refugees, enabling them to rebuild their lives back home.

Your donation can help us meet the urgent shelter needs of at least one refugee family.