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German Red Cross National Headquarters International Cooperation

GRC - International Cooperation

50 Years of Construction Projects in InternationalCooperation

ImprintIn the interest of editorial simplification and better readability this publication uses only the masculine form when referring to persons; however, women are explicitly considered included in the reference.

The represented project costs are historic values; they are not inflation-adjusted.

Published by Deutsches Rotes Kreuz e.V. GRC National Headquarters, Berlin Carstennstraße 58, 12205 Berlin, Germany Telephone: +49 30 85404 0, Telefax: +49 30 85404 450 www.DRK.de

Implementation Deutsches Rotes Kreuz e.V. GRC National Headquarters, Berlin International Services and National Relief Division Department of International Cooperation

Lead author and concept Wolfgang Friedrich

Leadcontributors Bettina Morgenstern Ferdinand Hammer Jörg Mühlbach

Editing Dr. Erin Crocetti

Layout, Typesetting, Translation DRK-Service GmbH

Photos and Diagrams German Red Cross

Photos Title Page Top left: Water & Sanitation project in Hatiya/Bangladesh (photo GRC 2011) Centre left: Training of construction teams in Léogâne/Haiti (photo GRC 2011) Right: House construction with clay bricks in Rwanda (photo GRC 2011) Bottom: Houses in Sindh/Pakistan after reconstruction (photo GRC 2013)

© 2015 German Red Cross, Berlin

GRC - International Cooperation50 Years of Construction Projects in International Cooperation

Content

Content

Preface ....................................................................................................................................................5

1 Construction Projects in International Cooperation ........................................................................7

2 Ten Selected Projects .......................................................................................................................15

2.1 Mexico after the 1985 Earthquake ................................................................................................15

2.2 Armenia after the 1989 Earthquake ..............................................................................................17

2.3 Construction of Traditional Water Cisterns in Somaliland ...............................................................20

2.4 Reconstruction after the Tsunami of 2004.....................................................................................23

2.5 Support of the Palestinian Sister Society ......................................................................................26

2.6 Resettlement of Families in Rwanda .............................................................................................29

2.7 Sri Lanka after the Civil War ..........................................................................................................32

2.8 Haiti – Disaster Response after the 2010 Earthquake ...................................................................36

2.9 Flood Relief in Peru in 2012 ..........................................................................................................40

2.10 Philippines: Relief and Recovery after Typhoon Haiyan 2013.......................................................43

3 Outlook ...............................................................................................................................................47

Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................................50


5

Preface

Preface

When 200,000 people were rendered homeless by the severe earthquake that struck Skopje, Macedonia (then part of the SFR of Yugoslavia) on the 26th of July, 1963, the German Red Cross (GRC) responded to the disaster together with a sister society, the Yugoslav Red Cross. The organisations implemented an aid project that sup-plied affected people with food from GRC field kitchens and, for the first time, provided and erected shelters for 40 affected families. These temporary shelters consisted of pre-fabricated construction elements that were supplied by trucks and set up by construction teams of the GRC branch of Westfalen-Lippe and the Baden Red Cross.

Over the past fifty years, many GRC projects in interna-tional cooperation have continued to include construc-tion components. These fundamental components complement aid projects as they not only meet imme-diate needs, but also contribute to increasing resilience and reducing the vulnerability of targeted populations.

For people exposed to disasters and conflicts, a safe, adequate, and culturally appropriate home is the basis of a self-determined and plannable future. Sustainably planned and robust shelters mitigate the effects of haz-ards and disasters. They support possibilities for devel-opment in many ways, by allowing for the practicing of positive health and hygiene activities, promoting sus-tainable livelihoods and the generation and savings of income, facilitating access to education and promoting a functional and durable community. Likewise, effective disaster preparedness and health care actions also re-quire an adequate community infrastructure in order to work efficiently.

In the past years, the GRC has developed a compre-hensive level of expertise in the field of construction, and though in public perception this field is not di-rectly connected with the German Red Cross, it still comprises a substantial part of the GRC’s interna-tional cooperation. For instance, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent So-cieties (IFRC) has calculated that in the past years

approximately 30 % of their aid funds spent were used in the area of construction.

It has to be noted that humanitarian sector construction works operate in principle, like the profit orientated con-struction business, along the rules of market economies and cost effectiveness, and base initiatives on generally accepted codes of practice. Humanitarian construction practices are not, however, driven by profit, but have the needs of people at their core. They also answer to in-ternational humanitarian standards designed to meet the needs of people in crisis and emergency situations. Apart from health and disaster management experts, the GRC today also employs many construction experts who, to-gether with volunteers and members of our partner and sister societies, have implemented the projects that are presented in this brochure.

Construction in international cooperation presents high demands for project management in terms of interac-tions between considerations of architecture, logistics, construction technology, disaster preparedness and sociology. Since 1963, it has become more and more understood that the main emphasis of construction aid projects never focuses on a mere technical issue. Rath-er, it is important to focus on people, to understand their living conditions and social context, their specific needs and requirements, their livelihoods and resources, and then together develop concepts that help people to cope with challenges independently. The GRC develops solutions together with the people concerned and with its sister national societies as equal collaborators, using a cooperative and non-hierarchical approach.

This brochure is intended to provide insight into the di-versity of the demands and considerations of construc-tion initiatives in the scope of international cooperation, and to inform about the working methods of the GRC in this regard. In addition, it demonstrates the current status of operating technologies relating to humanitari-an aid construction projects and provides an outlook of future challenges relating to this important field.

Reconstruction after the 2004 Tsunami in Akkaraipattu, Sri Lanka Photo: Ivis Garcia Rojas 2006


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1 Construction Projects in International Cooperation


Tasks arising from international cooperation include the organisation of efficient disaster response, rehabilita-tion and reconstruction efforts up to development co-operation actions. In the scope of the GRC mandate to provide aid to victims of conflicts and disasters and

other persons in need, the organisation works with af-fected individuals and counterparts in order to allevi-ate imminent emergencies and to strengthen resilience with regard to conflicts and disasters.

Resilience describes the ability of individuals, communities, organisations or countries, that are exposed to disasters and crises and underlying vulnerabilities to anticipate, reduce the impact of, cope with, and recover from the effects of adversity without compromising their long term prospects (GRC 2014 after IFRC 2012, page 7).

Vulnerability describes the characteristics and circumstances of a community, system or asset that make it susceptible to the damaging effects of a hazard. (UNISDR 2007)

Resilience and Vulnerability

The beginning of every Red Cross deployment is always marked by an assessment of the situ-ation; this helps implementing organisations to understand the people with and for whom the GRC works, and their specific needs, vulner-abilities and level of resilience. This is the only way to provide optimal help that is effective to local contexts. Joint analyses conducted to-gether with those concerned and with sister national societies then make it possible for the GRC to prioritise actions and to develop practi-cal strategies.

The GRC’s core competencies are in disaster management and in developmental coopera-tion. In turn, these task fields indirectly relate to topics such as facilitating access to safe drink-ing water, functioning sanitary systems and ba-sic health care, and sustainably improving liveli-hoods and providing support for people to plan and cope with the expected effects of climate change. Actions taken as part of these topics also include construction projects that are un-dertaken in international cooperation.

Figure 1: Construction is a cross cutting issue that is relevant to many sectors.Own representation, GRC 2013

GRC’s complex operating field for construction

Disaster Risk Reduction

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)

Improvements of livelihood

Health

Reconstruction Shelter DisasterResponse


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Disaster Risk Reduction and Disaster Management

Public authorities of a country are responsible for establishing effective disaster preparedness strat-egies which must be developed on the basis of a well-founded risk assessment. After a disaster, the au-thorities of the country concerned are responsible for coordinating disaster response. The local Red Cross respectively Red Crescent acts as an auxiliary to the

Government and supports the planning and coordina-tion of the disaster management. Ideally, the impact of a disaster is mitigated by a sound disaster prepared-ness strategy. If the consequences of a disaster can-not be managed with local structures, a mechanism kicks in that starts with a request for aid by the coun-try concerned to the international community.

The first to respond and provide aid after a disaster are local people, often within their own communities. Thanks to over 97 million Red Cross supporters, staff and volunteers in 189 national Red Cross and Red Crescent (RC/RC) societies worldwide, disaster re-sponse can, the majority of the time, begin safely and immediately after a disaster at a local level. In case of

disasters on a major scale, national societies can re-quest additional support by directing a request for help to the IFRC. The IFRC coordinates the kind of aid to be provided by a national society, such as the German Red Cross. In regions struck with war or conflicts the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will be in charge of coordinating RC/RC aid operations.

The GRC’s disaster management spiral

Figure 2: Own representation, GRC 2012


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Disaster Response and Reconstruction

For the GRC, a risk and impact assessment including considerations of the local context and resources, what is needed in the response and who has been (directly and indirectly) affected by the disaster, form the basis of a strategic response. Areas of responsibility for the response must be defined and activities and expertise must be coordinated with all involved actors. In addition, resources, including funds, personnel, and time must be identified and included into planning processes.

Questions involved organisations need to address around reconstruction include: Who will implement re-construction projects? Will a workforce be recruited from the affected population or are outside contractors to be commissioned? These questions can only be answered when the abilities and capacities of the local population and their priorities are understood. Who will be in charge of project management on behalf of GRC as the imple-menting organisation? The extent to which international experts are to be deployed can only be decided when the availability of local expertise has been determined.

It is also necessary to determine the state of local re-sources relating to construction, therefore questions are raised including: Is the local market for construction ma-terials able to meet the demand of reconstruction pro-jects? Are local markets and resources affected by the

disaster and is it possible to forecast their recovery? This will determine to what degree it is necessary to plan for material imports.

Reconstruction and rehabilitation programs can influ-ence local markets, price developments and salaries, and they may leave overcapacities when they are completed. These unwanted side effects must be re-duced where they cannot be entirely avoided. Seasonal weather fluctuations, harvest cycles, general questions of safety, traditions and religious festivals also influence planning and must be taken into account. In this re-gard, the GRC is in the fortunate position to rely on the expertise of local sister societies with local level knowl-edge so that realistic plans can be developed and joint-ly drawn up.

It is important that reconstruction is understood by bothaffected communities and implementing agencies as aprocess and not as the generation of a product*. Such a process offers opportunities and challenges to all stake-holders and should be harnessed as an opportunity to reduce risk and strengthen resilience levels. Reconstruc-tion efforts must be constantly monitored and adjusted as required to be effective, and this needs to be consid-ered when activities are being budgeted for as well as when they are being implemented.

Cooperative and Fair Project Development

In project development, GRC experts and local pro-ject teams must cooperate closely to find optimal and sustainable solutions and manage the short-term build-up of capacities in intercultural teams. In this regard, the mode of operation for development has changed considerably over the past decades. The post-colonial mindset that was still common in the 1960s and 1970s characterised the relation between aid workers from the ‘North’ and recipients of aid in the ‘South’. Efforts did not often effectively draw upon and use local level knowledge, or involve beneficiaries in decisions relating

to project development. Moving beyond this trend, for decades, the GRC has been committed to aiming to-wards cooperative and fair project development and col-laborations.The GRC works for the people affected by disasters and conflicts and strives to command respect for human dignity; the organisation supports mutual un-derstanding, friendship and cooperation. The GRC has learned that the focus of decisions must be practicability and cultural acceptance of the solutions provided. This has been achieved by the GRC’s placing of humans at the centre of organisational considerations.

*IFRC (2015) ‘How we do shelter’. URL: http://www.ifrc.org/en/ (Version 21.02.2015)


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The GRC and the local RC/RC society provide sup-port in areas of management, technology, or lobbying if necessary. The transfer of knowledge plays an impor-tant role in the process. It is provided on several levels

and is mutual between the GRC and beneficiaries, with local level knowledge deemed as just as significant as external guidance.

Owner-Driven Reconstruction (ODRC) refers to “owner-controlled reconstruction”. Its objective is to help those af-fected to realise and control reconstruction of their homes in their own responsibility. This is for example done by means of financial support of persons concerned in defined partial payments. The first instalment is usually paid before the beginning of construction; the subsequent instalments are made as the construction progresses. Financial aid is ac-companied by individual technical consulting and construction supervision by the GRC and advice concerning material prices, safety and building standards. Depending on the project strategy, individual construction materials may be direct-ly purchased by the GRC and distributed among the beneficiaries. This is usually done in order to counter unfavourable developments of market prices.

Community-Driven Reconstruction (CDRC) has the objective to help the communities concerned in jointly realising and controlling the reconstruction. In this case, the GRC might provide material and pay local construction teams. Tech-nical project management and construction management is provided by a GRC project team. Together with community representatives the process steps are jointly planned and implemented.

Agency-Driven Reconstruction (ADRC) describes a method where the GRC commissions building activities that are coordinated with those affected but carried out by a contractor. Technical project management and construction management is carried out by external consultants or a GRC project team.

Framework for Reconstruction

Building site meeting in Thatta, Pakistan: Construction here is not an end in itself. The process is most of all intended to help people to bring about the changes they want in a self-de-termined, responsible and well informed wayPhoto: GRC 2012


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Scope of Construction Projects

In the past 50 years, the GRC carried out more than 330 construction projects in 60 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and in the Middle East, including at least:9 Blood banks105 Buildings for GRC’s sister societies74 Community centres404 Health centres (e.g. hospitals, medical centres, dispensary centres)22,809 Private homes19,912 Emergency and transitional shelters125 Local centres (market halls, playgrounds etc.)122 Schools307 Hydraulic engineering projects (e.g. water supply systems, sanitation projects)92 Residential homes (for students, orphans, senior citizens, disabled persons)

Hospital in Sainthamaruthu, Sri LankaPhoto: GRC 2013

Training and office building for the Moroccan Red Crescent in Azilal Photo: GRC 2013

School in Banda Aceh, IndonesiaPhoto: GRC 2013

Shelter in BurundiPhoto: GRC 2013

Residential home for low-income people in Mexico City Photo: GRC 1988

Blood bank in Delhi, India Photo: GRC 2011

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In 1981 in Italy the GRC built 320 pre-fabricated homes for the victims of the Irpinia earthquake as well as 8 community centres, 6 schools, 86 flats for senior citizens and an emergency clinic.

On 4th February 1976 an earthquake of 7.5 magnitude in Guatemala claimed 2,778 lives. The GRC contributed to the reconstruction by building 800 houses with sewage systems in San Juan, Sacatepéquez

Yugoslavia 1963. A severe earthquake happened at 5:17 am on 26th July in Skopje. The GRC contributed to the disaster response as noted in the GRC Yearbook: “The material for the first field houses of the GRC have arrived. GRC helpers immediately begin with construction of shelters for the homeless evacuees.“From: GRC year book 1963

Vietnam 1974. In Haiphong, northern Vietnam, local construction teams, instructed by GRC specialists erected 800 emergency shelters funded by the GRC.

India 1977. After a cyclone in Andrah Pradesh the GRC provided construction support to 2,000 families in Dahmar.

By 1987, 4 health centres and 4 dispensaries were set up in Niger in the Tahoua and Dosso regions.

Italy 1969. After an earthquake in Sicily, local construction teams and GRC volunteers erected 80 houses with construction kits from Germany.

Nicaragua 1973. After a severe earthquake the GRC set up 442 emergency shelters near Managua.

Turkey 1966. Earthquake in Varto, eastern Anatolia. In the scope of reconstruction, the GRC built 30 com-munity centres in pre-fab construction.

After a severe earthquake of 7.8 magnitude in 1971 in Peru the GRC built 522 so-called igloo shelters in Huaraz (cf. picture page 47).

Italy 1966. After flooding in Gosaldo in the province of Belluno, the GRC built 24 houses for flood victims.

Turkey 1970. The picture shows GRC shelters after the earthquake in Gediz on 28th March. A German corporation had developed a process to spray polyurethane foam onto a rotating igloo form. In the early 1970s, this was a common solution in international cooperation. Also, 16 health centres, 2 schools and 2 buildings for the sister society were erected in conventional construction.

Earthquake on 19th September 1985 in Mexico (cf. page 15)

After the earthquake in the Imbabura region1987 in Ecuador a total of 100 houses were reconstructed.

El Salvador, new construction of the emergency hospital in San Salvador after an earthquake of 7.5 magnitude on 10th October 1986. The GRC also built a school, an office building for the local Red Cross and houses.

Iran 1969. After an earthquake in the region of Chorasan the GRC and the Iranian Red Crescent made the provision of 3.5 square metres per person a planning guideline in disaster response. This was to become the standard for international emergency relief. The GRC built 40 shelters.

Number of projects with construction component per year: 1-4 5-11 12-24 25 +

1963 1965 1970 1975 1980

By 1985, 22 health stations were erected in Uganda.

Hunger crisis 1980 and 82 in the Horn of Africa. In the scope of disaster relief, the GRC set up 8 warehouses for the Red Crescent Djibouti.

1985

By 1983, a total of 10 health centres and the blood bank in Lome were set up in Togo. This was the beginning of a cooperation that has continued until today.

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In Pakistan the GRC participated in the reconstruction efforts after the floods in 2010 and 2011; the contribution included the construction of 825 houses in Sindh. The GRC has been active in Pakistan since 1983, realising 18 construction projects in that time.

After the severe earthquake in Gujarat, India in 2001, the GRC set up 4 health centres and 15 kindergartens and an orthopaedic workshop, and built 1,200 private homes.

Cyclone protection bunker in Cox‘s Bazar, Bangladesh, built in 1991. The GRC has been active in the country since 1971; its construction projects included shelters, mother and child health centres, schools and logistics buildings for the local Red Crescent.

Cuba 1998. After Hurricane George, the GRC supported 4,065 families in reconstruction.

Flooding 2001 in Mozambique. In the scope of DP, the GRC built 5 office buildings with warehouse for the local Red Cross.

2004 After the earthquake in Bam, Iran, the GRC built a school, two warehouses and an office building for the Iranian Red Crescent.

Civil war in Sri Lanka ends in 2009. The GRC provided aid (cf. page 33).

After the earthquake in Haiti on 12th January 2010, GRC earthquake aid set in (cf. page 36).

Earthquake in Maule, Chile on 27th February 2010. 1,616 emergency shelters were built in the scope of the GRC project.

“Homeless due to destruction: Civilians of former Yugoslavia victims of armed conflicts” - from the GRC yearbook 92/93.Emergency shelters and more than 2,400 houses were built in the region around Pec´, Kosovo in addition to 2 hospitals and 3 schools.

Tsunami in the Indian Ocean on 26th December 2004. The GRC built and repaired hospitals and private homes, schools and buildings for sister societies in Indonesia (cf. page 23), Sri Lanka, Tanzania and in the Maldives.

Sudan: In 2013 the GRC built the health station in Gedaref, Qala en Nahal. Since 1989, building projects in Sudan have included 12 schools, 8 kindergartens and 9 health stations as well as a warehouse for the South Sudanese Red Crescent.

The GRC has been active in the Philippines since 2008. More than 16,000 families will have been supported in the construction and repair of houses by 2016 (cf. page 43). Ad-ditionally various infrastructure projects have been implemented. The picture shows an evacuation centre in the community of Narra on the island of Palawan.

After the eruption of the Armero 1985 volcano and the earthquake in 1999, several recovery projects were realised in Columbia. These included houses, kindergartens, schools, health centres and office buildings for the Columbian Red Cross.

1990 1995 2000 2010

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After the floods of 1993 and 1996 in Honduras, the GRC supported the reconstruction of 1,600 houses in the CDRC framework.

Earthquake in Yogyakarta, Indonesia 2005. In the scope of the GRC project, 6,680 shelters were built or repaired.

2005 20142013

Iraq 1992. After the gulf war, the GRC built two health stations in the provinces of Arbil and Sulmaymaniyah.

In 1991, two office buildings and a warehouse as well as a training centre for the Moroccan Red Crescent were completed in Morocco.

Earthquake in Armenia (cf. page 17).


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The geographical priorities of the GRC’s building pro-jects have changed, as have the associated tasks. While in the 1960s the main focus was on Europe, the main projects in the 1970s were located in earthquake regions in Italy and Turkey. In the 1980s, the focus of GRC deployments was on Mexico, Columbia, Peru and Armenia until the 1990s, when the GRC’s main building tasks were located in Yugoslavia and Central America, followed by projects after earthquakes in Bam (Iran) and Gujarat (India). Over the past few years, the

countries bordering the Indian Ocean affected by the 2004 tsunami became a priority, as well as Haiti, Paki-stan and the Philippines. The next section of this docu-ment presents ten examples of GRC building projects; each of them contributed uniquely to the development of an implementation methodology for GRC construc-tion initiatives. They are intended to represent the or-ganisation’s philosophy in their respective timeframes, having deeply influenced the strategy of the overall GRC construction sector in their own way.

In international cooperation, the GRC has to date carried out more than 330 projects in 60 countries that involved extensive construction work. The GRC distinguishes between construction projects whose objective is to build housing for people affected by conflicts and disasters and construction projects that are brought about in the course of disaster risk reduction, water and sanitation, livelihood or health projects.Source: GRC 2013


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2 Ten Selected Projects


2.1 Mexico after the 1985 Earthquake

On the 19th of September 1985, a severe earthquake devastated Mexico City and major parts of the coastal regions of Jalisco and Guerrero. Particularly in Mexico City the destruction one year before the football world cup was significant. In addition the surrounding rural provinces sustained devastation on a large scale. A total of 10,000 lives were lost, tens of thousands of individuals lost their homes and thousands of buildings were damaged or completely destroyed. Faced with the dramatic scale of the disaster, the Mexican government

asked the international community for support in disas-ter response as well as for the rehabilitation and recon-struction of the affected regions.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent move-ment was one of the most active partners: A total of 43 million Swiss Francs were spent in projects for im-mediate aid and recovery projects by seven National Societies (Germany, Japan, USA, Italy, Spain, Norway and Mexico).

Project title: Earthquake aid in Mexico – construction of housesTrigger: Earthquake of a 8.1 magnitude on 19th September 1985Country: MexicoProject areas: Guerrero, Jalisco and Mexico City Project time: November 1985 to November 1988Program: Disaster Response, Rehabilitation and ReconstructionSub-program: Reconstruction of private homes Partner: Mexican Red Cross (CRM) Number of beneficiaries: 3,023 familiesProject costs: USD 3,200,000Funding: GRC funds, committed donationsMethod: Owner-driven reconstruction and in Mexico City awarding local contractors with construction work, project management by GRCResults: New construction and restoration of 3,023 houses, training of the population in house construction technologies

Facts about the Project

A New Framework for Reconstruction Aid

After a thorough evaluation of the local situation by representatives of the IFRC, the GRC and the Mexi-can Red Cross (CRM), it was decided that recon-struction aid should primarily concentrate on the ru-ral provinces of Jalisco and Guerrero that had been

neglected so far, with a limited number of recovery projects also to be realised in Mexico City. The con-struction projects of the GRC and of other Red Cross Societies in the rural areas of Mexico consistently followed an approach that was innovative then, and


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is today established and continues to be practiced. The approach employed was community-driven re-construction (CDRC) with the active participation of local village communities. The objective of the new method was to ensure the participation of people and communities in the planning and implementation of the reconstruction efforts, thus respecting cultural di-versity and the right to self-determination. This self-help method has proved to be successful to date. In a modified form, it is the basis of several modern re-covery projects of the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, and serves to also increase the sustainability and effectiveness of reconstruction projects.

Reconstruction in the Province of Guerrero

As a partner of the GRC, the Mexican Red Cross (CRM) was involved in planning reconstruction efforts from the start of the earthquake response. After co-ordination with the communities and an evaluation by specialists, the GRC and the CRM purchased the required construction materials, stored them in local warehouses and provided materials, machines and

tools to the population. Under the instruction and su-pervision of experienced engineers and the CRM, the construction teams and the local population repaired their damaged homes and built new houses. In the first phase of this pilot project it was possible to build 126 new houses and repair 138 damaged houses within only three and a half months. Generally, the pilot project

was cost and time effective, and extremely successful,. Due to this success it was decided that the same method should be used in subsequent projects. Every fam-ily was contributing to construc-tion efforts, according to their capacities. According to Jürgen Heppe, the head of the League delegation in Mexico (the League being the predecessor of the IFRC), the overall philosophy for the reconstruction projects was as follows: “Local stakeholders provided the land and clarified le-gal issues, the beneficiaries pro-vided the unskilled labour force and the RC/RC movement pro-vided construction materials and skilled personnel”. Overall, 1,800

The objective of the framework of owner-driven reconstruction is to include the people concerned in reconstructing their own country; this approach respects cultural diversity and the right to self-deter-mination.Photo: GRC 1985

Inhabitants working on reconstruction of their village: The inhabitants split up into construction teams according to their training and their skills; the teams were guided by paid experts. CRM and GRC initiated and monitored the overall process.Photo: GRC 1985


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houses were built this way. In addition, several pub-lic buildings including schools, hospitals and struc-tures to support drinking water systems were erected

by construction companies as these projects were deemed to be too large and too complex to be execut-ed on the basis of self-help assistance.

Reconstruction in the Province of Jalisco

The GRC and CRM construction projects in the region of Jalisco implemented the self-help assistance ap-proach that was used in the province of Guerrero. Un-like in Guerrero, in addition to private homes, roads, a small Red Cross hospital, a market hall and other pub-lic buildings were built and repaired by the local popu-lation. The overall process was initiated and supervised by the CRM and the GRC. In the community of Gómez Farías in the Jalisco region, each future home owner agreed to commit 100 days of work for reconstruction.

To ensure the quality of all buildings, the involved village inhabitants drew lots for the private homes only after their completion.

Another particular characteristic of the project in Jalis-co was that a house owners’ association was formed into which every home owner pays a monthly fee. The home owners’ association was commissioned with the tasks of the future care and maintenance of public squares, buildings and infrastructure.

Urban Reconstruction in Mexico City

In March 1987, the GRC started an urban recovery project in the old centre of Mexico City. The objec-tive was to create a replacement for the destroyed historical Vecindades – areas traditionally inhabited by people with a low-income. Unlike the projects in Jalisco and Guerrero, this project did not employ a self-help assistance approach because reconstruc-tion in this context was extremely complex and could only be managed with heavy machinery and the re-quired expertise. Therefore it was decided to execute the project only with the help of contractors. In total, 203 accommodation units were reconstructed in nine different Vecindades.

For the GRC, the provision of earthquake aid in Mex-ico mainly marked the development and first-time, large scale implementation of the community-driven approach that is now established as CDRC. It also be-came clear that the framework must be applied and se-lected flexibly, depending on task and context and that the possibilities and acceptance of those concerned must be taken into account. Jürgen Heppe, who was also the GRC project manager of the earthquake aid in Mexico, said in this regard: “You cannot achieve any-thing without the support of the people and of the local authorities. If the people do not believe in the success of the project they will not invest time or effort.”

2.2 Armenia after the 1989 Earthquake

In December 1988, a severe earthquake occurred northwest of the Armenian city of Spitak. Today, this disaster is considered one of the most serious earthquakes of the last few decades. The earthquake claimed around 28,000 lives and left 31,297 injured Around one million people were renedered homeless

by the disaster. Faced with the overwhelming dimen-sion of the destruction, a new way of thinking started in the power blocks of the Cold War that was then still in full swing. For the first time, the Soviet Union sent a request for aid to the West, to which the GRC responded.


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Construction of Shelter Homes

“The dimension of destruction was enormous, entire villages were levelled by the earthquake”, as Arnulf Christa recalls. As Red Cross aid worker and pro-ject manager, Christa was in charge of realising the construction of shelter homes for one year after Au-gust 1989. Work was even more difficult because of the destruction of local infrastructure. Construction projects initially faced issues of insufficient transport capacities and dated means of communication such as radio and telex. On the other hand, there was ex-cellent cooperation between the Red Cross and the local people, and both parties worked together in joint searches for appropriate housing solutions without questioning one’s political convictions and ideologies. Christa described these cooperative elements of the response as: “An absolute highlight, which was indis-pensable for implementing the project successfully”.

The winter-resistant houses were delivered as a pre-fabricated shelter construction kit. Each had a floor space of 70 square metres covering two rooms, a kitchen/living room, a bathroom with a toilet and a corridor. The wooden pre-fabricated parts were set up on foundations prepared by Armenian project partners. Assembly was carried out in the first few months by volunteers of GRC regional associations and then handed over to local construction teams.

The GRC considers the aid program that was imple-mented together with the local Red Cross at that time in the course of disaster response as a milestone in international cooperation. Providing aid across the Iron Curtain, in a way that was impartial and neutral (two of the principles of the Red Cross movement), was a given for the GRC in its efforts to help people in relation to the degree of their suffering and to give priority to the most urgent cases. The success of the program in its specific political and temporal context however, was significant. Not only did the initiative contribute to alleviate human suffering, it also marked a sign of communication between then competing ideologies.

The Soviet reconstruction teams were paid on a piece-work basis, a system that was rather unusual for crafts-men in those days, and in consequence, the last one of the 550 families was able to move into their new house after 12 months in August 1990. The beneficiaries were selected by the village Soviet in charge according to criteria defined by the GRC and the Soviet Red Cross.

House construction in Spitak: The winter-resistant houses were deliv-ered as pre-fabricated construction kit with two rooms each, as well as a kitchen/living room, bathroom and toilet and corridor.Photo: GRC 1989

Destroyed private home in SpitakPhoto: GRC 1989


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This was a difficult task considering the dimension of the disaster as not only physical assets such as houses were destroyed, but almost every family had also suf-fered from the loss of family members or experienced

permanent physical damage. Families that had lost their head of the household were particularly targeted by the GRC project.

The intention of the original aid concept was that the GRC houses should be used for a transitional period of three to five years at maximum, and then be replaced by permanent houses set up in solid construction by the Soviet government. Due to the collapse of the So-viet Union in 1991 however, these permanent houses

were never completed to the extent originally planned. Almost 400 of the GRC shelter homes continue to be used and are still well maintained and have been ad-justed as the demands of families changed over time, thus testifying to the good quality of the project’s labour force and construction materials.

New Construction of Health Stations, a Hospital and Kindergarten in Stepanavan

The 1988 earthquake destroyed all health facilities, including the hospital and the polyclinic, that previ-ously existed in Stepanavan. When the shelter homes where built, the GRC also began reconstructing the health infrastructure.The first activity, a temporary hospital in container design, was planned as an in-termediate step in order to ensure the availability of

medical services as soon as possible. By 1995, sev-eral health stations and one regional hospital were built in the region, and are still the backbone of local medical care. The GRC also built a kindergarten in Stepanavan in 1990, which was later renovated by the organisation in 1999. Until today, the GRC is in contact with the people of the earthquake response

Project title: Earthquake aid ArmeniaTrigger: Earthquake of 6.9 magnitude on 7th December 1988Country: Armenia, former Soviet UnionProject areas: Stepanavan, Yerevan and Spitak Project time: May 1989 to December 1992 Program: Disaster Response, Rehabilitation and ReconstructionSub-program: Emergency shelters, reconstruction of medial and social facilitiesPartner: Soviet Red Cross, Armenian Red Cross (ARCS)Project costs: DEM 76,600,000Funding: GRC funds, committed donations, funds of the British Red CrossMethod: Project management by GRC, deployment of reconstruction teams of the association, awarding local and international contractors with construction workResults: Temporary hospital in Stepanavan, new construction of a hospital with 120 beds in Stepanavan,

new construction of a kindergarten in Stepanavan, construction of 550 shelter homes in 19 villages in the conurbation of Spitak and Stepanavan, orthopaedic workshop in Yerevan, reha-bilitation centre for para- and tetraplegics in Yerevan, recycling plant for debris in Leninakan



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project region. A long-term part-nership has been established between the Armenian Red Cross and the GRC Branch of Baden-Württemberg. As Arnulf Christa puts it: “Aid for Armenia has certainly made a contribu-tion to reducing the distance between East and West; the people concerned realised that help can come from anywhere”.

A family affected by the earthquake in front of their shelter home in Spitak in 2012 together with Dr. Johannes Richert (third from the left), then Head of Delegation in Armenia. 382 of the houses built by the GRC are still being used.Photo: GRC 2012

2.3 Construction of Traditional Water Cisterns in Somaliland

Somalia, struck by drought, famines, violence and civ-il war, is considered to be one of the least developed countries in the world. The collapse of the central gov-ernment in 1991 resulted in a civil war that is still on-going in this East African country. At the beginning of the armed conflict, the Republic of Somaliland declared their independence, and since that time it has continued to function as an internationally non-recognised coun-try in the north of Somalia. In spite of this, the de-facto Somaliland regime is thought to be the most politically stable part of Somalia, and it has taken the first steps in the direction of state building.

Somalia’s population is suffering from a complicated and insufficient water supply system that limits access to wa-ter for both humans and animals. Near coastal regions, water sources are often salinized and in the highlands water is often difficult to access. There are no sanitary facilities and people are uneducated about hygiene. The water resources in Somalia are mainly fed from surface water therefore traditional cisterns and catch basins for rain water play a crucial role in supplying the drinking

water supply of the population. These supplies are par-ticularly crucial during long periods of drought, including the case of the severe drought in the Horn of Africa that began in 2011 and still had after-effects in 2012.

For more than ten years, the GRC has been involved in Somaliland together with the Somali Red Crescent in various construction projects in the fields of the sup-plying of drinking water and sanitation projects. Like all contemporary GRC construction projects in inter-national cooperation, these consist of construction components (so-called hardware components) and education and training components (so-called soft-ware components).

Between 2002 and 2012, in line with the GRC’s con-struction activities, 708 community water committees for the operation, maintenance and administration of the water points, 267 village communities and 186 vil-lage school teachers were educated and trained in the principles of sanitary hygiene and the production and maintenance of ceramic water filters. Local families use


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Berkads are traditional water cisterns, used for centuries in Somalia. The circular shape of this variety designed by the GRC is ideal for the ground pressure occurring in the dry season.Photo: GRC 2010

Project title: Self-help assistance in supply of drinking water and sanitary facilities as well as improved awareness of the environment for the rural populationCountry: SomaliaProject region: SomalilandProject time: June 2003 to August 2012Program: Developmental cooperationSub-program: Health, WASHPartner: Somali Red Crescent (SRCS)Number of beneficiaries: 9,000 direct beneficiaries and 35,000 indirect beneficiariesProject costs: EUR 3,380,000Funding: European Union, BMZ, GRC funds, committed donationsMethod: Project management by GRC, awarding local construction teams with construction workResults: New construction of 122 water cisterns, restoration of 178 cisterns, 137 drilled wells, 57 pumping systems for drinking water, 15 sand dams, 3,776 latrines


ceramic water filters burned from a mud-clay mixture for cleaning the surface water from berkads (a traditional water catch basin), which then pro-vides a germ-free water supply after filtration.

Berkad is a Somali word that means “buried cistern”. The principles behind the construc-tion and function of this form of traditional water catch basin have been known in Somalia for centuries. A typical feature of berkads is that they do not have a fixed lid but are covered with brushwood. The advan-tages of this design are that during the rainy season the ber-kads fill up very quickly with water and, in addition, are simple and cost-efficient in terms of maintenance and repair. A traditional berkad has a volume of 500 cubic metres; it can ensure the water supply of 300 people for three months. Through joint project development of the

GRC together with the local population in Somaliland, it became clear that berkads are part of a century-old local survival strategy. Berkads respond to local capac-ities and possibilities for water management; they are consistent with local culture and customs.


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The circular berkads built under GRC patronage have a diameter of 13.5 metres. Their depth varies between 3.5 and 5 metres. The floor of a cistern consists of a reinforced concrete slab; the brick walls are plastered.

Construction of the berkads was done in a CDRC framework. For this, the inhabitants of the village com-munity formed work teams that were instructed by local engineers and the work teams received compensation for the time they invested.

In spite of the major advantages of berkads for the drinking water supply of people in Somaliland, they are not ideal for every situation. For the GRC project, sometimes modern deep wells had to be drilled. The participatory nature of the project meant that the GRC also supported alternative requests of the concerned village community if they were realistic and could be done with reasonable financial input.

The GRC project also supported the operation of wells where required. Diesel motor pumps, used as standard in Somalia for the operation of wells, are prone to faults and defects and are furthermore dependent on fuel, which is often not available during periods of drought and political unrest. The GRC therefore used solar-op-erated pumps and wind-operated pumps in the com-munities where deep wells were constructed.

As a result, the projects contributed considerably to creating adequate hygienic standards in project areas; in addition, with regard to sustainability, people were educated regarding the proper use and maintaince of the systems. For the GRC, self-help assistance in So-maliland is a successful example of how existing cop-ing strategies can be used and optimised. When re-quired, alternative solutions can also be implemented if they are economically reasonable and the beneficiaries request them.

Berkad is a Somali word that means “buried cistern“. Construction and function of this traditional water catch basin has been known in Somalia for centuries. Ceramic water filters are used for cleaning the surface water from the berkads for human consumption.Photo: GRC 2010

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A berkad being built: The inhabitants of the village community form work teams that are instructed by local engineers.Photo: GRC 2010


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2.4 Reconstruction after the Tsunami of 2004

On the 26th of December 2004, a severe submarine earthquake off Indonesia triggered a tsunami which caused unimaginable devastation in numerous coun-tries bordering the Indian Ocean. More than 200,000 people lost their lives to the tsunami and around two

million survivors lost their homes because of the dam-age of waves and flooding. Due to the scale of the dis-aster, the international community and the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement were faced with enor-mous challenges.

Project title: Tsunami reconstruction program – construction of housesTrigger: Tsunami in the Indian Ocean on 26th December 2004Country: IndonesiaProject areas: Calang, Teunom and Pulau Weh, Province of AcehProject time: June 2005 to November 2008Program: Disaster Response, Rehabilitation and ReconstructionSub-program: Reconstruction of private homes Partner: Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) Number of beneficiaries: 1,491 familiesProject costs: EUR 14,668,000Material costs/house: EUR 6,600Labour costs/house: EUR 1,700Source of funding: GRC funds, committed donationsMethod: Project management by GRC, awarding local construction teams (90 %) or contractors (10 %) with construction workResults: Construction of 1,491 houses including sanitary facilities, training of the population in safe house construction technologies and fabrication of construction material


In the scope of the aid deployment for the victims of the tsunami, the GRC was involved in a total of 147 projects for immediate aid and recovery projects and for activities of developmental cooperation. With 16 countries hit by the tsunami it was possible but chal-lenging to provide effective aid, in what was one of the largest aid deployments in the history of the German

Red Cross. In Indonesia, almost 1,500 houses were built under GRC management in the cities of Calang and Teunom and on the island of Pulau Weh. The GRC also built or repaired 31 schools/kindergartens, seven health stations, 1,700 wells and a building for the Indo-nesian Red Cross (PMI) in Aceh.

Construction Projects in the Cities of Calang and Teunom

In all of the GRC recovery projects in tsunami-affected areas of Indonesia, the protection of people from fu-ture earthquakes and floods had the highest priority.

In addition, the GRC emphasised respect for tradi-tional forms of living and accommodation. Therefore, project teams in the cities of Calang implemented


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the design of an earthquake- and flood-resistant stilt house, developed by an Indonesian architect togeth-er with the German Agency for Technical Coopera-tion (GTZ).

The design of the building was based on a traditional Indonesian stilt house; it integrates elements of mod-ern construction methods and construction materials into the design of a traditional structure. The building holds two bedrooms and one living room in the upper floor, and the ground floor has a small kitchen and a bathroom.

Project Implementation

The project region of Aceh is part of the so-called Pa-cific Ring of Fire, a highly earthquake-prone area. Build-ing houses here with two floors places high demands on the execution of the construction and the quality of the materials, particularly when these buildings are constructed mainly by construction teams that had to be rapidly trained.

GRC construction experts were responsible for project management, and supported by experts for logistics and finance, they formed a project team of local ex-perts to ensure project implementation and day-to-day supervision of construction. The experts aimed to not only oversee the construction project, but also to transfer technical know-how to Indonesian colleagues in order to promote the construction of earthquake-re-sistant buildings in Indonesia, therefore building com-munities with long-term resilience to future risks.

The construction of the houses was realised using community-driven reconstruction (CDRC) methods. The village community was actively involved in con-structing their new homes. Local work groups consist-ed of one engineer and team leader as well as unskilled and semi-skilled workers from the village community. Workers were trained by GRC experts and experts of Swiss Contact, a Swiss NGO, to produce high-quality and earthquake-resistant steel-reinforced structures in

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large numbers. This required considerable site man-agement on the part of the GRC construction experts; in addition enormous logistical challenges had to be overcome. Apart from coordinating active participants and liasing with the beneficiaries, navigating local logis-tics was a gigantic task. One of the core tasks nec-essary for each construction area was checking the quality of the concrete on a daily basis. This was pos-sible to do only in a local test lab of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) or locally, with mobile

devices. The work teams were paid the equivalent of almost Euro 1,700 for the successful completion of a house. All construction material as well as machines and tools were provided by the GRC. The production of construction materials within the project region was an important component of the project, which allowed people to have the opportunity to earn money during the project duration. Doors, windows and gables were produced by local craftsmen, which benefited the local economic cycle in Aceh.

Environmentally Friendly Construction

Recovery projects require a balance between the ne-cessity of helping people as fast as possible and a con-cept that is to the greatest extent viable, environmen-tally friendly and sustainable. Analyses demonstrated that there was not a sufficient supply of sustainably produced wood in the project region. Illegal logging had been, and continues to be, a long-standing prob-lem in Indonesia, and for the GRC it was important to create awareness of this topic with the population as construction efforts unfolded. Consequently, it was de-cided to reduce the proportion of wood used on the

buildings built with GRC support. GRC designs used an aluminium system for the construction of the roof, which was supplied from Medan, located over a dis-tance of 800 kilometres from the project site. In addi-tion, a reusable formwork system of plastic was used, which also reduced the use of wood. The scope of the project also allowed for the difficult sanitary situation of the villages to be improved. Every house was planned to include a toilet and a two-chamber septic tank. This effort was accompanied by an education campaign concerning hygiene.

Structural work in Calang. Construction in the area of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a highly earthquake-prone region places high demands on the execution of the construction and the quality of the materials.Photo: GRC 2007

Production of concrete bricks in Teunom. The 1.8 million concrete bricks needed for constructing the houses were produced in Calang in a women’s cooperative; in Teunom a production line funded by the GRC was set upPhoto: GRC 2006


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Resettlement on the Island of Pulau Weh

In the project area on the island of Pulau Weh in the north of Sumatra, the GRC project team was faced with a diverse set of challenges. Some of the de-stroyed residential areas were located on a coastal section that was bordered by steep rock walls. Due to their funnel-like shape, the cliffs amplified the effects of the tsunami, which gained additional height at the end of the funnel.

In the course of a coordination process with the local population and on the basis of a risk analysis, it was decided that new homes would not be reconstructed on the original sites. A decision of this kind always represents a decisive point in a person’s life; it may delay the return to normal life. Resettlement affects the structures of a village that have grown over gener-ations; it affects livelihoods and earning opportunities, services, social structures and many other aspects. However, it also provides communities with new op-portunities. The GRC has learned from previous pro-jects that decisions of this kind must be based on the acceptance and decisions of the people concerned. It is important to maintain family structures in case of resettlement and, for an aid organisation to accompa-ny the decision process, to provide information about possible risks and to indicate possible solutions. The decision in favour or against resettlement must be made by those concerned.

In case of the house construction projects of the GRC on the Indonesian island of Pulau Weh, the affected population finally decided to resettle the entire village community to a higher level that was safe from flood-ing. The earthquake-resistant buildings were con-structed in the manner of ADRC, or agency-driven re-construction, undertaken by construction companies and supervised and managed by GRC construction experts.

In total, 1,531 buildings were constructed under the management of, or directly by, the GRC in Indonesia in the scope of tsunami aid. The post-tsunami con-struction projects of the GRC in Indonesia proved to be very successful. In 2013, an evaluation study made by the GRC showed that 91 % of the project beneficiaries in Calang were very satisfied or sat-isfied with their new GRC houses. In 2012, all GRC houses withstood an earthquake of a magnitude of 8.1 without major damage. For the GRC, the house construction projects in Aceh are an example of how traditional local construction design and techniques can be adjusted and further developed to significantly reduce the population’s exposure to disaster. How-ever, all construction projects must be accompanied by effective quality control and though adapted to lo-cal considerations, be implemented in a way that also considers current and future levels of risk.

2.5 Support of the Palestinian Sister Society

The GRC makes an important contribution to disaster preparedness by strengthening the capacity of its sister national societies. Most of the time, the volunteers of national societies are the first to be on site in a disaster response, and because they are firmly anchored in the local population, they are in effect predestined to act as first responders in case of disaster. The GRC therefore sees one of its main and most effective tasks in inter-national cooperation to strengthen and build up these capacities.The community centre of the Palestinian Red

Crescent (PRCS) in Bethlehem was established in 1995. Initially all activities of the PRCS were held in a multi-sto-rey rented facility located in a narrow street with heavy traffic in the centre of the city. The fast deployment of ambulances from this location was not possible due to the tight space. In addition, the annual rent of USD 32,000 encumbered the financial situation of the PRCS.

The PRCS provides assistance in the form of rescue services, health care services, first aid courses, advice


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to mothers, courses on international human rights, support in trauma counselling and individual consul-tation in situations of crisis, youth work, basic health services and a command and control centre to coor-dinate aid and disaster response. These services are provided to the population without regard to national-ity, race, religion, social status or political conviction. Furthermore, in the case of the community centre in Bethlehem, local health services are provided free of charge and funded by the Palestinian Red Crescent in Ramallah. The PRCS had planned to build a new community centre in 2005, and together with the GRC,

a solution was developed that allowed the realisation of this plan while taking the local organisation’s limit-ed financial frame into account. The objective was to provide the PRCS in Bethlehem with a building where services could be offered in an optimal way, which would also provide the PRCS with extended options of generating income (for example, by renting out rooms for weddings or cultural functions and other events). Being the only building of this kind in Bethlehem, the PRCS community centre also has the task of being a centre for all inhabitants of the city, to come together and thus help to overcome differences.

Project: Construction of a community centre and office buildingCountry: Occupied Palestinian territoryProject region: BethlehemProject time: July 2005 to August 2007Program: Development cooperationSub-program: Disaster preparednessPartner: Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS)Project costs: EUR 300,000 Funding: GRC funds, committed donations, QRCSMethod: Planning by PRCS, awarding local contractors with construction workResult: New construction of a 3-storey community centre with almost 1,500 m2 floor space


Strengthening Disaster Preparedness

Decisions made surrounding the provision of support for organisational development and disaster preparedness are based on an analysis of the local RC/RC society to be assisted and the challenges they are faced with. In

the case of the Palestinian Red Crescent, a strong na-tional society, the organisation was able to realise goals for organisation development and preparenedness in-dependently with their own personnel resources. The

In 2005, the PRCS was given a plot of 2,000 square meters by the city of Bethlehem. The plot is locat-ed in the city of Bethlehem and connected to two asphalted roads so that optimal access routes for emergency vehicles could be created. Planning ser-vices for the new location, including tenders, were provided by the employed architects and engineers

of the PRCS. This was followed by the publication of the tender, and submission and evaluation of the offers, by PRCS engineers. Temporarily, the GRC ad-ditionally supported the activity with funding on site for a construction delegate who was in charge of the consultation of the project team.


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GRC and the Qatar Red Crescent (QRCS) recognised this and consequently left the management of these initiatives to the PRCS.

With projects relating to organisational infrastructure, it is important for the GRC that the required scope of in-fluence is assessed correctly so that the success of the project is maximised.

The assessment of the community center project in Bethlehem is decidedly positive: “We are very happy with the result; it turned out beautifully and is efficiently operated. Apart from the community centre, the office area for rescue service with command and situation centre and the rescue vehicle centre, there is also a large sewing room where T-shirts, vests and woven textiles are produced for the PRCS which helps the PRCS to generate income and use this to fund some of its activities”, says GRC staff Adam Fysh, who visited the building in 2012.

Generally, when realising large and complex buildings such as the community centre of the PRCS in Beth-lehem, the GRC commissions local contractors with

the construction work and examines possibilities of the provision of planning, service description, award-ing of the contract and construction supervision from

resources within the RC/RC. Pro-viding support to sister societies will remain one of the priority ob-jectives of the GRC in the future in regards to optimising local dis-aster preparedness and building the resilience of societies them-selves as well as the communi-ties they work within.

The community centre of the Palestinian Red Crescent in Bethlehem. According to the principles of the movement, all the services that are on offer are available to the population regardless of nationality, race, religion, social status or political conviction.Photo: GRC 2012

The command centre of the rescue centre of the Palestinian Red Crescent in Bethle-hem increases the operational readiness of the GRC sister society.Photo: GRC 2012


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2.6 Resettlement of Families in Rwanda

The former Belgian colony of Rwanda became inde-pendent in 1962. The population of the Central East-ern African country consists of three ethnic groups of

Hutus, Tutsis and Twas. Almost 85 % of all Rwandans belong to the ethnic group of the Hutu, 14 % are Tutsi, and about 1 % belong to the minority group of Twa.

Project title: Social integration of people returning from Tanzania/Uganda to the eastern province of RuandaTrigger: Violent displacement after 1959Country: RuandaProject areas: Kiyanzi and Kirehe, District BugeseraProject time: July 2007 to March 2012Program: Reconstruction, developmental cooperationSub-program: Reconstruction of private homes, development-oriented emergency and transitional aidPartner: Ruandan Red Cross (RRC)Number of beneficiaries: 296 familiesProject costs: EUR 1,074,600Funding: BMZ, GRC funds, committed donationsMethod: CDRC project management by the RRC, awarding local construction teams with construction workMaterial costs/house: EUR 1,800 (2012)Labour costs/house: EUR 470 (2012)Results: New construction of 296 houses, repair of the water supply system, training about income-generating activities, support of economic and social integration


During colonial times, the Tutsi were favoured by the colonial power and installed in important political posi-tions. Long-time favouritism by the colonial government resulted in ethnic conflicts within the Rwandan society. In 1959, large-scale ethnic violence occurred for the first time; Tutsi individuals were targeted by members of the Hutu majority. The ethnic conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi groups culminated in genocide in 1994.

As a consequence of decades of political instability in Rwanda, before the 1994 genocide many Tutsi as well as Hutu families fled to the neighbouring coun-tries of Tanzania, Zaire, Uganda and what is today the Democratic Republic of Congo. When the genocide began, more large waves of refugees fled to the same

countries. In 1997, more than 500,000 Rwandan refugees were deported from Tanzania and Uganda and resettled in eastern Rwanda. Further waves of deportation followed in the years after that, includ-ing many families who had been living in Tanzania for three generations.

In 2006, the GRC together with the Rwandan Red Cross (RRC) operated a reception centre for people returning from the neighbouring countries. Within two years, the centre had accommodated 16,000 people. The government had originally intended that the recep-tion centre would only be used for a transitional period, and subsequently local authorities relocated families deported from Tanzania to new settlement areas.


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The new areas where relocated families were being sent however, were not prepared to receive such large groups, therefore planned resettlement and reintegra-tion support was necessary. Between 2007 and 2012 the GRC, together with the RRC, realised three re-integration projects with a focus on house construc-tion. The objective of the projects was not only to build houses for those returning to Rwanda, but also to support their reintegration into local village com-munities; in addition, related measures were taken to support the restoration of the livelihoods of returnees and reduce conflict.

The Rwanda resettlement project was implemented by the RRC with its own technical personnel. The RRC also acted as an important regional employer. The pro-ject managers of the RRC were in charge of personnel management for local craftsmen and project-relevant training of the benefiting families; in addition, they were responsible for the acquisition and distribution of con-struction materials and the technical supervision of the construction process in order to ensure that houses were built according to local construction regulations.

A large share of the success of the resettlement initia-tive was due to the skills and dedication of RRC volun-teers who were essential for the project realisation. The RRC and the GRC organised further training for inter-ested volunteers in the areas of project management and construction supervision, as well as in agriculture, the improvement of livelihoods, education relating to hygiene and social work, with techniques being taught on working with communities, returnees and construc-tion workers.

The concept for the development and support of in-come-generating measures for returnees was devel-oped together with the project beneficiaries. This re-sulted in various educational projects being undertaken on skills as diverse as cheese making, the production of briquettes from bio matter, how to start growing sys-tems for edible mushrooms, and reading and writing courses for illiterate people. The production of briquettes from banana leaves was a particularly successful inia-tive, as fuel wood is expensive and rare. The burning of briquettes produce less smoke than the burning of wood, and was also therefore less hazardous to health. Furthermore, the production of briquettes exceeded lo-cal consumption rates, so excess product was able to be sold on the local market.

Returning family in Bugesera: The project strategy not only had the ob-jective to support people in building their houses but also to help them with reintegration into society and to reduce conflicts.Photo: GRC 2012

House construction in Bugesera: If possible, construction materials were produced in the project region, with the objective to strengthen the local economy and create jobs.Photo: GRC 2011


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As a context analysis revealed, most people who were to benefit from the RRC/GRC program had never lived in Rwanda before, and were returning to the country of their fathers or grandfathers.

Returnees that had never had a home in Rwanda were therefore strangers to their new country, sometimes suspiciously watched by those who were to become their new neighbours. This context had to be taken into account to ensure successful and sustainable resettle-ment; this meant that as people were helped in con-structing their houses, their reintegration into society also had to be supported so as to reduce conflicts. In doing that, the Rwandan tradition of “umuganda” was used. Under this tradition, people meet in order to do

work together for the community, for instance by clean-ing roads and channels. This tradition was used to bring different groups together and to create shared objec-tives and successes.

An analysis of the project context revealed that the local population could be further supported and sustained by extending the possibilities of the project for generating income to them, for example by allowing returnees to work on the construction sites and production of con-struction material in cooperation with the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). In addition, it was ensured that the infrastructure, health and water supply programs created in the scope of the program also benefited the resettled people as well as the local population.

House Construction

To ensure a qualitatively adequate realisation of lo-cal housing needs for returnees, local construction experts – mainly bricklayers and carpenters – were contracted. Beneficiaries working as unskilled work-ers then supported these experts with the building of houses. The provided plots for houses had a size of 500 square metres each, which allowed for the cre-ation of household gardens. Seeds and tools as well as a goat and two rabbits were also provided to each resettled family in the scope of the project.

Construction materials were selected after an analysis of the local situation and resources, and consulta-tion with the stakeholders. Various aspects had to be taken into account. For instance, which construction materials were locally available or could be produced by the local market? Which construction materials were traditionally used and how did they correspond to the local climate and seasons, and related needs for maintenance? The project comprised 296 homes in-cluding annexed latrines, showers and roofed cooking and storage rooms. The walls were made from mud bricks, and roof timbers of uncleft wood were covered with corrugated iron and equipped with fascia boards to protect them from strong winds. Wooden windows

and doors were painted, and above them ventilation bricks (so-called claustras) were installed into the walls to ensure adequate ventilation.

The houses were first plastered with adhesive and locally produced laterite soil, and then with cement in order to weather-proof them for rainy seasons. The floors consisted of a layer of small quarry stones that were combined with a light concrete mix (coarse sand with some fine sand, gravel and little cement), and then topped by a layer of cement. Outside, the same procedure was used to build the floor of a small terrace below the porch roof and a rain drain around the house. The annex buildings were erected at the same time as the houses and according to the same principle. Drainage systems were installed; at the same time, cisterns were constructed that pro-vided used water for garden irrigation and laundry.

Construction workers were instructed by local experts, with the work mainly being executed by capable re-turnees and the people living in the neighbourhood.

Experts of the RRC were in charge of the monitor-ing of the construction work. Specific construction


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sections were defined after which successive pay-ments to the craftsmen were made.

Family members who worked on the construction site were also paid for their contributions. In the end, the returning families evaluated the project as suc-cessful and relevant. Families that, at the beginning of the project, were traumatised, resigned and with-out hope for a better future received both physical and social support for their reintegration.

In addition, after the completion of the joint activi-ties pursued with the GRC, the sister society of the RRC remained in contact with the returning families so that the GRC was able to receive regular updates

on further local developments and monitor the effec-tiveness and sustainability of the project.

The social integration of resettled families in Rwan-da shows that a construction project can only be successful when it is planned on the basis of a well-founded situation and context analysis. Need is not only defined in terms of absent buildings but also in terms of understanding mechanisms within (village) communities. The important role of the local sister society is evident here; their understanding for the context of GRC projects can allow them to effec-tively function as a supervisory and guiding authority. In the GRC, these partnerships are perceived as pro-viding important learning opportunities.

2.7 Sri Lanka after the Civil War

On the 18th of May 2009, the civil war in Sri Lanka that had been going on for almost four decades ended with a military victory of the Sri Lankan Government troops over the Tamil rebels, namely the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). In the final stage of the civil war, both parties committed war crimes.

From April 2008, hundreds of thousands of Tamil ci-vilians fled from air raids, artillery fire and advancing government troops and, like the LTTE rebel fighters and their political leaders, were pushed back into a geographic area that was continuously shrinking, re-sulting in a serious humanitarian disaster. Due to the fighting, large parts of the population of the northern and north-eastern provinces had to involuntarily aban-don their homes. According to United Nations (UN) estimations, up to 100,000 people lost their lives in the civil war, more than half a million were displaced in their own country, and in the last two years of the war alone almost 131,000 homes were destroyed or dam-aged. In Sri Lanka, the GRC was implementing the Red Cross Post-Conflict Recovery Program together with its partners, the IFRC, the ICRC, the Sri Lankan Red Cross Society (SLRCS) and other Red Cross and Red Crescent societies.

Street scene in Mullaitivu: 100,000 people lost their lives in the civil war, more than half a million were displaced; in the last two years of the war alone, almost 131,000 houses were destroyed or damaged.Photo: GRC 2012


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From War Victim to House Builder and Home Owner

For post-war recovery projects in Sri Lanka the GRC, together with the SLRCS, implemented the Owner Driv-en Reconstruction (ODRC) approach, a modern and proven self-help reconstruction concept, which had al-ready been used by the GRC in the extensive recovery program after the 2004 tsunami in the East and North of the country. An evaluation of these projects in 2013 showed that 90 % of the beneficiaries were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the project results. The benefi-ciaries received money and technical support from the GRC and the SLRCS and thus became builders of their own homes. In this process, the GRC and the SLRCS acted as sponsors and as organising, monitoring and consulting entities.

The ODRC approach provides the beneficiaries with a wide freedom of decisions they can take for reconstruc-tion. The overall construction management, purchas-ing of construction materials and the commissioning of craftsmen and workers are organised independently by the home owner and their family, with a local Red

Project title: Integrated resettlement aid for returning families in the conflict areas formerly controlled by LTTE in the North of Sri LankaTrigger: Armed conflictCountry: Sri LankaProject region: Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Northern ProvinceProject time: 4 project phases since June 2010Program: Disaster Response, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Sub-program: Reconstruction of private homesPartner: Sri Lankan Red Cross (SLRCS) Number of beneficiaries: 1,367 familiesProject costs: EUR 3,897,241 Funding: BMZ, Hong-Kong Red Cross, GRC funds, committed donationsMethod: ODRC, project management by GRCCosts/house: EUR 2,320 (2010), EUR 2,784 (2012)Results: Reconstruction of 1,367 houses, repair of the water supply system, training and support of income-generating activities, training in the areas of hygiene, draining and waste disposal


One of the houses in Oddusuddan: The minimum standards for a one-family home stipulate a minimum floor space of just under 45 square metres. Each house must have a kitchen, a living room, two bedrooms and a separate toilet.Photo: GRC 2013


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Cross construction manager always made available to address questions of any kind. This high degree of freedom in reconstructing one’s home provides people who are traumatised by war an opportunity to return to a dignified and self-determined life.

Due to the concept of ODRC, the beneficiaries are interested in ensuring the highest possible degree of quality. Their active involvement in planning their own house generally results in a high degree of identifica-tion with the project. However, in spite of a significant amount of ownership of the project by beneficiaries, certain basic plans and minimum standards still have to be observed. Payment to the beneficiaries was made in five instalments, with only the first instalment being paid

before the beginning of construction. The other four in-stalments were paid as the construction progressed. Their use was intended as follows:

1. Instalment: Foundation2. Instalment: Brickwork to the roof3. Instalment: Roof4. Instalment: Windows and doors5. Instalment: Completion of the interior, toilet etc.

The minimum standards defined by the Government of Sri Lanka for a one-family house stipulate a minimum floor space of just under 45 square metres. Each house must have a kitchen, a living room, two bedrooms and a separate toilet.

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: GR

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Owner-driven reconstruction, though overall a posi-tive and empowering process, also involves risks, and all parties involved in the project should be aware of these risks at its inception. As a rule, the owners’ con-tribution of time and other resources to the project must be realistically affordable even for low-income families. In addition, people must be prevented from going beyond their financial capabilities, including for fulfilling special requests. It is necessary to teach the basics of solid financial management and to create awareness for the effects of excessive indebtedness so that, for example, a particularly beautifully decorat-ed entrance door does not leave a gaping hole in a family budget.

The GRC has learned that the local context, and the abil-ities and needs of beneficiaries and their communities

must form the foundation for developing an effective project strategy.

In summary, the ODRC project in Sri Lanka turned out to be very successful. With the help of the pro-ject teams of the GRC, it was possible to build 1,233 one-family homes within less than three years, in three successive projects. An empiric GRC study shows that 92.6 % of the respondents in Kilinochchi (a post-con-flict town in the North of Sri Lanka) were very satisfied, 6.8 % were satisfied and only 1.6 % were somewhat satisfied with their new homes. Almost 97 % of the re-spondents stated that they liked their new house better than the old one.

For the GRC, the integrated resettlement aid project carried out in post-conflict areas was a successful

The Vulture That Soars Again

On behalf of some of the beneficiaries, a Tamil wom-an widowed in the war presented a fable to the GRC evaluation team that symbolises the hard road of the people back to normal life.

She drew a vulture and explained that they normally live to an age of 80 years. After 50 happy and fulfilled years, the beak for the bird, otherwise so proud and strong, became bent. As a result it was hardly able to pick food from the ground. To make things worse, its talons became blunt and unusable. Its usually shiny feathers turned completely grey and lacklustre. Flying became more and more difficult every day, and the vulture’s thoughts harboured despair and hopelessness: How

should he continue to live without being able to eat? Every day, he hoped in vain that he might wake up from this terrible nightmare. After 30 days of futile hope he realised that his situation would never change unless he started to do something. And so he began to whet his useless talons on a rock. And see what happened: There were new talons under the old ones. He felt encouraged and now began rubbing his whole body on the rock until the useless beak and the useless feathers fell off and new ones came for-ward. Free from all of this useless load he spread his wings and flew away. He now knows that he still had many happy years to live.

Photo: GRC 2013


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application of practical project experience gained from the recovery approach implemented in Sri Lanka after the tsunami of 2004. In addition, the GRC was also able to see how appropriate reconstruction actions can help people in overcoming suffering and trauma they may have sustained during crucial experiences. This

project contributed to the development of new per-spectives for the targeted resettled people in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi, as by supporting the reconstruction of one’s own home, people were given indirect social and psychological assistance, so that they may now look forward to their future.

2.8 Haiti – Disaster Response after the 2010 Earthquake

The earthquake in Haiti on the 12th of January 2010 left large areas of the poorest country in the western hem-isphere completely destroyed. About 220,000 people

lost their lives; more than one million lost their homes. Within two hours after the disaster, the Red Cross was in action to help the people and to ensure their survival.

Coordination of Disaster Response

Before rehabilitation and reconstruction can start, an effective coordination of aid and division of work fields has to be ensured. Good coordination means less gaps and overlaps in the assistance delivered by hu-manitarian organisations. A disaster the scale of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti takes the capacities of lo-cal authorities to their limits and beyond. The UN, the Red Cross Movement and the NGO community have designated mechanisms to support local authorities and provide additional coordination resources after disaster, including that of a cluster approach which allows for the assigning of roles and responsibilities to specific organisation in the event of a disaster. The shelter cluster is a coordination platform convened

by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which has the objective of coordinating all aid agencies and government institu-tions in optimally providing emergency shelters. The shelter cluster examines and recommends technical solutions, coordinates the organisations involved with each other and with other sectors, collects and pro-cesses data and develops a strategy for overall de-cision-making from the emergency relief phase up to reconstruction for many aid agencies. For the Haiti earthquake, in coordination with the shelter cluster, it was decided that the GRC should support particular-ly needy families in ten communities affected by the disaster around the cities of Léogâne and Gressier.

The coordination of aid agencies and government institutions involved with the setting up of emergency shelters was ensured in Haiti by the Interna-tional Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.Photo: IFRC 2010


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From Emergency Relief to Reconstruction

Léogâne is a seaport 25 to 30 kilometres west of the Haiti capital of Port-au-Prince on the north side of the Tiburon peninsula in the Departement Ouest. The peo-ple in Léogâne earn their livelihoods mainly in agricul-ture and fishing. The surrounding area is rural and for generations, people have been living in evolved, strong family structures. A few kilometres beyond the city are the mountains of the Tiburon peninsula that slope down in the south to the Caribbean. On the 12th of January 2010, this was the epicentre of the earthquake.

The GRC has been continuously represented by a del-egate in Haiti since 2008, as together with the Haitian Red Cross (CRH) the organisation had implemented a disaster preparedness project. In this scope, trustful co-operation had already developed before the 2010 earth-quake which could be relied on when the massive disas-ter struck.

After the earthquake, it was important to, as fast as pos-sible, develop a suitable concept in order to find a solu-tion for the resettlement and support of people who had lost their homes. Committees were set up in the villages concerned, who would then be involved in the planning and execution of response and recovery projects.

Tents are the easiest solution to directly provide shelter for people affected by disaster. However, they do not meet the needs of people for privacy, security and hy-giene in the long run.

The strategy selected for the situation in Léogâne in-tended to link emergency relief directly to a sustainable solution with concrete perspectives for future develop-ment. The GRC regards this Linking Relief, Rehabilitation & Development (LRRD) approach as a way of simulta-neously implementing emergency relief, rehabilitation and humanitarian-oriented development measures, thus enabling an integrated, comprehensive programme

Project title: Integrated recovery program Léogâne and Gressier - shelterTrigger: Earthquake of a 7.0 magnitude on 12th January 2010Country: HaitiProject areas: Regions Léogâne and Gressier, departement OuestProject time: May 2010 to August 2012Program: Disaster Response, Rehabilitation and ReconstructionSub-program: ShelterPartner: Haitian Red Cross (CRH), Austrian Red CrossNumber of beneficiaries: 3,000 familiesProject costs: Euro 5,922,000Funding: ECHO, Austrian Red Cross, Belgian Red Cross/Flanders, GRC funds, committed donationsMethod: Project management by GRC, awarding local construction teams with construction work, warehouse with production line for manufacturing the construction kitsProject costs/house: 1,974 EuroResults: Construction of 3,000 houses in ten villages as well as training of the population in earthquake- and storm-resistant house construction technologies



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which can lead to an overall strengthening of resilience. The GRC’s objective was to use relief efforts as an ideal starting point to move from the consequences of the disaster to development via an integrat-ed framework that combined five sectors: House construction, social infrastructure, disaster prevention, measures for improv-ing livelihoods and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).

Those involved in the project were aware that technical solutions could not stand on their own; the affected people had to be supported in the best way possible in returning to a normal life after the dis-aster. High levels of unemployment and a general lack of opportunities to earn an income were identified as one of the most urgent problems by the people in Léogâne. In order to strengthen the resil-ience of the population while overcoming the immediate consequences of the dis-aster, this analysis had to be reflected in the concept of integrated aid.

In this respect, the GRC construction project offered extraordinary oppor-tunities to affected groups. Though a project of this kind is not able to create permanent jobs, it can provide stimulus for the local economy. During the time of the project, the GRC was one of the

largest employers in the city, and about a third of the project costs benefited local craftsmen, construction helpers and pro-ject staff in the form of wages. The GRC therefore decided to plan the project in a way that utilised the potential to contrib-ute to the local economy while also of-fering shelter to displaced individuals as soon as possible. Subsequently, a con-cept was developed together with the people concerned and in coordination with the shelter cluster that intended, af-ter analysing alternatives, to use sustain-ably produced wood from Central and Northern America as the primary con-struction material for shelters. The local market was not able to meet the demand of materials for the project due to the ex-ploitation of local forests over centuries. Wood is a rare commodity in Haiti, but it is also a traditional construction material that people know how to handle. Due to traditional knowledge on how to treat and process wood, people would also have the capacity to expand their new house if necessary or to make adjustments as required. In addition, wood can be used to create storm-resistant structures that in case of an earthquake offer better pro-tection than structures made from stone or concrete, therefore decreasing the vulnerability of at-risk groups to future events.

Optimization of Logistics

The houses erected in the scope of the project would reach a length of 17 km, demonstrating that a smoothly

functioning logistics system played a key part in project implementation. Raw material in the form of squared timber

On the sites, a hammer and spirit level were sufficient to assemble the wooden construction kit.Photos: GRC 2011


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and plywood panels was imported through the port in the capital Port-au-Prince and transported to Léogâne on trucks. Once at Léogâne, the material was further processed into construction kits consisting of 36 parts in a production line especially set up in the project warehouse. Coordinated in a locally developed data-base, the kits were then delivered in clearly defined se-quences and instalments to their respective construc-tion sites. The construction sites were also mapped by standard procedure of using GPS.

In the villages, the construction kits were handed over to the beneficiaries who had been informed the day before about the planned delivery. Upon deliv-ery, the construction kits were taken into their own-ership; once handed over to beneficiaries, if the site could not be reached by truck, each household be-came responsible for transport of the materials over the last few metres to the construction site. Special emphasis was placed on the incorporation and use of traditionally established help mechanisms among neighbours, because the construction kit had a total weight of about 2.5 tons and demanded considera-ble transporting efforts; in addition, it represented a rather high economic value, equivalent to 200 daily wages of a Haitian unskilled worker.

Assembly of the Construction Kit in 2 ½ Work Days

Each construction kit was assembled by local con-struction teams who operated as small contractors, with each being commissioned to erect batches of three to five houses. In order to strengthen perceptions of ownership and responsibility, it was important that the future owners also helped to construct their home, with some even being able to supervise the process. Due to the fact that most of the parts had been cut and prefabricated in the production line, only a hammer and spirit level were required to assemble the wooden construction kits on site.

A team of tree bricklayers created the foundation of concrete and natural stone masonry on the first day.

The construction material is further processed to form construction kits consisting of 36 parts in the production line especially set up in the warehouse owned by the project. Here: production of the roof trusses.Photo: GRC 2011

An earthquake- and storm-resistant shelter in Léogâne 2013: The houses consist of a wooden construction on a basis of bricks; they have a metal roof and can be extended with an annex. Traditionally, people in Haiti paint their houses for Christmas; in the time before Christmas 2012 at the end of the construction project they were able to pick the paint for the exterior of their new homes.Photo: GRC 2013


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After a few days, a team of four carpenters erected the wooden construction kit on the foundation. Following this process, the bricklayer team spent another half day to finish the concrete floor with a cement cover and plaster the foundation wall. Technical supervision and advice for the beneficiaries was ensured by a GRC team consisting of two international experts, and up to seven local construction experts. In total more than 500 bricklayers, carpenters, unskilled helpers, experts for communal mobilisation and warehouse workers were employed for the project. The skills acquired by the people in the course of an aid project benefit the local labour market when the project is finished; how-ever they often cannot be fully absorbed. After the end of the project, the GRC therefore helped project work-ers by training and advising them in how to apply for a job and in some cases, was also able to help them find follow-up employment. An evaluation carried out

at the end of the project in the summer of 2013 re-vealed that the objectives of the construction project were achieved. A total of 96 % of the respondents stat-ed that the project was helpful for them with regard to their income situation, and 71 % stated that their ac-commodation situation had improved compared to the time before the earthquake.

The integrated relief program in Haiti shows the signif-icance of effective coordination for large-scale disas-ters. The success of the project relied on the coordi-nation of reconstruction activities in the entire country, which were managed by the IFRC in Haiti, as well as the coordination of individual projects down to the co-ordination of logistics and construction teams, and par-ticipation of affected communities.

2.9 Flood Relief in Peru in 2012

The region of Loreto is in the Amazon region in the North-east of Peru. The people of Loreto are familiar with fluc-tuating water levels, therefore many houses near the river bank are built on stilts as a coping mechanism to avoid flooding. However, a sustained rainfall from January to April in 2012 resulted in the most severe series of floods ever in the region. The Amazon River and its tributaries reached unprecedented levels. A total of 38,000 families were affected by the floods and 26,000 hectares of agri-cultural land was destroyed. Affected families were faced with health hazards, destroyed or severely damaged houses and the loss of their livelihoods in agriculture.

Several international aid agencies responded to an alert by ECHO (the European Commission Humanitarian Of-fice) to support the people in the region. The Peruvian Red Cross, together with the GRC, carried out a dam-age and needs analysis and decided to concentrate relief efforts on nine particularly affected communities in the province of Mariscal Ramón Castilla, in the border region to Columbia and Brazil.

Aid for the flood-affected areas was comprised of the components for the construction of stilt houses and platforms for the houses, support in resuming agri-cultural production through the distribution of seeds, tools and technical advice, the distribution of hygiene articles and organisation of cleaning, education and hygiene campaigns, the installation of rainwater col-lecting systems for drinking water production, and training for the communities in disaster preparedness so as to be able to reduce their own vulnerability to similar events in the future.

In the scope of the construction component of relief aid, a total of 50 wooden stilt houses were built by the GRC for families whose houses had been completely destroyed, and 110 wooden platforms on stilts were provided for families whose houses had been badly damaged by the flood. The platforms were erected next to the old, now unsafe houses, so that the old house could be reconstructed in a stronger manner by using available construction material.


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The Provincial government agreed to deliver addi-tional construction materials, while the families com-mitted themselves to support the reconstruction of their own houses. Undertaking the transportation of the construction materials (mainly wood) was a major challenge. The only transport route in the project region was the Amazon River with its tributaries. The entire region had been flooded until April of 2012, yet from July to November of the same year it was impossible to transport construction material to the communities that were affected as the water level was too low. By the end of November, the water level rose again and work could begin. The communities were responsible for logging and transporting timber. The project team of-fered technical support, provided tools and employed expert forest workers for the logging process if there was no one with this skill already in the communities.

In every community, the community council was asked to name one or two families that were not able

to contribute to working on their own houses or plat-forms. These were mainly elderly people or people with disabilities and without family to support them. The construction of these houses was then made a prior-ity and at the same time, they were used as a means of instruction on building techniques. In the course of the construction, the members of the community were trained by the project team, consisting of carpenters and a construction engineer, to ensure that they were able to take an active part in the construction of their own homes.

For each house and platform a rainwater collection system for drinking water production was additionally installed, consisting of a 300 litre water tank, gutters and pipes.

At around EUR 2,600 for an entire wooden house and around EUR 120 for a platform, the material costs per house were kept very low, thanks to the use of local

Project: Flood relief PeruTrigger: Flooding of the Amazon River and its tributaries in April 2012Country: PeruProject areas: Province of Mariscal Ramón CastillaProject time: June 2012 to May 2013Program: Disaster Response, Rehabilitation and ReconstructionSub-program: Reconstruction of shelter, water and sanitation supply, hygiene promotion, livelihood support, disaster risk reductionPartner: Peruvian Red Cross (CRP)Number of beneficiaries: A total of 6,859 in the project, in house construction: 160 families (ca. 800 beneficiaries)Budget: EUR 345,000 EuroProject costs: ECHO, GRC funds, committed donationsMethod: Project management by GRC, awarding local construction teams with construction workMaterial costs: EUR 2,600 wooden house, EUR 120 per platformResults: Construction of 50 stilt houses, construction of 110 platforms for houses, support in recovery of the argricultural production by distribution of seeds, tools and technical advice, distribution of hygiene articles and organisation of cleaning, education and hygiene campaigns, installation of rainwater collection systems for drinking water p roduction, training of the communities in disaster prevention.



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materials. The project provided 160 families that had lost their houses in the flood with a new home which would provide protection during future floods. At the

same time, these houses serve as exemplary construc-tion models for the communities.

The wooden houses and the platforms were built at least 50 cm above the 2012 water level, the highest in history, to protect them from future flooding.Photo: GRC 2012

Houses in Ramón: 160 families that had lost their houses in the flood where supported to build a new home which would provide protection during future floods. At the same time, these houses serve as exemplary construction models for the communities.Photo: GRC 2012


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2.10 Philippines: Relief and Recovery after Typhoon Haiyan 2013

In the morning of the 8th of November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines near the city of Tacloban, and subsequently devastated large parts of the Visayan Islands. Haiyan’s one-minute sustained winds were forceful, and at 315 km/hour, far above the threshold of the most dangerous typhoon category. Haiyan was ac-companied by heavy rainfall and was considered to be the most severe typhoon ever to affect the Philippines

over the past 30 years. Before the storm made land-fall, Red Cross helpers had alerted people via an ear-ly warning system and issued safety information. In collaboration with local authorities, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) supported extensive evacuations of the areas concerned. When Haiyan left over the South Chi-na Sea, around 1.1 million houses were damaged or completely destroyed.

Resilience Framework of the German Red Cross

For the people in the Philippines, typhoons are an an-nually recurring natural hazard. The Philippine com-munity has prepared for this hazard and developed adequate mechanisms for typhoon preparedness and response. For instance, community evacuation plans, an early warning system and evacuation centres al-ready exist. Some of these systems and infrastructure have been developed and built with the support of the GRC in previous years.

In spite of efficient preparedness mechanisms, su-per-typhoons like Haiyan go beyond the natural re-silience of any community. In addition, it must be as-sumed that in the course of climate change, particularly extreme weather phenomena will occur more frequent-ly in the Philippines. Systems, including construction standards, therefore need to be developed to meet not only current but future levels of risk.

In the scope of disaster relief and recovery after Haiyan, the GRC is planning projects with a total value of EUR 27 million for the period of 2013-2016.

An integrated and multi-sector resilience framework will be used to implement these projects, which means that all activities will have the objective of strength-ening communities, so that they may recover soon from the stress and shock of the typhoon and also be able to cope better with future disasters. Actions taken for these projects will not only focus on shelter

infrastructure. Rather, the initiatives will draw upon a defined holistic strategy that combines the sectors of shelter, livelihoods, water and sanitation, the rehabilita-tion of social infrastructure and disaster risk reduction, aiming that the impact of each project should be over-arching and build resilience through the interconnected strengths of each sector.

Carpenter in Leyte building a hipped roof. Working technologies and construction methods of local craftsmen often provide adapted and proven solutions.Photo: Breloer/GRC 2014


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One key focus of Haiyan relief and recovery program-ming is on recovering and sustaining the livelihoods of affected communities. Around 77 % of local farmers have lost their main source of income. A total of 5.6 million working people have been affected because their livelihoods and sources of income have either been destroyed or severely damaged. Working to-gether with the affected people, the GRC is identifying and implementing measures that aim to restore, sus-tain and enhance income generation. In some cases

that means providing support through cash grants to buy tools for farming and fishing, livestock to restart pig breeding or seeds and fertilizers to restart farm-ing. In other cases it means facilitating support through business and skills and vocational training to develop a new livelihood.

The GRC believes that people with secure income and adequate shelter solutions are in a better position to cope with and prepare for future disasters.

Strengthening of Resilience through Adequate Shelter Solutions

After Haiyan had crossed the Philippines, most of the people affected immediately started self-recovery by repairing damages and reconstructing their destroyed homes. The GRC’s response aid supports the most vulnerable segment of the population, including those who are unable to manage reconstruction and rehabil-itation on their own.

For reconstruction, strengthening resilience means to find a solution that is culturally adequate and that reduc-es risk to the identified natural hazards. Working tech-nologies and construction methods of local craftsmen

often provide adapted and proven solutions that can complement aid efforts, thus this local knowledge needs to be adequately integrated into project efforts. Furthermore, the local market for construction mate-rials must be included and used in the reconstruction strategy, but care must be taken at the same time not to overburden it. To this end, the general availability and price stability of locally common construction materials should not be affected.

For the construction of shelters in response to Haiyan,, the GRC, together with the PRC decided to use the

thousands of coconut trees that had been felled by Haiyan as lum-ber. Coco lumber is the traditional construction material in Visayas, therefore local expertise existed on how to work with the trees. Mo-bile saw mills were provided by the GRC to further process the lum-ber. This process had to be com-pleted rapidly to avoid the felled trees being attacked by pests and microorganisms and thus becom-ing unusable.

Project staff of the PRC and of the GRC supervise the construction process.Photo: Breloer/GRC 2014


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Project title: Recovery Assistance to Population affected by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines Disaster: Typhoon ‘Haiyan’ (locally known as Yolanda) on November 8, 2013Country: PhilippinesProject area: Visayas, Region Leyte, Cebu, Capiz, Antique and Western Samar.Project duration: December 201 to December 2016Program: reconstruction and rehabilitationSub-program: Reconstruction/ ShelterPartner: Philippine Red Cross (PRC)Number of beneficiaries: At least 12,700 families, ca. 65,000 personsProject costs: Ca. EUR 27,000,000 (across sectors)Funding: GRC funds (public donations), ECHO, Austrian RC, American RC, Belgian RC/Flanders, Canadian RC, French RC, Hong-Kong RC, Swiss RC, Methodology: Project management by GRC and PRCS, awarding local construction teams with construction work, local warehouse with production line for prefabrication. Distribution of cash grants and material for shelter repair.Cost per shelter: EUR 1,200 (new), EUR 400 (repair)Objective: In the area of shelter repair of 6,200 houses and reconstruction of 6,500 damaged houses as well as training of the population in earthquake- and storm-resistant house construction technologies.


The GRC has been working in the Philippines since 2008, and in the scope of several projects in the past few years the organisation has gained experience that could be applied to the typhoon relief effort. Knowledge from past projects showed that there would be specific local challenges to shelter design, including the need to design buildings fabricated from coconut trees that could withstand the local hazard spectrum, including annually recurring typhoons, floods, earthquakes, ter-mite infestation and other pests, as well as high tem-peratures throughout the year.

For reconstruction after Haiyan, a shelter design was developed with collaboration of all organisations and persons locally involved, including the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, local engineers, communi-ties and beneficiaries as well as the Shelter Cluster (cf. chapter 2.8).

The shelter design was based on a traditional type of house that had already been used in previous projects. The original design was further reinforced and firmly an-chored in the ground so as to be able to withstand wind velocities of up to 200 km/hour. Since the main house construction sits on stilts, this shelter also provides pro-tection from floods to a certain degree; the materials used for the walls ensure good ventilation and a locally appropriate indoor climate. In addition, the construc-tion type prevents pest infestation. The construction type is compact and robust to withstand earthquakes; the hipped roof, a traditional roof shape that is appre-ciated by the people because it is storm-resistant, has a short roof overhang which makes it a less exposed target for storms.


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Training of the Population in Earthquake- and Storm-Resistant House Construction Technologies

Shelters are adjusted and modified by their inhabitants over time. People use the space in front of the house for daily activities, verandas are attached or additional rooms like kitchens or bedrooms are add-ed. In the scope of the project it is therefore impor-tant to create awareness for what makes a shelter resistant and how modifications should be imple-mented so that the structure is not weakened. For instance, a marquee should be made in a way that it can be dismantled easily and stored safely in case of a storm warning. Additional rooms or construction parts should not be structurally attached to the ‘core shelter’ so that a veranda that may be torn away by a storm does not damage the overall structure of the house. The GRC emphasises education and aware-ness raising for targeted communities, therefore

construction projects also teach beneficiaries the key basic principles of safe shelter construction and design, including how structural and stabilising com-ponents function. For the purpose of sustainability, it is necessary that the owners understand and pro-mote these sound construction principles. The pro-gram uses a Participatory Approach for Safe Shelter Awareness (PASSA), a methodology that helps the people to collaboratively identify risks, vulnerabilities, needs and capacities and identify measures to mit-igate them. Ultimately, the objective of the project is not only to facilitate and support communities to complete the building of shelters, but also to ensure that people and communities can respond to future hazards and are able to implement and adapt ade-quate coping strategies.

A staff of the PRC explains the principle of diagonal reinforcement. In the sense of sustainability it is necessary that the owners understand and promote the main principles of construction.Photo: GRC 2014

A Family in front of a finished shelter in Leyte. People with secure income and adequate shelter solutions are in a better position to cope with and prepare for future disasters.Photo: Breloer/GRC 2014


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3 Outlook

3 Outlook

The construction sector of the humanitarian field has changed fundamentally over the past decades. An ap-proach that used to be characterised by engineering has developed into a complex field that penetrates and overlaps with other humanitarian task areas (see figure 1 ‘GRC’s complex operating field for construction‘). The transporting of construction materials and construction teams from Germany to a region struck by a disaster is a past scenario that today, would hardly ever be consid-ered to be efficient or effective. Here, a change of atti-tude has taken place; on the one hand this is based on a general new evaluation of local capability, competences, know-how and skills of the people concerned, and on the other hand it reflects increasing global interconnec-tivity. It is also now recognized that a community-based, participatory approach to the relief and development not only increases the sustainability and local effectiveness of aid efforts, but can produce spin-off effects of conflict reduction and the building of resilience.

The GRC is committed to following the Sphere stan-dards and the resulting quality criteria for humanitarian work. The humanitarian imperative, transparency and equitable and sustained participation are cornerstones of the organisation’s strategy.

The rebuilding and strengthening of living spaces and social infrastructure is an important component of aid for affected populations who have lost protective spac-es or basic social services such as schools and health care to disasters and conflict. The GRC’s planning process of these projects incorporates the active par-ticipation and involvement of their partners and those affected. The GRC does not realise a project alone; it operates only together with the partners in the country and project beneficiaries.

In the context of international cooperation there is no uni-versal “out of the box” solution; rather an individual frame-work that is people-oriented must be developed which can then be adjusted to the culture and context of the situation at hand. This process is continuously optimised; in the next few years, the GRC and the community of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies will be faced with further challenges. To provide efficient and high qual-ity aid, the GRC will further intensify its cooperation with traditional and new partners. To operationalize this goal, sister societies must be supported in strengthening their capacity to be able to react optimally in the event of a dis-aster. This reflects the 2020 Strategy of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies.

GRC emergency shelters in Peru 1971: The approach in reconstruction has been continuously developed over the past decades.Photo: GRC 1971


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3 Outlook

The Sphere Project was initiated in 1997 by a group of NGOs and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to develop a set of universal minimum standards in core areas of humanitarian response: the Sphere Handbook. The aim of the Handbook is to improve the quality of humanitarian response in situations of disaster and conflict, and to enhance the accountability of the humanitarian system to disaster-affected people. The Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response are the product of the collective experience of many people and agencies. They should therefore not be seen as representing the views of any one agency (The Sphere Project 2011).

The German Red Cross is committed to fulfilling all minimum standards of Sphere in all projects of humanitarian aid and also in developmental cooperation. The following universal fundamental standards are to be seen as the founda-tion and superstructure of the Sphere project; they are valid for all areas of international cooperation:

Core standard 1: People-centred humanitarian aidPeople’s capacity and strategies to survive with dignity are integral to the design and approach of humanitarian re-sponse.

Core standard 2: Coordination and collaborationHumanitarian response is planned and implemented in coordination with the relevant authorities, humanitarian agen-cies and civil society organisations engaged in impartial humanitarian action, working together for maximum efficien-cy, coverage and effectiveness.

Core standard 3: AssessmentThe priority needs of the disaster-affected population are identified through a systematic assessment of the context, risks to life with dignity and the capacity of the affected people and relevant authorities to respond.

Core standard 4: Design and responseThe humanitarian response meets the assessed needs of the disaster-affected population in relation to context, the risks faced and the capacity of the affected people and state to cope and recover.

Core standard 5: Performance, transparency and learningThe performance of humanitarian agencies is continually examined and communicated to stakeholders; projects are adapted in response to performance.

Core standard 6: Aid worker performanceHumanitarian agencies provide appropriate management, supervisory and psychosocial support, enabling aid work-ers to have the knowledge, skills, behaviour and attitudes to plan and implement an effective humanitarian response with humanity and respect.

Sphere Standards


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3 Outlook

Systematic monitoring and evaluation make an impor-tant contribution to quality control. In the past few years, the GRC has undertaken major efforts to strengthen internal and external quality control. This includes car-rying out detailed result analyses that help the organi-sation in evaluating the effectiveness of its work and to utilise the knowledge gained for future projects.

The GRC will continue to examine the applicability of new technologies. For example, the consistent use of possibilities of waste management or energy genera-tion by means of photo-voltaic sources will mainly gain importance in solving problems in an urban environ-ment. The organisation will strive to connect techno-logical advancements with appropriate opportunities for application in the area of construction, and link them with findings in fields of sociology and humanitarian aid.

Methods that can mitigate the harmful effects of in-creasing urbanisation and the resulting increased vul-nerability of communities, and of the increasing envi-ronmental exposure of rural and urban populations are also known and must be made available and imple-mented. Considerations of urbanisation, including ru-ral-to-urban seasonal and permanent migration pat-terns, and the impacts that these population shifts will have on current and future levels of risk also need to be included in building design and planning for the build-ing of resilience. The RC/RC is well placed to identify

these patterns in the communities where volunteers are located, and can share this knowledge as projects are developed. How to increase the resistance of buildings with regard to storms and earthquakes, how to recog-nise risks of landslides and the necessity to be able to document land ownership are examples of the kinds of knowledge that should be strengthened for people concerned and authorities in at-risk areas. This is one part of integrated disaster preparedness that must be planned across sectors, and needs to be calculated to help identify and build resilience to current and fu-ture levels of risk. In this regard the GRC will intensify the use of the Participatory Approach for Safe Shel-ter Awareness (PASSA) to disseminate and strenghten shelter knowledge within targeted communities. The GRC will also continue to implement considerations of disaster and climate risk into all construction projects, as informed by both local, traditional knowledge and regional and global information hubs.

Promoting collaborations with local communities with the objective to create awareness for risks and oppor-tunities to build resilience is also part of the overall task field of the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, and therefore serves as a contribution to strengthening global civil society. The GRC and the movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies see this as a core task that is derived from their mandates, and will thus serve to continue to guide all future actions.

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50

Abbreviations

Abbreviations

ADRC Agency-Driven Reconstruction, definition page 10ARCS Armenian Red Cross Society BMZ Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and DevelopmentCDRC Community-Driven Reconstruction, definition page 10CRH Croix-Rouge Haïtienne (Haitian Red Cross)CRM Cruz Roja Mexicana (Mexican Red Cross)CRP Cruz Roja Peru (Peruvian Red Cross)GRC Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (German Red Cross)ECHO European Commission Humanitarian OfficeGTZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (German Agency for Technical Cooperation)ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross IFRC International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent SocietiesIC International CooperationDP Disaster PreventionLTTE Liberation Tigers of Tamil EelamLV Landesverband (Regional Association)NGO Non-Government OrganisationODRC Owner-Driven Reconstruction, definition page 10PMI Palang Merah Indonesia (Indonesian Red Cross)PRCS Palestine Red Crescent SocietyQRCS Qatar Red Crescent SocietyRC/RC Red Cross/Red CrescentRRC Rwanda Red Cross/Croix Rouge RwandaiseSLRCS Sri Lanka Red Cross SocietySRCS Somali Red Crescent SocietyUN United NationsUNDP United Nations Development ProgrammeWASH Water, Sanitation and HygieneWFP World Food Programme

Acknowledgements:

The volunteers and members of the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies of Armenia, Haiti, Indonesia, Mexico, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Somaliland and Sri Lanka and the GRC project teams and delegations.

Ruth Boxberg, Jaime Bow, Arnulf Christa, Robert Dodds, Karl-Heinz Friedrich, Adam Fysh, Alicia Gimeno Blanco, Harald Gülker, Jürgen Heppe, Nikhil Khanna, Heike Kemper, Jürgen Kronenberger, Alfredo Melgarejo, Dorothee Schmitt, Joachim Schröder, Karlheinz Seibert, Alfred Stangelaar, Rosemary Waruingi, Georg Wiesner

German Red Cross National Headquarters International Cooperation

DRK.de

Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and of the Red Crescent

Humanity The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, born of a desire to bring assistance without discrimination to the wounded on the battlefield, endeavours, in its international and national capacity, to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found. Its purpose is to protect life and health and to ensure respect for the human being. It promotes mutual understanding, friendship, cooperation and lasting peace amongst all peoples.

Impartiality It makes no discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or politi-cal opinions. It endeavours to relieve the suffering of individuals, being guided solely by their needs, and to give priority to the most urgent cases of distress.

Neutrality In order to continue to enjoy the confidence of all, the Movement may not take sides in hostilities or engage at any time in controversies of a political, racial, religious or ideological nature.

Independence The Movement is independent. The National Societies, while auxiliaries in the humanitarian services of their governments and subject to the laws of their respective coun-tries, must always maintain their autonomy so that they may be able at all times to act in accordance with the principles of the Movement.

Voluntary service It is a voluntary relief movement not prompted in any manner by desire for gain.

Unity There can be only one Red Cross or one Red Crescent Society in anyone country. It must be open to all. It must carry on its humanitarian work throughout its territory.

Universality The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, in which all Societies have equal status and share equal responsibilities and duties in helping each other, is world-wide.

DRK Account for DonationsBank für SozialwirtschaftAccount Number: 41 41 41Bank Identification Number BLZ: 370 205 00IBAN: DE 63370205000005023307BIC: BFSWDE33XXX

Donation ServiceTelephone +49 (0)30 85404-444(Landline rate Deutsche Telekom 14 cent/min, Rates of mobile lines may differ)

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