Whilst focussing on WASH has always been our main priority, the knowledge and skills of our team also lend themselves to supporting people’s shelter needs. Over the course of nearly three years in Moria, our shelter work has spanned from small repairs and simple fixes that support individual families, to collaborative build projects, that address the needs of entire communities. Towards the end of 2019 and throughout 2020, as the condition of the WASH facilities became more stable due to our continued efforts, we had greater capacity to concentrate more intensely on three of our most ambitious shelter projects.
Firstly, with a clear focus on modifying existing accommodation units to prepare them for wet winter weather, during autumn 2019 we built and mounted 117 single-slope roofs on top of all the residential ISO-boxes in Moria, due to a recurring problem of rainwater leaking through almost all of the old panel roofs.
In early 2020, we managed a collaboration to build and install 26 accommodation chalets, which could house approximately 150 individuals in total, in closed areas reserved for lone women and their children. The chalets, constructed from insulation panels with linoleum covered timber floors, also incorporated two shared kitchen areas.
After a fatal fire in spring 2020, we collaborated with several organisations in order to rebuild two multifamily rooms. Luckily, the frame of the building maintained its structural integrity after the fire, so we were able to completely reconstruct the destroyed accommodation units, and went on to build adjacent bathrooms.
These sizeable and significant shelter projects accompany the more regular efforts; from installing shade structures and maintaining the shade cloth, helping people fix tarps in stormy weather, to ensuring someone has a lock on their door for privacy and security, we strive to improve shelters in any way we can.
