The effectiveness and efficiency of interventions supporting shelter self-recovery following humanitarian crises: An evidence synthesis

Abstract

Shelter is critical to the survival of people affected by humanitarian crises as it provides safety and security, protection from the climate and resistance to ill health and disease (The Sphere Project, 2011; Zetter, 2012). Having somewhere safe, secure and healthy to live, with access to livelihood opportunities, healthcare and education is also fundamental to sustaining family and community life during post-crisis recovery and reconstruction or displacement, return and resettlement. What effects do humanitarian interventions that support affected populations’ own shelter self-recovery processes have on household-level outcomes following a crisis? And what factors have helped or hindered the implementation of such interventions? This evidence synthesis, carried out by a research team from Habitat for Humanity and University College London, represents the first ever attempt to systematically review the existing evidence for an answer. The research team developed and tested a theory of change model for humanitarian interventions supporting shelter self-recovery in low and middle-income countries, mapped and documented existing research, identified what we actually know about what works from the evidence base – and highlighted the gaps. It is accompanied by an Evidence Brief: The effectiveness and efficiency of Interventions supporting shelter self-recovery following humanitarian crises (Oxfam GB, 2017, 8p). This brief summarises the findings, indicates the country contexts from which evidence is drawn, outlines the methodology, highlights research gaps and provides references to the original literature. This research was funded by UK Department for International Development through the Humanitarian Innovation and Evidence Programme. It forms part of a series of humanitarian evidence syntheses and systematic reviews