(English captions by Trisha Paul, University of Michigan.)
Settlement of displaced populations.
A refugee is a person who, for fear of persecution, is outside his/her country of national origin and
is unwilling or unable to return home.
An internally displaced person, on the other hand, is persons who, for different
reasons, have been compelled to leave their home and have been living outside their country
but not legally regarded as refugees, but mostly it is within their own country.
Settlements should be a last choice because they have disadvantages.
They are usually long term, associated with health problems, security issues, logistics
issues, and often political problems, and they impact on the local community.
Other options could be shelter in place or on site, shelter with friends, hotels or other
available buildings like schools, mobile feeding and outreach.
Site selection issues are important in the settlement of displaced persons.
A number of factors affect this.
Ownership and rental, insurance, access, environmental issues, cross-cultural issues, and security.
Criteria for selection of settlement areas include water availability, topography, surface
area, security and protection, accessibility, environmental factors, soil conditions, social/cultural
factors.
Camp management is very important.
It is like running a small city.
It involves administration, site planning, reception and screening systems of incoming
people, distribution and logistics systems, administration systems, and staffing.
Administrative components of settlement include administration itself, health, food and nutrition,
water, sanitation, social services and security issues.
These have to be incorporated in the planning for possibilities of disasters that involve
mass displacement of people.
Administration involves coordination and internal functions, external coordination, media, staffing
and personnel, and security.
Health programs include immediate trauma care, vaccination campaigns, maternity services,
reproductive health services, disease surveillance and control, health information and management,
and child care.
Water programs include water treatment, water distribution, water systems including repair,
installation, and promotion.
Sanitation programs include latrine installation and promotion, solid waste clean up, drainage
and standing water, and vector control.
Shelter operations include temporary shelters, rehabilitation of damaged shelters, home water
supply, kitchen supplies, clothing and blankets, and soap.
Food and nutrition operations include general food availability and food security, attention,
particular attention to vulnerable groups, especially those vulnerable to severe malnutrition,
supplemental and therapeutic feeding with special address to vulnerable groups, surveillance,
and food security.
Logistics operations include warehousing, supply chain management, and transportation.
Social services include education, trauma counseling, child care and support services
especially for orphans and other vulnerable children, religious support, and sports and recreation.
Security issues include, issues of whether the camp is open or closed, perimeter security,
internal security, lighting, staff/resident identification, camp regulations, access denied
areas.
These are common site and shelter problems.
Ten problems often affect the emergency management of sites, camps, and shelters.
One, no resources for site and shelter management.
Two, conflicts about location, priorities, and design.
Three, exposure to elements while waiting for materials, including rain, sunshine, wind, dust.
Four, difficult site conditions.
Five, short term solutions to long term problems.
Six, constant site work.
Seven, different shelter types and strategies in the same location.
Eight, overcrowding that may promote spread of disease.
Nine, rape and sexual and gender based violence.
Ten, failure to build or occupy emergency shelters.