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• Depending on the items distributed, beneficiaries may require instructions, education, or training on how to use them properly and safely. For example:
  • Rechargeable Torches or Solar lamps
  • Stoves or fuel
  • Mosquito nets
• Some Items, such as WASH related items should be accompanied by Hygiene Promotion. 
  See WASH TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: HYGIENE PROMOTION entry. 
• This information is very important to ensure adequate use of the items for its intended purpose. For example, mosquito nets must hang in a way that the sides can be tucked under bedding. Holes must be sewn up. Insecticide-treated mosquito nets contain chemicals that are damaging to the environment, and therefore these nets must not be washed in water sources containing fish, must be hung for 24 hours prior to usage and must not be used to cover food. See an example: Mosquito Net IEC. Failure to provide this information will result in harm.  
• IEC must be provided in a format that is accessible to all female and male beneficiaries, based on their knowledge levels. (videos, songs, fliers, theatre, posters, etc. should be considered)   

Find and/or develop IEC materials

Shelter Compendium

The Shelter Compendium is a database of reviewed Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials to support faster development of common technical messaging in crisis responses. It focuses on messages in shelter and settlements and non-food items operations. 

The database is accompanied by a publication with key messages and learnings gathered thought the process and from testing with affected communities, and an online campaign disseminates them to shelter practitioners.

Shelter Compendium - collection of messages and images

These documents provide a compilation of messages and related images that are relevant to the emergency phase of shelter and settlement response. They were compiled from existing country level documents that are available at iec.sheltercluster.org. It intends to be a starting point in the development of contextualized and coordinated Information Education Communication (IEC) materials. 

Build Back Safer key messages and hands-on trainings

When distributing shelter materials, it is essential to combine the distribution with awareness raising campaigns and/or technical trainings for safer shelter construction. Illustrated Key messages for different environment and emergency contexts have been developed in the past humanitarian responses and available in the Shelter Compendium.

To promote effective knowledge transfer, it is recommended to demonstrate the key messages at distribution site, with possible hands-on sessions where beneficiaries could “Learn by Doing”.

In order to disseminate to broader audiences including both beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries in the target community, the awareness raising sessions and technical trainings can be planned with Training of Trainers (ToT) to cascade down the knowledge from the trainer to skilled beneficiaries, and to each family in the target communities.
 

Contacts

For more information, please contact the Shelter and Settlements Unit in Geneva: ShelterSupport@iom.int.

Please also find the contact information to the IOM Shelter Reference Group: ShelterReferenceGroup@iom.int.