**Fatshimetrie: Innovative solutions for humanitarian crises**
In a world plagued by growing humanitarian crises, the number of people affected and in need of shelter has more than doubled since 2019, according to a new study by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
By 2025, more than 91 million people affected by humanitarian crises will be in urgent need of shelter to protect them from the elements, regain some privacy and feel safe. These figures show a more than doubling of the need since 2019, when 37.5 million people required shelter support.
Amelia Rule, Global Head of Shelter and Settlement at NRC, emphasizes that shelter is more than four walls and a roof. It can provide increased protection from violence and disease, while providing displaced people with dignity and a safe place to recover from the trauma of losing their homes and begin to rebuild their lives.
In desperate situations such as Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine and Lebanon, emergency shelter solutions include family tents, essential material kits to seal gaps in damaged buildings, tarpaulins and tools to repair shelters.
Rule stresses the urgent need for increased support to provide people with emergency shelter to protect them from the elements before winter sets in. In addition, investments must be made in more sustainable, long-term solutions.
In Sudan, more than 14 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict. Amid ongoing hostilities and devastating destruction of infrastructure, millions have lost their homes and are now living in overcrowded housing and structures not intended for prolonged human occupation. In Gaza, 1.4 million people are in need of shelter support.
NRC’s Shelter and Settlement teams are working hard to reach those in need of shelter during the largest emergencies of our time. However, while shelter needs have doubled since 2019, funding has not kept pace – the sector is only 27% funded so far in 2024.
In our ever-changing world, the challenges of humanitarian crises require innovative solutions and collective action to ensure the most vulnerable have a safe place to seek refuge, rebuild and regain their dignity. A combination of global and local efforts is essential to address this unprecedented crisis and provide a brighter future for those who have lost everything.