Humanitarian Academy

Shelter and NFI

Emergency shelter and non-food items (NFI): from distribution to durable solutions

Sphere standards, kits, cash, rental assistance, HLP and safer construction: sheltering families from the first days of an emergency and supporting them towards durable housing.

  • 4 days · 24 hours
  • 3 levels · 3 certificates
  • 3 scenarios
  • Verifiable certificate
Start the course
  • Free, unlimited access
  • 4 one-day modules
  • 3 scenarios and 12 quiz questions
  • 3 graded case studies and 3 exams
  • Certificate in your name, verifiable online

What you will learn

  • Explain what adequate shelter is and apply the Sphere shelter and settlement standards.
  • Choose, combine and implement shelter assistance options suited to the context, the market and households' tenure status.
  • Organise a quality NFI response: kit contents, specifications, targeting, distribution, monitoring and coordination with the Shelter cluster.

Course information

Level
Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced (one certificate per level)
Study time
24 hours over 4 days (lessons, case studies, exercises)
Format
Online, at your own pace, free and unlimited access
Assessment
Per level: graded case study + 20-question exam (30 to 40 min, pass marks 70%, 75% and 80%)
Credential
Named, numbered certificate of achievement, verifiable online (QR code)
Reference frameworks
Sphere Association · Global Shelter Cluster (UNHCR, IFRC) · International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

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A 3-level certification pathway

Progress from Beginner to Advanced. Each level ends with a graded case study and a timed exam, and leads to its own verifiable certificate.

Level 1Beginner

Exam: 20 questions · 30 min · 70% to pass

Beginner certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Explain the functions of shelter and the main Sphere indicators.
  • Put together a basic NFI kit adapted to the context.
  • Take part in a safe and well-organised distribution.
  1. Day1Understanding shelter needsShelter: much more than a roof · The Sphere shelter and settlement standards · Assessing shelter and NFI needs · Vulnerabilities, risks and climate · Conducting a shelter and NFI assessment step by step · Applying the Sphere standards in figures and with judgement · Classifying damage, tenure and vulnerability: the tools · Full example: the shelter assessment after the floods in the municipality of Basse-Ternes · Common mistakes, donor expectations and contextual variations · Interview questions and key references Scenario: The evening tarpaulin
  2. Graded case study : Distribution after the floods Agricultural plain, three flooded villages · 20 questions including a case study · 70% to pass
Level 2Intermediate

Exam: 20 questions · 30 min · 75% to pass

Intermediate certificate · Opens after the Beginner certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Conduct a shelter and NFI assessment and analyse markets.
  • Choose and combine assistance options (repairs, cash, rental assistance, host families).
  • Check security of tenure and control the quality of items.
  1. Day2Choosing and implementing the responseThe range of assistance options · Cash for shelter and rental assistance · Housing, land and property (HLP) · Safer construction: build back safer and PASSA · Response analysis: moving from needs to options, a step-by-step method · Designing a cash for shelter and rental assistance programme · Full example: the shelter response after the Karsane earthquake · Security of tenure and safer construction: field procedures · Common mistakes, donor expectations, contextual variations and interview questions Scenario: The promised land
  2. Day3NFIs, quality and coordinationNon-food items · Winterisation and response to extreme climates · Quality, logistics, targeting and distribution · The Shelter cluster and coordination · Designing and specifying an NFI kit: from list to technical specification · Winterisation and extreme climates: planning step by step · Quality control, distribution and post-distribution monitoring: the procedures · Full example: winterisation of the Telmar Nord site · Working with the Shelter Cluster day to day · Common mistakes, contextual variations, interview questions and references Scenario: Kits gathering dust at the market
  3. Graded case study : Homeless tenants in the city Medium-sized city, neighbourhoods hit by an earthquake · 20 questions including a case study · 75% to pass
Level 3Advanced

Exam: 20 questions · 40 min · 80% to pass

Advanced certificate · Opens after the Intermediate certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Design a large-scale shelter strategy, from recovery to durable solutions.
  • Integrate safer construction, HLP and the area-based approach.
  • Coordinate with the Shelter cluster and advocate for resources.
  1. Day4Advanced module Recovery, housing, land and property and large-scale responseFrom emergency to durable housing · HLP at scale · The area-based approach and planning · Leading a large-scale response · Designing the transition to durable housing · Housing, land and property at scale: procedures and tools · Implementing the area-based approach step by step · Full example: the cluster strategy after the Nalvérie earthquake · Managing a large-scale response: supply chain, teams and risks · Common mistakes, contextual variations, interview questions and references
  2. Graded case study : A displacement site on the eve of winter Site of 18,000 people, mountainous region · 20 questions including a case study · 80% to pass

Who is it for?

Shelter and NFI programme officers, distribution and logistics teams, construction technicians, CCCM staff, Shelter cluster members and anyone who wants to work in the shelter response.

The certificate

With at least 70% correct answers in the final assessment, you receive a certificate in your name, with a unique code that recruiters can verify on Humanitaires Jobs. A free Humanitarian Network account is required.

Key concepts

The vocabulary you need to master for this course and the exam.

NFI
Non-food items: essential household items (bedding, cooking, water, lighting, clothing).
Shelter kit
IFRC set of two tarpaulins, a rope and tools to build or repair a shelter.
Transitional shelter
Durable basic structure that the family can upgrade, move or make permanent.
Rental assistance
Payment of all or part of a household's rent for a defined period.
HLP
Housing, land and property: households' rights of occupancy, access and ownership.
Security of tenure
The ability to occupy one's home without fear of forced eviction, whatever the type of right.
PASSA
IFRC participatory approach to raise a community's awareness of safe shelter construction.
Build back safer
Rebuilding more safely by integrating techniques adapted to local hazards.
Winterisation
Preparing shelters and households for winter conditions.
Area-based approach
Coordinated response by several sectors in a defined area, with the authorities and the community.

References and recommended reading

The official texts and sector reference works on which the course is based.

  1. Sphere Association (2018). The Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards (Shelter and Settlement chapter). spherestandards.org/fr/manuel-2018
  2. Global Shelter Cluster (UNHCR, IFRC) (2024). Global Shelter Cluster: strategy, guidance and resources. sheltercluster.org
  3. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (2011). PASSA: Participatory Approach for Safe Shelter Awareness. www.ifrc.org
  4. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, ICRC (2024). Emergency Items Catalogue (specifications of relief items). itemscatalogue.redcross.int
  5. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2024). Emergency Handbook (shelter, settlement and core relief items chapters). emergency.unhcr.org
  6. Global Shelter Cluster (2024). Shelter Projects: case studies of shelter responses. shelterprojects.org
  7. Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) (2010). IASC Framework on Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons. interagencystandingcommittee.org