Review of the IFRC-led Shelter Cluster Burkina Faso September 2009 Floods Response

In October 2009 IFRC provided shelter coordination support to Burkina Faso as part of the response to the sudden floods that took place on the night of 31st August to 1st September 2009 and affected approximately 150,000 people. Answering a request by the UN Resident Coordinator in Burkina Faso, the IFRC promptly sent a Coordinator to support the coordination efforts of the shelter sector group. Unlike in other emergencies, clusters were not officially called upon to coordinate the emergency response in Burkina Faso. Instead, sectoral groups were established to strengthen the coordination of activities between the government and the humanitarian community. A total of six sectoral groups were created including: education, food, shelter and NFIs, protection and water and sanitation.

IFRC supported the coordination effort by sending a Shelter Coordinator to Burkina Faso on October 1st for the period of one month. The aim of this review is to identify lessons and recommendations on the operation in response to the Burkina Faso floods of 2009. The evaluation covers the period during which the Cluster was led by the IFRC and examines the processes related to the provision of coordination in the Shelter and NFIs sector, including activation, staffing, activities, support and handover.