Shelter For Life International (SFL) is a US based non-profit, non-governmental relief and development organization dedicated to helping severely affected people displaced or made homeless by war, conflict or natural disaster. SFL is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

 and is currently operating in Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

, Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

, Tajikistan

Tajikistan

Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....

, Haiti

Haiti

Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...

 and Sudan

Sudan

Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...

.

SFL addresses the need for shelter through the construction of both transitional and permanent homes. SFL provides families emergency assistance needed to shield them from dangerous living conditions and then works with them to rebuild their communities and restore lives. Families and communities share responsibility for re-constructing their homes and villages and receive help in the form of training, tools, materials and technical assistance. The majority of construction materials are purchased locally whenever available.

Transitional Shelters
When shelters are urgently needed and there is inadequate time to construct permanent shelters, SFL enables families to build durable transitional shelters. These shelters are temporary in nature, but utilize basic materials which can be reused in the construction of a permanent home in the future. Transitional shelters provide immediate relief to untenable living situations while offering a sustainable, long-term benefit. They are preferable to the use of tents, which are temporary and not able to withstand prolonged use over time.

Permanent Shelters
Most SFL shelter projects consist of building permanent, durable shelters that utilize local architecture and simple designs that are able to better withstand earthquakes and other natural disasters. Construction materials vary from country to country depending on local culture and customs, but common materials include handmade mud bricks, concrete blocks, tin sheeting, and clay tiles. Houses are largely constructed by the beneficiary family with support, training, tools, and materials supplied by SFL.

Earthquake and Disaster Mitigation
SFL has received international recognition for implementing shelter designs that incorporate simple, cost-effective technical measures that reduce the damage from earthquakes and other disasters. Construction techniques include reinforced walls, rigid wooden ring beams, corner bracing, and strategic door and window location. Beneficiaries who live in earthquake zones also receive awareness and preparedness training to equip them with the skills and knowledge to survive future disasters.