RFAs: Provision of Shelter and Non-Food Item Assistance for Refugees and Displaced Persons in Sudan

Deadline: 15-Sep-2026

UNHCR Sudan is seeking qualified partners to provide shelter and non-food item (NFI) assistance to refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and affected host communities. The programme focuses on safe, dignified, inclusive, protection-sensitive, and increasingly durable shelter solutions, with priority attention to vulnerable households in North Kordofan and other targeted areas. What Is the UNHCR Sudan Shelter and NFI Programme? The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is inviting organizations to submit expressions of interest to support shelter and non-food item assistance in Sudan. The initiative forms part of UNHCR Sudan’s multi-year results framework and seeks to address the shelter and essential household needs of displaced and crisis-affected populations. The programme focuses particularly on North Kordofan, while interventions may also be implemented in other locations identified by UNHCR. The overall objective is to ensure that affected populations have access to shelter solutions that are: The specific form of assistance should be determined according to the needs of affected populations, local market conditions, feasibility, and protection and safety considerations. Shelter Assistance Modalities

Partners may use different delivery mechanisms depending on the operating environment

These may include:

In-kind assistance: Physical shelter materials, emergency shelter kits, tents, or other items.

Cash assistance: Financial support that allows households to address eligible shelter needs.

Voucher assistance: Vouchers for obtaining approved shelter-related goods or services.

Mixed modalities: A combination of cash, vouchers, and in-kind assistance.

Partners are expected to assess the feasibility, risks, markets, and protection implications before selecting an assistance modality. Priority Households The programme establishes a prioritization approach to ensure assistance reaches people with the greatest shelter and protection needs.

Priority may be given to:

Newly arrived displaced households. Secondarily displaced households. Households affected by floods or fires. People living in open areas. People living in unsafe structures. Households containing persons with specific needs. This prioritization should be implemented transparently and in accordance with UNHCR protection standards. Protection Principles Protection is a central component of the shelter programme. Partners must integrate protection principles throughout assessment, targeting, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. Shelter assistance should not create additional protection risks or exclude people because of age, gender, disability, displacement status, or other vulnerabilities. Community Participation UNHCR encourages meaningful participation by affected communities throughout the project cycle.

Communities may participate in:

Shelter planning. Site improvement activities. Household targeting. Distribution planning. Monitoring. Feedback mechanisms. Identification of shelter needs. Disaster risk reduction activities. Community engagement can help ensure that interventions reflect actual needs and local conditions. Partners should establish accessible mechanisms through which affected people can provide feedback, raise concerns, and report problems. Site and Settlement Improvements The programme can also support improvements to settlements where these activities reduce protection and environmental risks.

Potential activities include:

Clearing blocked drainage systems. Improving access routes. Flood mitigation. Improving communal shelters. Rehabilitation of shared facilities. Reducing exposure to environmental hazards. Improving settlement-level safety. Disaster risk reduction measures. These interventions should be designed according to local risks and technical standards. Local Materials and Market-Based Approaches Where feasible, partners are encouraged to use: Locally available materials. Local labour. Local suppliers. Market-based approaches. Environmentally responsible materials and practices. Using local resources can help strengthen local economies while reducing logistical challenges and potentially improving the sustainability of shelter interventions. However, local procurement must not compromise technical quality, safety, protection, or humanitarian standards. Moving Toward Durable Shelter Solutions The programme recognizes that repeated emergency shelter assistance may not provide a sustainable solution for populations experiencing prolonged displacement. Where circumstances permit, partners should therefore support a gradual transition from emergency assistance toward: The transition should be adapted to the security, displacement, land, market, and humanitarian context of each location. Who Is Eligible? The call is intended for qualified organizations capable of implementing shelter and NFI interventions for displaced and affected populations in Sudan. Potential partners should demonstrate the operational and technical capacity necessary to: Deliver shelter assistance. Provide NFI support. Work with displaced and host communities. Apply protection principles. Conduct needs assessments. Manage distributions or cash-based assistance. Engage communities. Monitor activities. Establish feedback and accountability mechanisms. Apply relevant shelter and settlement standards. Address the needs of women, children, older persons, and persons with disabilities. Organizations should also demonstrate an understanding of the Sudanese operating context and the specific shelter needs of targeted communities. What Partners Are Expected to Do Selected partners will be expected to design and implement shelter and NFI interventions based on identified needs.

Core responsibilities may include:

Assessing shelter and household needs. Identifying priority households. Designing appropriate shelter solutions. Providing emergency or transitional shelter