Bamboo Booklet – a Proposal Guidelines for the use of bamboo in humanitarian relief

Introduction The aim is to produce a booklet that is practical guide to making the best use of bamboo in the emergency phase of disaster relief Bamboo is a material that is versatile, readily available, widespread, cheap and ecologically sustainable A large amount of information on the use of bamboo already exists There is worldwide expertise on practical applications of bamboo What is needed is that this existing information is distilled into a single, easy to use guide that has practical applications in the field

Who would use it? The booklet is intended to form part of the series that includes “Plastic Sheeting: A guide to the specification and use of plastic sheeting in humanitarian relief “ (2007) and “Timber: A guide to the planning, use, procurement and logistics of timber as a construction material in humanitarian relief”. As it is part of the series it is important that the booklets do not overlap but it is equally important that booklets can function in isolation. Initially the booklet would be produced in English to conform to the other booklets The booklet would be distributed to INGOs for the planning and implementation of shelter and non-food item strategies Direct users would be: Programme and project managers, field coordinators, planners and those responsible for direct implementation The booklet will be translated and distributed in the same manner as the previous booklets Expertise exists within existing non-freeware – no wheel reinvention, rather literature review and distillation/specification for specified purposes in shelter

Steps taken by A4A A4A have contacted Shelter Centre so this booklet could be presented at this meeting We have contacted Practical Action to introduce the project A4A held a workshop in October 2007 to investigate bamboo jointing techniques for a project in Thailand Attending the workshop were some of the UK’s most foremost experts in bamboo. They have agreed to provide assistance in the provision of references and contacts. They will also be assisting in the moderating and editing of the first draft of the document. These experts are as follows: –David Trujillio –Gema Diaz-Matthias –Michael Gibbs –Jack Everett A4A have prepared a draft contents page [to be distributed for comment] A4A have undertaken to conduct the initial research and participate in the assimilation and distillation of the existing information and produce a draft by an appropriate deadline in 2008

The Process A4A intend to collaborate with the partners that produced the previous booklets for guidance We are seeking collaborating participants through SM07b A timeline will be proposed to fit participation We propose a Scoping Study for presentation at the Shelter Centre Meeting 08a/b The collaboration will aim to produce a draft by in early 2008 which will be sent to the aforementioned experts, among others, for comment This will then be added to, edited and presented to the peer group members for comment soon after this. Advice will be sought for when the deadline will be set for the information to be supplied to the publishing organisation A4A can set up a link from their website which will provide a forum for comments or additional input. A4A anticipate the need employ a full time research assistant and provide them with an office and administrative support

Support A4A require support of the Shelter Centre participants in the following areas: Field expertise – input from local organisations or partners that have used bamboo as a material, either for construction or as NFI and can suggest what works and what does not in real life scenario Peer group assessment members – individuals, groups or organisations with expertise or an interest in using this document who would participate in the editing process of the scoping study Organisations that could host and/or fund peer group review meetings Experts from countries or organisations that use bamboo on a regular basis who could provide detailed practical information on: –Construction of shelters –Combinations of bamboo and other materials –Contextual design considerations like climate or pest control –Methods of preparation –Methods of harvesting and replanting –Uses of bamboo not related to shelter. i.e. ideas of use to use bamboo to replace non-food items like eating and cooking utensils or crockery –Risks, if any, of using bamboo or of gathering bamboo –Considerations of procurement of natural materials, for instance, environmental impact. –Any other areas that may be needed to be covered that are not detailed here. Funders – we are looking to raise ca £35,000 to cover the costs of a full time research assistant and the associated expenses including travel to peer group meetings Production Partners – organisations that can help in the printing, publishing and initial distribution of the Scoping Study.