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This picture-led booklet advises on seasonal food growing in refugee camps, made by Re-Alliance's partner SOILS Permaculture Association - Lebanon, in partnership with German Development Cooperation - GIZ, Mercy Corps, and the World Food Program. Translated from the original Arabic with permission from SOILS Permaculture Association - Lebanon. < Back Seasonal Food Growing in Refugee Settlements This picture-led booklet advises on seasonal food growing in refugee camps, made by Re-Alliance's partner SOILS Permaculture Association - Lebanon, in partnership with German Development Cooperation - GIZ, Mercy Corps, and the World Food Program. Translated from the original Arabic with permission from SOILS Permaculture Association - Lebanon. Donate to Re-Alliance Stay updated with our newsletter Download for free: English, Arabic & Greek

This illustrated guide explores how to build and maintain a urine-diversion composting toilet called an Ecosan, which captures nutrient-rich urine for plant fertiliser, and human manure for use in farming. < Back Ecosans: Toilets in a Barrel This illustrated guide explores how to build and maintain a urine-diversion composting toilet called an Ecosan, which captures nutrient-rich urine for plant fertiliser, and human manure for use in farming. Donate to Re-Alliance Stay updated with our newsletter Download for free: English Español Français عربي Swahili

Create raised beds with capillary-fed watering systems, for water-stressed or drought-prone regions. < Back Wicking Beds Create raised beds with capillary-fed watering systems, for water-stressed or drought-prone regions. Donate to Re-Alliance Stay updated with our newsletter Download for free: English عربي Swahili Español Português Français

< back Date of completion: 1 Oct 2023 Vermicomposting Toilets In Bekaa, Lebanon, Farms Not Arms built three vermicompost toilets for refugee families. These innovative toilets use worms to convert human waste into compost. Implemented by our partners Farms Not Arms in Lebanon, three vermicompost toilets were constructed for refugee families in Bekaa, Lebanon. Two were located in a camp, while the third was situated on a nearby regenerative farm. Vermicomposting toilets are an innovative option for waste management. These toilets work with worms to break down human waste into compost, reducing water use and eliminating the need for chemical treatments. This method lowers water usage and environmental impact and also produces nutrient-rich compost that can be used for gardening. Farms Not Arms hosted three workshops, involving representatives from the camp, to cover topics such as sanitation practices, vermicompost toilet functions, and design. Each vermicompost toilet was designed to accommodate daily usage by six to eight individuals, with each tank having a capacity of 0.9 cubic meters. Considering this usage, each tank can hold waste for approximately six months to a year without the need for emptying. These toilets operated on a semi-flush system, ideal for communities who wash instead of wipe after using the toilet. The water washed away in a soak-away garden. The average cost of constructing each toilet was around GBP £814, with small ongoing maintenance costs. All surveyed participants expressed satisfaction with the placement of the toilets and their overall functionality.

< back Date of completion: 1 Jun 2023 Ecosan Composting Toilets Urine diversion, dry composting toilets in a barrel, enriching soils for more nutrient-rich crops and healthier people. Seven dry Ecosan compost toilets, built by YICE Uganda in collaboration with Re-Alliance, were constructed in four villages within the Nakivale camp in Uganda. An innovative design, utilizing flood-proof containers that could be easily swapped, maximized the limited space available. A comprehensive illustrated booklet, translated into multiple languages, was produced to provide information on the proper use of the toilets. Additionally, 100 households received training on the safe reuse of urine in crop production. Single-parent households with children with disabilities were particularly selected for the project. One such household is Chantal's, a refugee widow from Congo, who has a firstborn son with epilepsy. Chantal expressed gratitude for the Ecosan toilet, stating, “I am Chantal, a refugee widow from Congo, and my firstborn is epileptic. I was always concerned about what might happen to my son during an attack while using a pit latrine. However, all my worries were alleviated after receiving an Ecosan toilet.”

< Back Ruth Andrade Chair of the Trustee Board Ruth has more than 10 years of experience in environmental project management and development in the business sector and two decades experience in education. In the last 10 years, Ruth has been involved in community development, sustainable livelihoods, collaborative project design and participatory governance processes. Ruth’s focus is in building and energising networks to create a bridge between industrial growth and a new culture that can sustain complex life on the planet. Ruth gives her time to designing, developing, testing and learning strategies, patterns and worldviews that can support this new flourishing culture. She has an MSc in Advanced Environment and Energy Studies.

Re-Alliance is a global network of regenerative practitioners working in the humanitarian and development sectors. Find out more about us. About Re-Alliance Re-Alliance is a coalition of field practitioners, policymakers, educators, community leaders and humanitarian and development workers, sharing skills and experience to grow the influence and impact of regenerative development in the humanitarian field. Its work focuses on regenerative development and its response to disaster and displacement. We ask the question, how can we create long-term resilience and abundance while responding to immediate humanitarian crises? Profiled work showcases the restoration and revitalisation of social and ecological systems which integrate the needs of society with the integrity of nature. Through the solidarity of valuing and elevating the existing regenerative practices of its membership, the alliance seeks to share and develop knowledge and extend awareness beyond the group to stimulate further practice. It aims to increase the expertise of the independent members by sharing learning between researchers and practitioners, and to build a collective voice for cross-sector influence and impact. Re-Alliance was registered with the UK Charity Commission as a charity in April 2020 and its charity number is 1188936. History During the 2018 Lush Spring Prize , a group of judges and practitioners facilitating innovative projects identified a desire to unite practitioners across the field of regenerative development and integrated humanitarian response. Talking and researching further, gaps were identified for making this work more effective. The gaps concerned the collection of evidence for this pioneering work; the possibility to influence and give legitimacy to this approach with funders and policy makers and; the capacity for transformation at scale. There are many good examples of effective methods being applied across the globe, which use regenerative approaches to humanitarian and development work but, to date, these have not entered the mainstream. We are committed to taking a coordinated and systematic approach to recording evidence and influencing funders and policy makers that impact large scale humanitarian and development interventions. Groundbreaking practitioners are successfully working in the application of regenerative development in the humanitarian and development fields. As pioneers, they often have limited time to record evidence; have limited resources to scale; and a limited platform to share their innovations. To address these limitations, there is a need for mutual support, learning and collaboration, as well as a need to build the evidence base, unlock funds, and communicate powerful stories of regenerative change. This pioneering work then becomes visible and legitimate both at the grassroots level and within the establishment, which enables the growth of its influence and impact. Our Mission Our mission is to strengthen a coalition of field practitioners, policy makers, educators, community leaders, and development and humanitarian workers, sharing skills and experiences to grow the influence and impact of regenerative development in the humanitarian field. We do this by: - Providing an environment for mutual learning and support amongst those active on the field, - Building a body of evidence and stories to communicate the effectiveness, authenticity and value of regenerative work, - Leveraging support and funding from large relief organisations toward regenerative groups and practices, and, - Focussing on the intersections between disaster and displacement, sustainable and innovative community-led regeneration. Our working principles include: Affected communities first Ensuring that profiled work is of benefit to people experiencing disaster and displacement, the surrounding communities and the natural environment in which the work is being undertaken. We have a small team with lean administration costs, aiming to direct any funds we accumulate toward maximum effectiveness. Integrity Ensuring integrity through use of sociocratric principles which enable robust, defensible and inclusive decision making. Openness, transparency and sharing All of the work we do is promoted openly, in order to grow the legitimacy of regenerative practices. Support Embodying care and support for all those in contact with Re-Alliance.

What does regeneration mean? What are some movements, practices, and knowledge systems that could be described as regenerative? What does this have to do with the humanitarian and development sectors? What do we mean by Regeneration? Donate Contact us Visit us on social media Re-Alliance seeks to showcase regenerative solutions in the humanitarian and development sectors. But what is regeneration? What does it mean to be regenerative? One way of visualising regeneration is on a spectrum or continuum, like that shown below (adapted from Bill Reed's 'Shifting from Sustainability to Regeneration ', 2007) . Sustainability focusses on minimising damage to the environment and human health, and using resources more efficiently to limit the degradation of earth’s natural systems. Regenerative approaches, however, seek to go beyond simply minimising damage, instead reversing the degradation of the planet's living systems and seeking to restore a healthy relationship between humans and other life. Regenerative development encourages us to design human systems that co-evolve with ecological systems to generate mutual benefits and greater expression of life and resilience. There are many terms that you might have noticed when reading about regenerative movements. Regeneration could be seen as a web of many intersecting movements and knowledge bases, each with their own unique framework for engaging with living systems. Image above: just some of the movements and knowledge systems which could be describes as regenerative. Not an exhaustive list. You may have heard of some of the movements in the image above: Permaculture , Agroecology , Biomimicry and more. Each have their own uniquenesses, teachings, methodologies, and have emerged from different contexts. While each of these movements are unique, what are some shared understandings amongst all of them? When exploring the intersections of these movements and knowledge systems, we might see that many of them include an ethical framework , a set of nature-inspired principles , and a unique worldview . These filter into the way practitioners interact and participate with the world around them - holistically designing their own solutions. A common aim of regenerative movements could be to increase health of ecological, social and/or economic systems. • Ethical Frameworks Regenerative movements tend to have ethical codes at their core, to help guide practitioners. For example, Permaculture has three core ethics : Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share. Permaculture practitioners must meet these ethics when designing. Some Permaculture practitioners add a fourth ethic: Animal Care. • Underlying Attitudes and Worldviews Regeneration can also challenge dominant worldviews, and offer an alternative. For example, many regenerative practitioners might say that the exploitation of ecological systems can be directly linked to a cultural separation from nature's living systems. Regenerative practitioners might aim to shift these attitudes toward one of collaboration , with an understanding that humans are part of living systems, not separate from them. • Nature-Inspired Principles Principles help to guide regenerative practitioners' actions, giving them a lens from which to view and interact with the world. For example, there are the Ten Elements of Agroecology , or the Principles of Permaculture . • Whole-Systems Design Design could mean the conscious engagement with a system; using a basis of ethics, attitudes and principles to help guide and shape the way we interact. Regenerative practitioners look to create holistic approaches in their interventions. • A Key Goal: Increasing Health A core goal of many regenerative practitioners when they design could be described as increasing the health of the systems they interact with: social systems, ecological systems, even economic systems. A design process Humans are one of the only species on Earth to have drastically changed the shape of the world that we are part of. We may be the only species who has done so in a way that degrades and destroys, that reduces the capacity to sustain a diversity of life. However, humans also have the ability to create immense positive benefits in the ecological and social landscape. Framing regeneration as a design process helps us harness this ability and use it to plan ways of creating positive change. Regenerative design empowers the practitioner to observe and then make change for the benefit of all Life. Design processes also help us acknowledge that it is not always just the outcome of work that is most important. How we do things matters. The way we work and the processes we use can also help us infuse our ethics and values into the work. Watch Re-Alliance's series about regenerative design processes below, where we interview a number of Re-Alliance members to hear their experiences about following these processes. Play Video Play Video 50:55 Play Video Play Video 01:02:00 Play Video Play Video 30:32 Play Video Play Video 38:46 Play Video Play Video 40:54 Play Video Play Video 30:44 A whole-systems, regenerative approach to disaster relief, human settlements and development How could regeneration apply to humanitarian and development contexts? As with many aspects of the dominant culture, humanitarian and development interventions are often designed in a mechanistic or reductionist manner, removing the affected communities from their wider context and systems. Development measures that are not built to withstand crises are the result of short term thinking, as are relief measures that are not connected to improving and developing areas affected by disaster. The recent emergence of the term resilience in the humanitarian world has brought a new perspective to an old idea, and opened space for thinking about a more integrated response. Some of the hurdles lie in the siloed nature of international funding organisations and NGOs and the way they are structured, with different departments and agencies providing external assistance in different ways. How can we shift humanitarian and development interventions away from degrading mindsets of 'aid' and 'security', toward sovereignty? Of course, vulnerable communities subject to conflict or natural disasters may need external assistance during times of crises. The Sphere Guidelines comprise suggested international standards to be used in humanitarian response. They recommend consultation with communities themselves, and consideration of the contexts in which they are living as well as attention to the longer-term environmental impacts and consultation with host communities. A regenerative approach starts with these guidelines but recommends an integrative approach, taking into account all elements of design, environment, shelter solutions, local markets, and a closed loop of reusing resources. Importantly, regenerative solutions must emerge from, and be tailored to, the unique context and culture of the place. When assistance is delivered without proper consultation with communities themselves, consideration of the contexts in which they are living, or acknowledgement and action with the sovereignty and agency of those communities, such assistance can serve to create additional issues. Providing assistance to refugee populations without regard for host communities, bringing in food aid without recognition of local markets and suppliers and providing heavily packaged goods can all lead to additional long term problems on the ground. Recovery from disaster takes time, emergency support often saves time, but both need to be seen as part of a longer term approach that minimises damage to infrastructure and livelihoods and leaves communities more resilient to future shocks. Image above: some nature-inspired principles adapted from multiple regenerative movements. The Sphere Standards, which could be described as 'Sustainable', are in the centre. Regenerative approaches to disaster, displacement and development aim to layer on top of these. Re-Alliance asks the question, how can we use whole-systems design to create long-term resilience and abundance while also responding to immediate humanitarian crises? Alongside our diverse membership , we showcase regenerative designs and solutions in action. Explore some regenerative movements and methodologies using the map below using the zoom in (+) and out (-) buttons on the right. View full screen map Re-Alliance | Why Regenerative Design? Play Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied See Re-Alliance's Services

How do you grow nutritious, edible mushrooms in reusable containers? This guide explores one method of using upcycled plastic containers to grow mushrooms for food. < Back Growing Mushrooms in Reusable Containers How do you grow nutritious, edible mushrooms in reusable containers? This guide explores one method of using upcycled plastic containers to grow mushrooms for food. Donate to Re-Alliance Stay updated with our newsletter Download for free: English Español Português عربي Swahili Français

< back Date of completion: 1 Feb 2025 Mobile Wind Power Community designed micro-wind turbines for camps and settlements. School of the Earth's Wind Mobile project is trialling the development of mobile wind turbines to provide sustainable, decentralised energy solutions for camps and displaced communities, seeking to integrate renewable energy into humanitarian and community resilience efforts. The project is developing small-scale, mobile wind turbines that can be easily manufactured using locally available materials or tech waste, and that can be adapted to different environmental conditions. Designs were co-developed with Fab Labs, several community makerspaces, and refugee-led innovation hubs like Habibi.Works, Energy in a Box, FabLab Winam, and CC4D, ensuring adaptability to diverse contexts. Prototypes range from 1.2m to 4m rotor diameters, utilising recycled magnets and local materials, offering low-cost and scalable alternatives for off-grid energy access. Through this partnership, School of the Earth and Re-Alliance are hoping that clean energy can become an accessible part of community-led humanitarian responses, empowering communities to generate their own energy, skills, and futures.

A study looking at the impact of new and previously established gardens in Cox's Bazar refugee camps on people's well-being and nutrition, as well as the costs and benefits of the different approaches used. < Back Growing in Crisis: The costs, benefits and transformative potential of food growing in Cox's Bazar A study looking at the impact of new and previously established gardens in Cox's Bazar refugee camps on people's well-being and nutrition, as well as the costs and benefits of the different approaches used. Donate to Re-Alliance Stay updated with our newsletter Download for free: English

Regenerative Camps and Settlement Projects for Refugees and IDP communities following disaster and Displacement Current Project: Regenerative Camps & Settlements Great oaks from little acorns grow: from pilots to system-change. A £191,000 project over 3 years aiming to increase the impact and influence of regenerative solutions to disaster and displacement. Over the next three years, Re-Alliance will be working on our ‘Regenerative Camps and Settlements' project. The project will pilot regenerative interventions within formal and informal camps for refugees and IDPs. The learnings from the projects will inform our wider research into regenerative responses to disaster and displacement and create content for further learning materials and knowledge sharing aimed at promoting grass-roots, community led interventions and influencing mainstream INGO activities. 1 st Funding round May 2022 41 applications received 8 projects selected In May 2022, we held our first round of funding and selected eight projects from the 41 applications received. A second round of funding is planned for 2023. The local partners selected have begun implementing change-making regenerative programmes to trial innovations which benefit local communities and the natural environment. The projects aim to enhance multiple systems, increasing the health of social, ecological and economic systems together. These projects aim to work in an integrated way to break down the traditional silos between sectors. We will have a second round of funding in 2023 when we intend to fund projects focusing on energy and communication. This round of projects include: 3 Integrated Sanitation Projects (Nakivale Uganda, Lebanon and Kakuma Kenya) Although the concept of dry and compost toilets is now understood and has been adopted in some camp settings, widespread uptake is limited because, in part, the benefits of resource creation are not understood and therefore systems are not maintained and valued. We have partnered with local groups with a focus and understanding of soil health, nutrient cycles and food growing. By integrating various designs of composting toilets with amending soils for plant growth we aim to create projects which thrive at the intersection between WASH and Livelihoods creating multiple benefits to both areas. 3 Urban Agriculture (Cameroon, Gaza and Athens) Urban agriculture increases access to healthy, affordable, fresh food and gives communities a chance to learn about nutrition and growing food. More than this, it gives people who have been uprooted from their homes purposeful, therapeutic activity. By growing and cooking favourite foods, a taste of home can be created in a new place while tiny green spaces enrich the environment and biodiversity of cities. Reducing the amount of food families have to buy increases resilience and reduces the amount of food that needs to be imported into cities at high carbon costs. The projects supported also integrate the use of upcycled and recycled materials and seed saving to reduce inputs and create regenerative cycles. Lime Stabilised Soil construction (Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh) If concrete was a country, it would be the third biggest emitter of CO2 in the world. Lime Stablised soil is a viable alternative to concrete with similar cost, strength and adaptability benefits but with a fraction of the carbon footprint. Following disasters, huge rebuilding programmes often utilise concrete for rapid rebuilding, but lime stabilised soil has been shown to have greater benefits as it allows for the use of on-site materials (soil) and reduces the need for imported materials. It therefore minimises costs, carbon and resource demands and reduces construction traffic by avoiding transport of excavated and imported materials. Lime stabilisation is established practice with a proven history of successful use internationally but cement is still the first choice by many engineers in part because of the knowledge gap of use. Lime Stablised soil could be particularly useful in projects in Cox’s Bazar, because the use of concrete is often prohibited by the authorities for political reasons. Lime could be a viable alternative to concrete without compromising on strength and safety and help the Rohingha communities build durable paths and settlements, 1 Camp Composting (Nakivale: Uganda) Closing the nutrient cycle by converting food waste into compost is a fundamental tool in turning human activity from an extractive to regenerative process. This project works at the intersection between waste management, livelihoods and health. Composting schemes such as this reduce waste management costs, enrich soils to enable healthy food to be grown and increase the health and biodiversity of the soil. Healthy soils sequester more carbon, absorb more water during heavy rainfall and facilitate organic food growing due to increased nutrient content. Anchor 1