ABOUT US
Better Shelter is a Swedish non-profit organisation dedicated to creating safer, more dignified living conditions for displaced people worldwide.
Hope starts with a home
We started developing shelters in 2010 to provide displaced persons with safety, dignity, and hope on their path towards a more stable life in a permanent home.
We are an independent non-profit based in Sweden, with no political or religious affiliations. We provide displaced people with safe, dignified shelters and a first step toward a more stable life. We deliver shelters from our warehouses in Poland, Türkiye and Panama, in partnership with NGOs, UN agencies, companies, foundations, philanthropists and academic institutions. Guided by the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, we work to protect the most vulnerable and alleviate suffering.
Values and principles
Everyone has the right to a safe and dignified life. This guides everything we do.
Our history
15 years ago, we set out to create better temporary shelters for displaced people. Learn more about our journey.
Annual reviews
Read about our work in recent years providing shelters, schools and clinics with our partners worldwide.
Better Shelter is wholly owned by the Better Shelter Foundation. The Foundation supports Better Shelter’s work by investing in initiatives that develop better housing and promote sustainable development.
To achieve its goals, the foundation focuses on creating and sharing well-designed products, services and knowledge that meet the needs and circumstances of displaced and vulnerable communities.
Its work is guided by three core principles: understanding and responding to the needs and financial realities of the people it serves; collaborating with partners across sectors, including companies, NGOs, government agencies and universities; designing scalable solutions that can make a real difference in people’s lives.
All of the Foundation’s resources are reinvested in efforts that support this mission, whether through Better Shelter or other organisations working toward the same goals.
Almost 100,000 shelters in 90 countries
We deliver shelters globally from warehouses in Poland, Türkiye and Panama. Since 2015, we have provided 93,250 shelters to emergency and development response in 90 countries.
Local and global partners
Together with humanitarian NGOs, UN agencies, foundations and academics, including UNHCR, the IKEA Foundation and the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, we’ve helped improve life for hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
Media
Our team
Together with our partners, we work every day to support displaced people with safety and dignity.