In August 2021, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Haiti, leaving thousands of people dead, injured or homeless. Transport and water supply infrastructure was severely damaged and, one month later, more than half a million children still lacked access to shelter, safe drinking water and hygiene facilities. Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB) Haiti and ASB Germany (part of Sphere’s focal point in Germany) worked together to install SkyHydrant^TM water filters and deliver Sphere standards training in affected areas, putting local people and their capacities at the centre of their response.

 “I really enjoyed watching this video. Water is life, and the SkyHydrant was crucial for our drinking water.” Delgado, ASB Haiti driver and technician

“Thank you for the film from Haiti. It made me feel emotional. The cuts felt real in the way of old black and white television reports coming from other sides of the world. I think this is also a reflection of community participation and depending on local resources and skills. I found this film very relevant to what I dream of, which is to keep humanitarian work out of extravagance. It is true that this way of using simple tools to produce film is popular now, but it is brilliant to see that in humanitarian also”. Muhamad, post-graduate student in Geneva

The Haiti case study video has French and English audio with captions available in English, French and Spanish.

Sphere in action

Sphere in action is a series of video case studies which demonstrate how Sphere standards are applied
in different contexts around the world. They are useful as learning supports for Sphere workshops and courses.

Video #1: Applying Sphere standards in the Yemen response (2019)

With over 24 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, Yemen is today’s largest humanitarian crisis. The Yemen Family Care Association (جمعية رعاية الأسرة), a Sphere focal point organisation in Yemen, applies the Sphere standards in their response to ensure the quality of humanitarian assistance and make themselves accountable to the communities served.

The Yemen case study video has Arabic and English audio with captions available in Arabic, English and French.

Video #2: Applying Sphere Standards in Brazil (2021)

Since 2016, Brazil has received hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants from Venezuela. The country is also struggling with one of the highest COVID-19-related death rates in Latin America. Fraternidade – International Humanitarian Missions (FIHM), a Sphere focal point organisation in Brazil, aims to place people in crisis at the centre of the humanitarian response.

The Brazil case study video has Portuguese and English audio with captions available in Arabic, English and French.