[Founder and Managing Director of Better Shelter Johan Karlsson and Co-founder of SEEDS India Dr. Manu Gupta at the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding in New Delhi on Thursday]
New Delhi [India], November 15: In response to the growing humanitarian challenges faced by millions worldwide, India-based NGO SEEDS and Sweden’s nonprofit foundation Better Shelter join forces to pioneer locally adapted, scalable shelters that strengthen community resilience before and after disasters.
On November 13 at the Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi, SEEDS and Better Shelter signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen their partnership and scale locally adapted RHU Structures across India, combining modular shelter innovation with deep community expertise. Together, they will advance localisation, government engagement and regional response efforts to deliver resilient, dignified shelter solutions where they are needed most.
Their collaboration was showcased at a joint event hosted by the Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi – “Humanitarian Innovation for Resilience” – where policymakers, humanitarian leaders, and private sector representatives from India and Sweden gathered to explore new pathways for cooperation.
At the event, guests saw and experienced a full-scale RHU Structure, an award-winning shelter developed by Better Shelter currently in use by disaster affected communities across India.
[Founder and Managing Director of Better Shelter Johan Karlsson, Co-founder of SEEDS India Dr. Manu Gupta and Sweden’s Ambassador to India Jan Thesleff at the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding in New Delhi on Thursday.]
“We are co-building the future of shelter together,” said Johan Karlsson, Founder and Managing Director of Better Shelter. “This partnership is about combining global innovation with local leadership to reach more displaced people, faster and more sustainably.”
“Real innovation happens when local communities lead,” said Dr. Manu Gupta, Co-founder of SEEDS. “Our collaboration with Better Shelter reflects a shared vision – that resilience must be built from the ground up, through trust, technology, and people-centred design.”
Speaking on the occasion, Sweden’s Ambassador to India, Jan Thesleff said, “Safe, dignified and sustainable shelter is vital in any emergency. Better Shelter’s innovative, human-centred approach offers functional and secure housing that restores dignity for displaced communities. In India, its partnership with SEEDS shows how global innovation and local expertise can together provide safe homes for those affected by disasters.”
A call for new partnerships
As disasters grow more frequent and severe, humanitarian operations remain critically underfunded. Both organisations call for urgent collaboration between governments, businesses, NGOs, donors, and philanthropists to address natural disasters across India as well as the war in Sudan, floods in Pakistan, and earthquakes in Afghanistan. “No single actor can meet today’s humanitarian challenges alone,” Johan Karlsson added. “Innovation and collaboration are essential, and partnerships like ours demonstrate how it can be done.”
About SEEDS
SEEDS (Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society) is an Indian nonprofit organization working to protect lives and livelihoods against disasters through community-based approaches, resilience building, and humanitarian response. www.seedsindia.org
About Better Shelter
Better Shelter is a Swedish non-profit foundation that develops and provides temporary shelter for displaced people. Since 2015, nearly 100,000 shelters have been deployed in over 90 countries, serving as temporary homes, schools, and clinics. www.bettershelter.org
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