Advice for Relief Workers

General Principles

  • Migration and displacement make people very vulnerable to health problems including nutritional, infection and psychological difficulties.
  • Poor water supplies and sanitation make faecal-oral diseases very likely.
  • Poor accommodation and drainage encourages diseases such as malaria.
  • Children are especially vulnerable to malnutrition when food is in short supply.
  • Often these groups end up moving from one site to another.
  • Emergency care workers must anticipate being called on urgently and keep up to date with vaccinations.
  • Confirm in advance that workers can tolerate anti-malaria drugs that may be required.
  • Volunteers may wish to have personal belongings and equipment prepared in advance
  • Relief efforts must be carefully planned. ‘Good will’ without planning can be counterproductive.

Response to sudden population movements

  • Security is paramount. Have a clear security policy. The death of an aid worker can halt the whole aid effort.
  • Priorities are: blankets/shelter, water, food (including fuel and cooking utensils), sanitation, measles vaccination and vitamin A distribution.
  • Start with a rapid needs and capacity assessment.
  • Include a careful assessment of the likely adverse impacts of aid (eg fuelling conflict, putting local farmers out of business).
  • Work with and through local structures where possible (capacity building). Build up a local team.
  • Understand existing development initiatives in the area and national health strategies and work with, rather than against these.
  • Aim for sustainability when feasible. Have a thinking approach to the situation.
  • Target women and children as they die first.
  • Establish surveillance early on.
  • Primary health care is usually more effective than interventions at secondary level.
  • Use only drugs on the WHO essential drugs list.
  • Work on the political and diplomacy aspects.
  • You may need to lobby and use advocacy to mobilise a much bigger aid effort.
  • Preparedness for a worsening of the situation is essential.
  • Rigorous audit, evaluation and monitoring is essential.
  • Good inter-agency co-ordination is critical.
  • Good leadership is needed to keep teams functional during extreme stress.

Code of Conduct in Disaster Relief (International Red Cross, Red Crescent and NGOs)

  • The humanitarian imperative comes first.
  • Aid is given regardless of race, creed or nationality of the recipients and without adverse distinction of any kind.
  • Aid priorities are calculated on the basis of need alone.
  • Aid will not be used to further a particular political or religious standpoint.
  • We shall endeavour not to act as instruments of government foreign policy.
  • We shall respect culture and custom.
  • We shall attempt to build disaster response on local capacities.
  • Ways shall be found to involve programme beneficiaries in the management of relief aid.
  • Relief aid must strive to reduce future vulnerabilities to disaster as well as meeting basic needs.
  • We hold ourselves accountable to both those we seek to assist and those from whom we accept resources.
  • In publicity and advertising we recognise disaster victims as dignified human beings.