ICN recommendations:
supporting the South Asia tsunami relief effort

GENEVA, 5 January 2005 
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) offers the following guidance to its member national nurses associations (NNAs) and individual nurses worldwide who are seeking to respond in the most useful way to the dramatic need for relief assistance in the earthquake and tsunami hit region of South Asia. Many have been swift to offer funds as well as their nursing skills. ICN made immediate contact with the national nurses associations in the affected countries, though communications remain a challenge.

Providing funds for relief operations

• Money to support operations and purchase desperately needed supplies are the most urgent need at this time. Donations are most effectively used by the reputable international relief coordinating agencies, as they can make the speediest and most direct use of the money. A list is provided below*.
  
  
• National nurses associations can facilitate the donation process by providing links on their websites directly to the donation function of the national societies representing the international coordinating agencies, or directly to the agencies themselves.

Providing funds for the support of nursing and nursing services
National nurses associations and individual nurses may want to direct their donations to support nursing and nursing services including donations for nurses who have themselves been directly affected by the disaster. ICN has coordinated with the member national nurses associations in the affected countries in order to:

	Determine their needs.
	Establish an effective mechanism for NNAs and individual nurses to donate funds to the national nurses association in the affected countries via the ICN website at http://www.icn.ch/tsunami.htm

Further information is posted on the ICN Website http://www.icn.ch/tsunami.htm and attached a to this document.

Volunteering to work ‘on the ground’
Many nurses have expressed their willingness to volunteer for relief work in the worst hit areas. Currently there is no capacity to absorb any further relief workers on the ground. However, the relief effort and subsequent reconstruction will be long-term and nursing skills will be needed for many months to come.

It is important that nurses who wish to volunteer are part of a comprehensive plan to mobilize the right number of properly prepared health professionals. This is best accomplished by working through and registering with your national nurses association and/or the national branches of the major disaster relief agencies, such as the Red Cross, Red Crescent and others. It is not advisable for individual nurses to travel to the disaster struck area on their own.

	Contact their national nurses associations or the relevant national disaster relief organization for full information on volunteering services on the ground;
	Update vaccinations appropriately;
	Update all relevant skills and training;
	Ensure that their current place of employment can cope with and plan for staff absences.

	Coordinate with the national disaster relief societies regarding the need for nurse volunteers;
	Provide contact and further information for nurses wishing to volunteer;
	Maintain a roster of nurses wishing to volunteer and make this information available to disaster relief organizations.

What else can you do
Your country may have communities of citizens who originate from the affected countries and these communities may be in need of both funding and moral support.

Lobby your government to give sufficient aid and to sustain this support as long as it is needed, while remembering the continuing needs of developing countries in Asia, Africa and elsewhere.

WHO has set up a web page including suggestions on how health professionals can help. The website provides information about cash donations, donations in kind (including drug donations), and the recruitment of emergency specialists www.who.int/hac/crises/international/asia_tsunami/donate/en/

ICN Resources for Disasters

	ICN Position Statement: Nurses and Disaster Preparedness
	ICN Website on Disaster Response and Preparedness http://icn.ch/disasterprep.htm

*International Relief Coordinating Agencies

Supporting the South Asia Tsunami Relief Effort – Recommendations from the International Council of Nurses & ICN Memo to Member National Nurses [pdf file, 92 KB]

Editor’s Note:

ICN/PR05 #01

Site Map | About ICN | Programme Areas | ICN Members | ICN Policies | Nursing Networks |
Book Shop | News Room | Fact Sheets | Guidelines | Contact Us | Search | FAQs | Home

© 1899 International Council of Nurses (ICN) Copying, downloading
and distribution of material from the ICN web page is permitted as long
as credit in print is given and that the material will not be used for
commercial or for-profit purposes without permission.