Preface

This guideline is presented in 3 parts:

- Nutrition Strategies in Emergency Situations
- Rapid Nutrition Surveys
- Selective Feeding Programmes

The purpose of this book is to facilitate the application of fundamental concepts and principles necessary for the assessment of nutritional problems and the implementation of nutritional programmes to assist populations in emergency situations.

Emergency nutrition interventions are among the most vital components of an emergency relief response. It is an extremely complex subject and the form of response depends on many factors. This guideline is not supposed to be another academic work on nutrition; there are already various excellent reference works available. Nor is it meant to promote a <<recipe book>> approach to the definition of nutrition problems and the implementation/promotion of adequate responses. Every programme in each country or region has its own particularities according to the context (when in doubt, please contact your medical department at headquarters).

All MSF sections collaborated in the production of this work to help standardize nutritional emergency approaches, to allow greater comparison between programmes and over time; and to improve the impact of external reporting. Nevertheless, this guideline leaves enough room for adaption to the local context.

Nutrition should be considered as an integral part of health related issues in emergencies. Nutrition has its place in need assessment, monitoring, information systems, preventive and curative services and public health measures.

We invite field workers working in nutritional programmes to send us their comments on these guidelines. Their comments and suggestions have been essential in the formation of these guidelines and are required for the continuing development of methods and approaches to the problems faced in the field.

Please send your remarks to:

Médecins Sans Frontières Belgium / Département Médical
Rue du Pre, 94- 1090 Brussels
Tel.: (32) 2- 47 47 474 -
Telex: (046) 63607 MSF B -
Fax: (32) 2- 47 47 575

Médecins Sans Frontières France / Département Médical
8, rue Saint-Sabin, 75544 Paris Cedex 11
Tel.: (33) 1- 40 21 29 29 -
Telex: 214630 F -
Fax: (33) 1- 48 06 68 68

Médecins Sans Frontières Holland / Medical Dept.
Max Euweplein 40, PO Box 10014 - 1001 EA Amsterdam
Tel.: (31) 20- 520 87 00 -
Telex: (044) 10773 MSF NL -
Fax: (31) 20- 620 51 70