Non-food items standard 2: Clothing and bedding

The disaster-affected population has sufficient clothing, blankets and bedding to ensure their personal comfort, dignity, health and well-being.
 

Key actions (to be read in conjunction with the guidance notes)

• Identify the separate clothing needs of women, girls, men and boys of all ages including infants and vulnerable or marginalised individuals and ensure access to required items in the correct sizes and appropriate to the culture, season and climate (see guidance notes 1–5).
   
• Identify the blanket and bedding needs of the affected population and ensure access to blankets and bedding as required to provide sufficient thermal comfort and to enable appropriate sleeping arrangements (see guidance notes 2–5).
   
• Assess the need for insecticide-treated bed nets and provide as required (see Vector control standards 1–3).
   

Key indicators (to be read in conjunction with the guidance notes)

• All women, girls, men and boys have at least two full sets of clothing in the correct size that are appropriate to the culture, season and climate (see guidance notes 1–5).
   
• All affected people have a combination of blankets, bedding, sleeping mats or mattresses and insecticide-treated bed nets where required to ensure sufficient thermal comfort and enable appropriate sleeping arrangements (see guidance notes 2–5 and Vector control standards 1–3 ).
   

Guidance notes

1. Changes of clothing: All affected people should have access to sufficient changes of clothing to ensure their thermal comfort, dignity, health and well-being. This will require at least two sets of essential items, particularly underclothes, to enable laundering.
    
2. Appropriateness: Clothing (including footwear as required) should be appropriate to climatic conditions and cultural practices and sized according to need. Infants and children up to 2 years of age should also have a blanket in addition to appropriate clothing. Bedding materials should reflect cultural practices and be sufficient in quantity to enable separate sleeping arrangements as required.
    
3. Thermal performance: The insulating properties of clothing and bedding should be considered, as well as the effect of wet or damp climatic conditions on the thermal performance of such items. A combination of clothing and bedding items should be considered to ensure the required level of thermal comfort is met. Using insulated sleeping mats or mattresses to combat heat loss through the ground may be more effective than providing additional blankets.
    
4. Durability: Clothing and bedding should be sufficiently durable to accommodate typical wear and prolonged usage.
    
5. Specific needs: Those individuals most at risk should have additional clothing and bedding to meet their needs. This includes people with incontinence problems, people with chronic illness, pregnant and lactating women, older people and individuals with impaired mobility. Infants, children, those with restricted mobility and older people are more prone to heat loss and hence may require additional clothing, blankets, etc., to maintain appropriate levels of thermal comfort. Given their lack of mobility, older people and the ill or infirm will require particular attention, such as the provision of mattresses or raised beds.

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