Pre-packed kits for emergencies and beyond
The kits serve as a first response to urgent needs where local market solutions are not immediately available or accessible.
In response to emergencies, UNICEF has designed pre-packed kits to meet the various needs of children and their families in vulnerable or under-resourced situations. The items in these kits are especially critical for delivering medical care, safe water and hygiene, protection and education to restore a sense of normalcy for children amid humanitarian crisis, including during conflicts, outbreaks and natural disasters.
All these kits are intended to serve as a first response to urgent needs in situations where local market solutions may not be immediately available or accessible. In the long term, UNICEF works with communities, governments and partners toward emergency preparedness and building resilient supply chains that withstand disruptions and disasters.
Our warehouse in Copenhagen stocks components for 21 types of kits deployed in emergencies. Each kit contains a set of supplies and instructions for use in schools, health posts or camps. They all complement each other to provide a comprehensive supply response. A total of 57 different kit versions can be assembled, with customized modules that address specific country and cultural needs.
Learn more about some of UNICEF's pre-packed kits:
Medical care
Interagency Emergency Health Kit
Medicines and medical equipment to meet the initial primary healthcare needs of a population of 10,000 people for three months. Custom modules can be added to serve more specific needs, such as the Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) kit for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
Midwifery Kit
Supplies for midwives, including basic medicines and equipment to handle 50 normal deliveries.
Obstetric Surgical Kit
Supplies for maternal and neo-natal care, such as surgical instruments and basic sterilization and resuscitation equipment to handle an average of 100 deliveries, including those with complications and surgery.
Cervical Cancer Toolkit
Why UNICEF’s new Cervical Cancer Toolkit matters for women’s health
Far too frequently, women’s reproductive health issues go undiagnosed and untreated. Cervical cancer accounts for one in four cancers among women, killing over 340,000 people each year. Often referred to as a silent killer, cervical cancer may take years to develop. However, once symptoms are present, it is often too late to treat.
Prevention, screening and early treatment are vital to save lives. In January 2023, UNICEF launched the Cervical Cancer Toolkit, a comprehensive tool for combating the disease. Tatsiana Ptashnik, in UNICEF Supply Division’s Health Technology Centre, explains this significant development.
Water, sanitation and hygiene
WASH and Dignity Kit
One of the first to be deployed in a sudden-onset emergency, including buckets, soap, menstrual hygiene management items such as multi-purpose cloth and pads.
Acute Watery Diarrhoea Kits
Supplies for healthcare providers to manage acute watery diarrhoea, which can be fatal for children in under-resourced settings. The kit includes water treatment supplies and medical equipment.
Education and protection
Recreation Kit
Footballs, handballs, skipping ropes and other supplies that can simultaneously engage up to 90 children aged 7-18 children in games and sports activities, providing them therapy during conflicts and disasters.
School-in-a-Box
Education materials to ensure children can continue learning in emergency or other under-resourced settings. Books and games in local languages often supplement the standard kit.
Early Childhood Development Kit
Puzzles and games, puppets for storytelling, art supplies, soaps and water containers to promote hygiene. The kit gives young children access to play and learning in emergency or other under-resourced settings.
Adolescent Kit
The kit supports learning life skills and community engagement while prioritizing psychosocial well-being during conflicts and disasters. Tools like “inspiration cards” and “emotion cubes” help engage adolescents in a range of activities.
