The many members of Norwegian Church Aid's Emergency Preparedness Roster provide an extra pool of resources when special needs arise.
The group is composed of approximately 100 individuals who have normal jobs but who are on permanent stand-by to travel to a disaster area at short notice when the need arises. Group members have expertise within the following areas:
- Water, sanitation and hygiene
- Logistics
- Coordination and management
- Finance and administration
- Psycho-social work
- Health and nutrition
- Construction and rehabilitation
When an emergency situation arises, the members of the roster must be able to facilitate a quick departure, in consultation with their families and employers. Norwegian Church Aid offers various alternative departure schedules – from 72 hours to three weeks. The duration of their missions may vary from two weeks to six months.
During 2006, Norwegian Church Aid sent emergency roster members on approximately sixty missions. Most of these went to Pakistan and Lebanon or to various countries in Africa.