IYCF-E Rapid Needs Assessment – Water Safety
This second training session builds on the foundations from session one and turns toward practical skills for supporting families in an emergency. We revisit the purpose and use of the rapid needs assessment, then spend time on safe water. We discuss why it is a vital component of protecting infants and young children, how emergencies disrupt access, and what responders can realistically do in low-resource or rapidly changing conditions. The session also explores how local culture and community norms shape families’ decisions, using examples from Appalachian communities to highlight strength, self-reliance, and potential barriers to accepting help. Participants practice applying these ideas through scenario work, reflect on how to respond with respect and clarity, and continue building the mindset needed to support infant and young child feeding safely in their own communities. More Scenarios for Rapid Needs Assessment Practice.
Topics with time stamps:
- 0:00 – Introduction
- 05:04 – Homework Review
- 0:00 – Session overview: Rapid Needs Assessment and Water Safety
- 07:03 – Rapid Needs Assessment – brief review
- 08:22 – Culture and community context (Appalachian norms, storytelling, self-reliance, breastfeeding norms, milk sharing)
- 13:55 – Rapid Needs Assessment Demo
- 20:06 – Using the RNA tools Practice & how to practice at home (scenario link below)
- 25:27 – Insights from RNA practice & applying findings in the field
- 30:38 – Water safety basics (safe water needs, emergency disruptions, ways to make water safe to drink)
- 37:11 – Radiation contamination of water
- 37:47 – Making water potable (drinkable) – Boiling, bleach, filtration
- 39:51 – Cleaning & sanitizing feeding items
- 43:57 – Bleach considerations & choosing safe bleach activity
- 50:13 – Appropriate Bleach – SAFE Team findings, concerns, & alternatives
- 54:11 – Cold Sanitation Kits – Overview
- 55:12 – It’s NOT all about the kits – types of Support
- 56:19 – Sponsor Appreciation
- 0:58:34 – Homework
- 1:00:56 – Q&A
Session 2 homework
- Assemble your own cold sanitation kit
- Review E-Learning Module on Feeding Basics
- Practice cleaning & sanitizing feeding items when only unsafe water is available.
- Complete the Evaluation
Full instructions, with everything you need for each step, are on the homework page. The handout is the same material as a printable PDF.
Handouts and Links
- Scenarios for Rapid Needs Assessment Practice
- Assemble Your Own Cold Sanitation Kit — English · Español
- SAFE Simplified Rapid Needs Assessment
- E-Learning Module on Feeding Basics
- SAFE Handout Booklet
- SAFE Infant Feeding Quick Reference Guide
- Bleach Alternative Notes
- Bleach Alternatives Notes
- Water Filters Meeting WHO Standards

Keep going with us. The SAFE Support and Strategic Core meets quarterly as a free mastermind for people putting IYCF-E into practice — shared problem-solving, peer support, and updates from the team. See the dates and register.
Please Support Our Efforts
If you find this training helpful, please support our efforts with a financial donation. Click below and select “SAFE Team” to earmark for IYCF-E education and disaster response support.
Thanks to our sponsors
This work is free because these people and organizations paid for it.

Marcia Brady Tucker Foundation
A private family foundation dedicated to supporting charitable organizations that align with its mission of giving back. Grants are made only as a result of the Foundation’s own initiative.

Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities
Provides technical assistance to breastfeeding coalitions and health departments across the US, using the Ten Steps to a Breastfeeding Family Friendly Community. The SAFE Team is a project of BFFC.

In memory of Elsie Perry
Elsie Perry was a founding mother of La Leche League Boston in the 1960s. A gift made in her memory by her daughters funded an eleventh month of this training series.

BabyBjörn
Founded in 1961 and still family-owned, with a mission to make everyday life easier for parents with babies. If your community needs emergency baby gear, reach them at care@babybjorn.com.

Confident Pregnancy
Helps people be healthier, feel more confident, and find their inner strength. Tips for staying calmer and more resilient under stress at MelindaDelisle.substack.com. DBA Melinda Delisle Innovations.

Birthstone Center for Appalachian Perinatal Resilience
Strengthens perinatal health in Western North Carolina by centering families, uplifting birthworkers, and advancing equitable access to lactation, doula and maternal mental health support.
Sponsor this IYCF-E training
Interested in sponsoring or partnering with us? Get in touch.

Scan to open this page on your phone
These materials are shared under the SAFE Team Open Source Use Agreement — please reuse and adapt them, with attribution.
