(5) Maternity hospitals, women’s health clinics, 
and other infrastructure for providing health serv-
ices to women, including infrastructure related to 
providing maternal health assistance, ensuring safe 
delivery of babies, providing contraceptives and 
emergency obstetric care, and preventing sexually 
transmitted diseases, have been destroyed by the 
tsunami. In Sri Lanka, four of eight maternity clin-
ics on the east coast were destroyed and the other 
four were greatly damaged. The Galle Teaching 
Hospital in Galle, Sri Lanka, relocated its 379 pa-
tients to another facility on higher ground. Although 
the hospital lost only one infant in the transition, 
the new facility has only 70 beds compared with the 
415 beds the hospital had. 
(6) Even before the tsunami, one woman died 
every minute somewhere in the world from complica-
tions related to pregnancy. Too often during disaster 
situations safe blood supplies, equipment for anes-
thesia, transfusions and caesarean sections, and 
trained personnel to save those women’s lives are 
unavailable. In disaster situations, the death toll 
rises steadily until such supplies and personnel can 
be located and brought in to the affected area.
(7) Violence against women, including rape, 
gang rape, molestation and physical abuse during 
rescue operations and in temporary shelters has 
been reported. 
(8) The Women and Media Collective Group in 
Sri Lanka has issued a written appeal for public at-
tention to ‘‘serious issues concerning the safety and 
well-being of women which have not been addressed 
so far in relief efforts’’. 
(9) The United Nations Population Fund 
(UNFPA) has extensive experience and existing pro-
grams dedicated to delivering maternal and child 
health care, ensuring safe delivery of babies, ensur-
ing adequate reproductive health, providing contra-
ceptive supplies and services, and providing other 
critically needed types of assistance in Indonesia, the 
Maldives, and Sri Lanka. 
(10) The UNFPA has extensive experience and 
the requisite capacity to address the needs and al-
leviate the suffering of victims of natural and man-
made disasters. 
(11) In 2001, the Bush Administration pro-
vided $600,000 in additional humanitarian relief 
support to the UNFPA to address the immediate 
need for emergency reproductive health needs of Af-
ghan women refugees who were fleeing Afghanistan. 
This support was used to improve maternal and 
child health services, including providing hygiene 
kits, safe delivery kits, and cribs for newborns. 
(12) The UNFPA has a long and proven track 
record in responding quickly and effectively in pro-
viding the necessary supplies and technical support 
to address reproductive health needs in humani-
tarian crises including in Sudan, Eritrea, Kosovo, 
and Sierra Leone. 
(13) The UNFPA has made an urgent appeal 
to donor countries to raise $28,000,000 to provide 
relief to women in Indonesia, the Maldives, and Sri 
Lanka. 
SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE TO TSUNAMI VICTIMS. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE.—Pursuant to 
the authorization of appropriations under subsection (b), 
the Secretary of State shall make available funding to the 
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to provide as-
sistance to tsunami victims in Indonesia, the Maldives, 
and Sri Lanka. Funding provided to the UNFPA shall 
be used to—
(1) provide and distribute equipment, including 
safe delivery kits and hygiene kits, medicines, and 
supplies, including soap and sanitary napkins, to en-