Humanitarian aid glossary

The key terms of donation logistics and collection centers, explained in plain language. Based on recognized standards (WHO, IFRC/ICRC, IOM, UNSPSC, GS1).

Collection center

Physical point where in-kind donations are received, sorted and prepared to channel toward areas hit by an emergency. It doesn't hand aid to the final beneficiary: it prepares and consolidates cargo.

In-kind donation

Donation of physical goods (medicine, food, water, hygiene, tools) instead of money. It's the only type of donation a collection center manages.

Homogeneous box

A box that contains a single product type, a single batch and a single expiry date, with no mixing. It's the core requirement of the humanitarian shipping regime: it lets you verify the contents without opening the box.

Pallet

Transport platform that groups several sealed boxes. Unlike a box, a pallet can be mixed: it may carry different products. It has its own QR code for traceability.

Shipment

Set of pallets that departs toward the destination. When closed it generates the manifest and, once marked as shipped, it freezes all its contents to preserve traceability.

Manifest / packing list

Document that lists, box by box, the contents of a shipment: material code, description, quantity, unit and weight. It's what customs uses to verify the cargo without a full physical inspection.

Intake

Registration of an incoming donation at the collection center. It's captured item by item (category, batch, expiry) and applies the rejection rules. It does not record the donor's personal data.

Homogeneous box vs. loose package

A loose package is a generic box or bag counted by volume ("3 boxes of medicine"). A homogeneous box is counted item by item, with batch and expiry. That difference is what lets you know what is available, not just how much.

INN (International Nonproprietary Name)

Official generic name of a pharmaceutical active ingredient, defined by the WHO (for example, "ibuprofen"). It is required to seal a box of medicine, because it identifies the drug without relying on commercial brands.

Batch

Production identifier of a product, printed by the manufacturer. Together with the expiry date, it defines the traceability of a homogeneous box and is mandatory for medicine.

Remaining shelf life

Days between the capture date and the product's expiry. Medicine requires at least 365 days (WHO guidelines) and food at least 180 days; below that, the donation is rejected.

UNSPSC

United Nations Standard Products and Services Code: an international taxonomy to classify products and services, available in Spanish. Araguaney uses it to categorize donations in a standardized way.

GS1 / GTIN

GS1 is the organization that manages global barcodes; the GTIN is the number that identifies a commercial product. Araguaney uses it optionally to validate and autocomplete products by barcode.

IFRC/ICRC and IOM

International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC/ICRC) and International Organization for Migration (IOM): their emergency material catalogues define specifications and material codes for non-food items.

Humanitarian shipping regime

Set of requirements for humanitarian cargo to clear customs without getting stuck: homogeneous boxes plus a detailed manifest. Without that order, shipments stall in customs processing.

National aggregate dashboard

View that adds up the available stock of every collection center in a coordination, by category, product and center. It's what lets you see, at the national level, what there is and what's missing in real time.