During the 1991 floods in Bangladesh, five times as many women as men died. Two thirds of the fatalities during the tsunami in 2004 were women. During the 2005 earthquakes in Pakistan more women than men died. The causes are many, but are often linked to the fact that women and men in different cultures and religions have different areas of responsibility, tasks, freedom of movement, dress codes, and education. To be able to work effectively throughout all the stages of disaster management requires understanding and knowledge on these issues. Applying a gender perspective to international assistance requires bringing the work into line with prevailing local conditions to ensure that the project reaches as many people as possible as quickly as possible.   This handbook is aimed at MSB project managers and personnel who work within international assistance. This handbook contains concrete and concise advice for immediate use in the practical planning, implementation, reporting and evaluation of a project.