This article analyzes a 1944 publication entitled "International Relief in Action 1914-1943: Selected Records with Notes" alongside the 2004 standards for education in emergencies that were developed by INEE (the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies). In doing so, the author aims to reveal how biological life, expectations of individual, and social collectivities are conceptualizes in relation to one another. The author argues that the contrast between the 1944 and the 2004 realities demonstrates a shift from a "eugenic" model to a greater focus on individual well-being, and that this shift has significant implications for how communities and society are organized and valued. (Contains 8 notes.)