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2004 Boxing Day Tsunami – Five Years On
Look what we have achieved together, New Zealand!

A fresh start. Becak (taxi) driver Asrijal takes his new wife, Erni and her son Mohammed, 4, for a drive past brand new houses in Blangkrung village in Banda Aceh, built with funds from World New Zealand supporters..

 

Infrastructure and livelihoods of the most vulnerable in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India and Myanmar have been restored to a level close to what it was before the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami tsunami or even better.

 

In a report World Vision International has released on its recovery and rehabilitation programmes in the five years since the Indian Ocean tsunami on December 26, 2004, the agency says important lessons learnt in the tsunami have placed the World Vision partnership in a better position to respond to natural disasters, such as those experienced in the Asia-Pacific region in September and October 2009.

 

Following the Indian Ocean tsunami, the World Vision partnership mounted its largest-ever relief response across the five countries of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India and Myanmar.

 

The World Vision partnership’s total budget for the Asia tsunami response from 2005 to 2010 amounts to NZ$514 million (US$366 million), which includes NZ$11.2 million (US$5.6 million) for rehabilitation projects in 2010. Generous Kiwis contributed to this budget donating NZ$5 million in response to World Vision New Zealand’s tsunami appeal in 2004.

 

Emergency response

During the emergency response phase, World Vision’s priority was to work with communities and authorities to restore basic services and meet survival needs.

 

World Vision participated in more than 50 airlifts, shipped supplies from storehouses in Africa and the United States, and co-ordinated field operations to distribute food, water, sanitation kits, cooking fuel and utensils, clothing and mosquito nets.

 

Emergency health and psycho-social care were offered and child-friendly spaces established. Within a short time, construction and repair work began.

 

Recovery and rehabilitation phase

More than 2600 World Vision staff in five countries helped more than 1.2 million people with the following:

 

>> Constructing close to 12,000 homes

>> Building 84 schools and 33 preschools, and 27 clinics Providing supplementary feeding to 2000 pregnant and lactating women, and 10,000 children under the age of 5

>> Establishing community halls, childcare centres, livelihood centres, a sports complex, teacher accommodation, warehouses, bridges, canals, roads, large- scale water and sanitation projects

>> Providing employment opportunities, support and vocational training to more than 40,000 people

>> Distributing assets such as fishing boats, fishing global positioning systems, motorcycle taxis, small livestock, welding plants and computers

>> Restoring and constructing fishing-harbours, boat-building centres, farms, factories and marketplaces

>> Establishing 200 child-friendly spaces, 119 child societies and 60 playgrounds

>> Providing educational support to 2000 teachers and 137,000 children

>> Implementing health interventions for 440,000 people

>> Supporting disaster risk-reduction initiatives

 

Disaster mitigation and risk reduction

In the five years since the Indian Ocean tsunami, World Vision has embarked on critical work in disaster mitigation and management, the building of community resilience and the strengthening of emergency-response measures.

 

World Vision says after the tsunami, for example, the pressure had been significant to expedite the rebuilding of homes. Taking a more considered approach, and working closely with communities and other partners, World Vision ensured that plans complied with seismic design and quality materials were sourced to construct homes that were more earthquake resistant.

 

According to the report, a child-focused disaster-risk reduction model is currently being piloted in the Philippines to build the capacity of children to protect themselves, and mobilise communities to create an environment conducive to children’s safety and wellbeing when disaster strikes.

 

To read the full World Vision International report, “Raising Resilience”, click here