Tsunami: one year on

Millions of people were affected by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. And a lot has been happening to help them, as Candice Jaques of ADRA–Australia reports.

It is just one year since tsunamis devastated coastlines. And it’s been a year since the world came together to support the relief effort. With the help of aid agencies such as the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), communities are rebuilding.

Sa is a fisherman from Bang Bane, Thailand. Before the tsunami, Sa had a fish-farming business that provided him a good income. The tsunami wiped away everything he owned, including his two boats. Not only did he lose his possessions, he lost the means to replace them.

Reeta Bartholomeusz, a widow, was living in Komari, Sri Lanka, when the waves hit. Reeta, too, lost everything, including her home. She was accommodated in a refugee camp where she received water and food. But she needed an opportunity to rebuild her life in the longer term.

Reeta and Sa are but two examples of thousands of families around the Indian Ocean who faced the same awful reality.

ADRA and a host of international aid agencies responded immediately to the tsunami disaster. And one year on, ADRA continues to make a difference in the lives of people just like Sa and Reeta. Here’s a summary of what ADRA Australia is doing:

Aceh, Indonesia. ADRA partnered with UNICEF to provide for the educational and learning needs of the communities, helping to rehabilitate damaged schools or build new ones. ADRA assessed all the schools in the area, and continues to facilitate the return of hundreds of students into a normal and permanent learning environment.

India. ADRA has empowered thousands of women through income-generation opportunities, also providing counselling, health education and vocational skills. Activities within these areas include health talks, medical camps and summer-camp activities for children.

Thailand. ADRA has embarked on a three-year community development and recovery project, which includes a range of activities, such as the installation of water systems, recovery grants to households, reconstruction of damaged infrastructure and boat replacement.
A recovery grant and replacement boat from ADRA has helped Sa get back to work. He’s used his grant to replace his flat-bottomed boat and, in partnership with American Refugee Committee International, ADRA provided him a larger, wooden boat. And with assistance from other organisations, he’s replaced his nets and is back at work tending his nets.

Sri Lanka. ADRA provided a mobile dental unit for use in the refugee camps and continues to investigate opportunities to help. It was in the mobile dental unit that Reeta not only received the health benefits but was also employed as a dental assistant.

When interviewed for this position, Reeta explained how excited she was to get involved in something. “I hate feeling helpless—feeling like I can’t help myself or others,” she said. “It’s hard to move past tragedy when you spend every day still living it, not seeing much progress.” This job has helped Reeta heal by providing opportunity for her to contribute to the recovery of her community and country.

It is only with the help of the many and various aid agencies such as ADRA, that the thousands of devastated tsunami survivors, like Sa and Reeta, can rebuild their communities and return to a more normal way of life.