Tsunami 18 months after

The media spotlight on the one-year anniversary of the 2004 tsunami may have passed - but for the families and friends of the 227,000 killed and 1.7 million displaced, efforts to rebuild a ‘normal’ life continue.

A new report from Plan shows how after 18 months our role has evolved from one of emergency relief to recovery. We are beginning to see the long-term effects of our programs making a real difference to children.

In Aceh, Indonesia, micro nutrient distribution has drastically reduced the incidents of diarrhoeal disease. In India, and Aceh, early childhood care and development activities – including games, drama, painting and dance - have helped children to recover from the shock of the tsunami.

Projects pick up pace
Our transition from relief to recovery has been more visible over the past six months as large construction projects have picked up pace.

The building and renovation of schools has incorporated many ideas from children on how their ideal school should look - something new in many tsunami-affected areas. For example, children in Aceh supplied drawings of their ideal school, which feature rainbow colours, enormous windows, water systems and a garden. Plan’s contractors are doing their best to meet the requirements.

Many projects which started as emergency responses, such as child care centres in India and Aceh, have received strong support from the authorities and communities, and are now part of our long-term activities.

All of this work has only been possible through the donations we receive. By the end of June 2006 we had raised US$47 million for our post-emergency and long-term activities – 73 percent of which came from individual sponsors.

Download Plan’s 'Tsunami – 18 Months After' report (PDF 2Mb) to find out more and read stories of the children affected