The Indian Ocean Tsunami: CAFOD’s response

Sisters Razi and Riska Damizi survey the wreckage of their home in Banda Aceh, Sumatra. 170,000 people were killed in Aceh alone.

In Sri Lanka, The Queen of the Sea, crammed full of passengers, was hit by the first wave of the tsunami. Hundreds of villagers sought refuge behind the train, but the second wave picked up the train and smashed it down, killing at least 1,700 people.

Relatives look for the names of family members lost in the tsunami on lists provided by People’s Crisis Centre (PCC) in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. We helped PCC to re-unite families.

Six months after the tsunami, Aruldevi Ganapathipillai and her 14-year-old son Senduran put up their shelter in Sri Lanka, using a kit provided by our partner Caritas EHED.

Reconstruction

Vaduvamma was a bonded labourer living in very basic conditions.  Our partner Caritas India began building houses in her village, and she was taken on as a construction worker.  Now she and her four children live in one of the houses, and she continues to work in the building trade, earning a good wage.

By distributing sets of simple tools soon after the tsunami struck, our partners enabled thousands of people who’d lost everything in Sri Lanka to earn a living once again.

We worked with Islamic Relief to rebuild Suak Ribee school in Aceh Province, Indonesia. It was one of 26 schools we helped to rebuild across the region.

Vithya, 12, and her father outside their temporary shelter in Navalady, Sri Lanka. Our partner Caritas EHED provided this temporary home for Vithya and her father until new permanent housing was completed.

Working for humanity

Our partner Caritas Sri Lanka encouraged tsunami survivors to form groups so they could pool savings and access loans in order to rebuild their livelihoods. Here a group member creates a broom from coconut fibres.

Making a living

In India we supported local organisation Social Change and Development in building five children’s centres. Mrs Valiammal, who works at one of the centres, said: “It has brought great peace of mind to the parents. They know their children are being cared for.”

Mr Musliadi in a community trade centre that was set up by our partner YPK in Aceh, Indonesia. YPK has helped people to start businesses by providing loans to buy tools, equipment and merchandise.

Mrs Chandrabartha set up a small shop in Sri Lanka, thanks to a savings group and training from our partner Caritas EHED. She said: “The solutions to our problems are with us.”

Mr Suman, a fisherman and shopkeeper in India, is renting a small shop with the help of our partner Caritas India.

With our partner Caritas EHED, we supported the Lourdu Andare Group in Sri Lanka to carry out coconut wine production, poultry farming and production of coconut oil through a microfinance scheme.

Through our partners, we helped fish workers in Aceh, Indonesia to earn a living again quickly, by providing new boats, drying huts for fish or loans to replace equipment.

Asokan and Praveen, from Tamil Nadu in India, are two of four brothers who received their own boat after the tsunami, thanks to our partner Caritas India. Before the tsunami they worked as labourers on fishing boats and earned less money.

Pupils Widia and Romi at the re-opened Suak Pandan Public School in Aceh, one of 26 schools we helped to rebuild across the region.

Helping communities to plan ahead for future disasters was a vital part of our response to the tsunami. Here, villagers in Indonesia plan how to respond to future floods.

Our partner AJMI helps a community in Indonesia demand compensation for their houses, which were burned down during conflict after the tsunami. Across the region, our partners have promoted peace and human rights.

The Saree School, a local organisation in Indonesia, trains women in to produce and market cassava chips. The women have a savings scheme, where they use the savings to support members facing difficulties.

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