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Indonesia Tsunami: 3 Years Later

On December 26, 2004, 12 countries were struck by a tsunami which killed around 230,000 people and left over 1.5 million homeless. In an instant, everything changed and even now, three years later, many millions of people are still struggling to rebuild their shattered lives.

Aceh was the worst affected region of Indonesia. 180,000 people lost their   lives and hundreds of thousands of homes, schools, hospitals and shops were completely destroyed. In many cases people were left with nothing. Half a million people were left homeless, 2,000 schools and 120 health clinics were destroyed, and 800,000 people were left without a source of income.

Islamic Relief was one of the first aid agencies to respond to the disaster in Aceh, and from the first day was on the ground providing emergency aid to   survivors. We helped those who lost their homes by providing temporary shelters, as well as emergency food, clean water, sanitation facilities and medical care.

In early 2005, Islamic Relief’s work focused on emergency relief providing people with food, clean water, temporary shelter and medical care. Gradually, we were able to begin longer-term redevelopment by providing education, permanent housing and livelihood support.

Emergency Response in Brief

First few weeks
  Islamic Relief distributed emergency food and medical supplies to over 20,000 people and provided temporary shelter for 2,000 people who lost their homes. Soon we were supplying camps for those displaced by the disaster with clean water and emergency sanitation facilities. We distributed 48,000 liters of water to over 17,500 people each day.

First few months of 2005
  Islamic Relief provided health services to 75,000 people by establishing mobile health clinics. To help protect people against the outbreak of disease, we distributed 28,000 hygiene kits, provided hygiene training and immunized over 3,500 children   against polio.

By mid-2005
  Islamic Relief began reconstructing the infrastructure of the affected areas. Work began on the first permanent houses for those made homeless by the disaster, two damaged schools were repaired, 13 health clinics were constructed and wells were dug providing clean water to 17,000 people in Aceh Besar and Banda Aceh.

It was not long before we turned our attention to providing for the long-term needs of affected communities. After months spent in temporary accommodations many people whose homes had been destroyed or damaged were keen to return to their home villages.

It was essential for Islamic Relief to provide these people with new houses, as well as healthcare, water and sanitation systems, livelihood opportunities and education for children to ensure the new settlements were sustainable.

Islamic Reliefs projects after the Tsunami:

New homes for 4,500 people

Healthcare

Education

Restarting Livelihoods

Water and Sanitation

Working for Children