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Young tsunami victims receiving aid from Islamic Relief.

Facts on Indonesia
-Population: 217 million
-Average annual income: US $680
-34% of Indonesian children are malnourished
-45% of the population does not have access to adequate sanitation facilities
-27% of the population lives below the national poverty level

Disasters
Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world, with over 17,000 islands spanning three time zones. In its recent history, Indonesia has been plagued with economic, political and natural disasters. The devastating tsunami of December 2004 came after years of separatist struggle in Aceh and Papua as well as an economic crisis in 1998 that resulted in mass unemployment.

Jakarta Flooding 2007
Several days of torrential rain in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta caused rivers to overflow and burst their banks over 40 dead and more than 168,000 internally displaced people (IDP) residing in 525 evacuation sites.  Click here to read the full update on the situation.

Tsunami
The December 26, 2004 tsunami killed over 230,000 people across Asia and affected millions. In Aceh, Indonesia alone, 170,000 people lost their lives and over 500,000 were left homeless.
On the one year anniversary of the tsunami, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and other international dignitaries paid their respects to victims of the tsunami at a special memorial site that Islamic Relief constructed with support from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Banda Aceh.

The memorial site provides a final resting place for about 14,000 victims of the tsunami, which represents almost 10% of the total estimated victims of the tsunami in Aceh and about half of the estimated dead in the Meuraxa sub-district. Meuraxa was one of the most severely affected areas in Aceh. Meuraxa sub-district had a population of 31,218 before the tsunami and 84% of the population are dead or missing.

Islamic Relief and the UNDP worked with survivors of Meuraxa sub-district on this community project. The project was designed as part of a wider set of rehabilitation activities implemented by the United Nations agencies to respond to the needs of the communities in Aceh and Nias. The rehabilitation of the mass grave acquired support from members of the local community and organizations.

On the one year anniversary, Islamic Relief has completed several reconstruction projects for tsunami survivors in addition to its initial emergency relief activities. These projects include rebuilding schools, health facilities, and homes for tsunami survivors in the worst affected areas.

Over 110,000 Indonesians were killed when the tsunami struck, and another 127,000 are missing. The exact number of victims will probably never be known. The entire western coastline of the Aceh province was devastated, leaving 5,800 km of roads, 1,150 schools and 490 bridges in ruins.

Islamic Relief in Indonesia
The field office in Jakarta manages Islamic Relief’s projects throughout the country. Islamic Relief has been distributing food in the Ramadan and Qurbani seasons to the poor and those affected by natural disasters.

Prior to the tsunami, Islamic Relief worked on development projects in the Aceh and Banten provinces. Students in Aceh received school supplies from Islamic Relief, and water and sanitation facilities were provided for rural communities in Banten.

Tsunami Response
Islamic Relief provided emergency aid to the survivors of the tsunami and is doing reconstruction work in the affected areas. Immediately after the tsunami, Islamic Relief provided medical assistance, tents, food, hygiene supplies, and other needed aid to help victims of the devastating tragedy.

Aceh's Public Works Resource Center, which contained by-laws and building codes, was destroyed by the tsunami. Without this center, reconstruction work in the region was hampered by lack of building codes of practice. Islamic Relief rebuilt the resource center to assist the UN and other international agencies with the reconstruction process in Aceh. Islamic Relief’s construction projects will benefit over 10,000 people.

Islamic Relief has been constructing homes, building health clinics, rebuilding schools, providing water, supporting orphans and supporting the people of Aceh through health, educational and economic development activities. Islamic Relief’s post-tsunami activities have benefited about 150,000 people in Aceh. Islamic Relief has partnered with the United Nations, and many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and donors from around the world in the reconstruction efforts. Islamic Relief began tsunami relief operations in Aceh on December 27, 2004, one day after the tsunami.

A year after the tsunami, Islamic Relief proudly handed over the keys to the Labuy School headmaster in Aceh Besar, as about 80 children playfully ran into their new classrooms. Islamic Relief handed over two more schools in Meulaboh in the hard-hit west coast of Aceh. The schools will each serve about 200 children who have been attending classes in barracks and tents for the past year.

Also on the occasion of the tsunami anniversary, Islamic Relief handed over ten fully reconstructed and equipped health clinics to the local authorities in Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar, Indonesia. These clinics have been applauded by local authorities as exemplary facilities.