A million refugees urgently need shelter, food and water
Hundreds of thousands of people are now living in better conditions
“With our partners, we have assisted more than 2 million people.”
The Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004 caused widespread devastation, killing 227,000 people across 14 countries, with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand the hardest hit. This exceptional emergency resulted in Oxfam’s largest ever emergency response, extending across seven countries and over a period of five years.
Oxfam raised $294m from across the world to fund its work, 92 per cent of which came from an unprecedented public response. The disaster triggered Oxfam’s first truly co-ordinated response as a global confederation, with 12 Oxfam affiliates co-ordinating their efforts through the Oxfam International Tsunami Fund (OITF).
Hundreds of thousands of people are now living in better conditions.
Oxfam and its partners responded with relief, rehabilitation, and recovery activities across seven countries affected by the tsunami: Indonesia (specifically Aceh and Nias), Sri Lanka, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Thailand, and Somalia. These activities stretched from the days immediately following the tsunami in 2004 through to 2009. Activities undertaken included support for livelihoods, public health, and shelter for affected communities.
Despite the challenging circumstances, we have achieved a huge amount. Hundreds of thousands of people are now living in better conditions than they were before the tsunami, thanks in no small part to the generosity of people around the world.
Reports
1. Tsunami Fund - End of Program Report (2008) – download or read online
This report, published in December 2008, gives a summary of the work which Oxfam carried out, assisting around 2.5 million people in seven countries. It includes case studies of individual beneficiaries and their stories of hope and recovery, and is available in English, French and Spanish.
2. In the Wake of the Tsunami: An evaluation of Oxfam International’s response to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami (December 2009)
The final evaluation report highlights some of the best of Oxfam’s experience – strategies and activities to be repeated in other emergency responses – and identifies areas where we need to do things differently.
3. Collaboration in Crises: Lessons in community participation from the Oxfam International Tsunami research program (December 2009)
Since early in 2005, Oxfam has carried out research in the affected communities of India and Sri Lanka, laying the groundwork for programs, capturing observations and experiences of community members, and exploring new approaches to disaster response and risk reduction. The program was aimed at improving the policies and practices of Oxfam and other aid agencies, as well as contributing to the effectiveness of the global humanitarian community in future emergencies.
Tsunami 4 years on - Photo Gallery
Credit: Jim Holmes/OxfamBanda Aceh bore the brunt of the tsunami and the earthquake that preceded it on 26 December 2004. The destruction of infrastructure was almost total.
Credit: Jim Holmes/OxfamMahmulia paints a house in the village Beuring In. She was one of 37 women who were trained by Oxfam as house painters in Aceh.
Credit: Howard Davies/OxfamMohanasundaram, 23, secretary of an Oxfam gender group, outside her transitional shelter, built by Oxfam in Ralodai camp. She says her committee tries to settle disputes in families and to ensure that women are treated equally.
Vanni, 17, receives training in carpentry, as part of a program run by partner KPNDU in Vaharai division to give vocational skills needed in the reconstruction effort to internally displaced people.
Credit: Tori Ray/OxfamStaff from Oxfam and partner Kinniya Vision construct an 11,000 cubic meter water tank in 'CTB camp', Trincomalee District in the weeks after the tsunami.
Credit: Photo: Rajendra Shaw/OxfamChandra (centre) and Valli (right) take a break from rebuilding damaged salt pans in Vedaranyam, southern India, in May 2005.
Credit: Jim Holmes/OxfamMrs Ina Wira, aged 27, holds the cocoa pods she has just cut from her garden in the village of Satellit, in the island of Nias. Oxfam provides business and vocational training to farmers to help them better market their products.
Credit: Jim Holmes/OxfamMaryamah, 39, tries out hew new shower, installed as part of an Oxfam water project in LhokNga, on Aceh’s northwestern coast. Oxfam has connected 715 homes to a water gravity system.
Credit: Howard Davies/OxfamJoseph is one of 18 'lead farmers' in Kalmunai who have been trained by Oxfam in alternative agricultural methods so that they in turn can train members of their own producer-groups.
Credit: Howard Davies/OxfamChildren at the Shariputhra School in Ahangama, near Galle, one of eight schools rebuilt by Oxfam partner Educational International, which also rebuilt 35 schools in Aceh.
Credit: Atul Loke/Panos for OxfamL.D. Indranai is a member of a self-help group supported by the Giruwapathu Development Society (GIDES), an Oxfam partner that provided seeds, irrigation equipment, fencing material and technical support.
Credit: Atul Loke/Panos for OxfamThe Advanced Center for Enabling Disaster Risk Reduction, which is run by Oxfam partner the Dhan Foundation, has launched a pilot community radio project to serve around 100,000 people in rural settlements of Madurai.
