A devastating tidal wave on December 26, 2004 killed an estimated 400,000 people and affected millions of others in countries bordering the Indian Ocean. It was the worst natural disaster in recorded history.

Development and Peace received $20.7 million in public contributions and an additional contribution of $11.7 million from the Canadian Government. As the second anniversary of the disaster approaches, more than 82% of the $32.4 million available have been committed to various emergency and reconstruction projects.

Almost half of the funds destined for the tsunami relief have been allocated through Caritas Internationalis, a network of 162 autonomous, Catholic, emergency relief, development and social service organizations working in 200 countries and territories. Development and Peace is the Canadian member of Caritas Internationalis.

From the start, Caritas Internationalis created programs with a lifespan of 12 to 18 months designed to provide victims with the basic necessities of life, relocation and temporary housing, as well as health and education services. Afterwards, the accent was placed on building permanent housing and revenue-generating and job creation activities to help re-launch the local economy.

Development and Peace always links its emergency aid work with long-term development. Projects are designed to alleviate immediate physical and psychological suffering, but they also provide community-based groups with tools and procedures to help them find viable, long-term solutions to ongoing poverty and injustice.

In the case of Development and Peace's tsunami longer term reconstruction program; advocacy, respect for human rights, community development and equality between women and men are all essential components of the work performed in Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka.

Here is a description of the situation in each of these three countries:

Indonesia (Funds committed: $11,614,000)

Development and Peace's Indonesia response was characterized by its reliance on existing long-term development programs' partners for the bulk of projects undertaken. The day after the catastrophe, the partners were already deploying themselves throughout the affected area in order to rapidly mount emergency and reconstruction projects. By virtue of its partners, Development and Peace was able to reach the most affected victims whose needs were as diverse as rebuilding infrastructure, human rights, advocacy, women and children's work, or support for peasants and journalists.

Development and Peace $9,262,000 contribution to partner UPLINK's "People's Driven Reconstruction Program" is the largest single contribution to an individual project in the organization's history. This contribution consisted of $5 million of Development and Peace monies and $4,262,000 in matching funds from CIDA. The project was jointly financed with Misereor, a German Catholic counterpart agency. Development and Peace and Misereor are members of CIDSE (Coopération internationale pour le Développement et la Solidarité), a network of Catholic organizations working in development.

To date, 2,500 houses are completed and 1,300 are being built. In addition, various infrastructure projects like community centers, dispensaries, roads, as well as wells and drainage systems have already been completed. The project also includes the re-launching of the local economy through income generating activities and the introduction of sustainable alternative technologies in various fields.

Development and Peace allocated $5 million to Caritas Sri Lanka, its main partner in the country. These funds support a more than US$100-million initiative covering all areas affected by the tsunami.

The main objectives of the program entail rebuilding permanent housing and providing temporary shelter, rebuilding community infrastructure, re-establishing the area's means of production by replacing lost plant and equipment, training and capacity building for peasant groups, fishers and small-business people. The program also involves organizing the more vulnerable segments of the population by creating new income generating activities. The program will continue through until December 2008.

Most of the funds available for the tsunami relief in India have been committed. The funds that remain to be committed will be allocated through Caritas India and devoted to support initiatives helping individuals indirectly affected by the tsunami.

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