Q: What has Islamic Relief done to help all the people left homeless by the tsunami?
The
tsunami left half a million Indonesian people homeless, mostly in Aceh
where Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) has been working. Immediately
after the disaster IRW provided tents and temporary shelters for people
in Aceh.
Over the last year we have been
providing families with new permanent homes. So far we have built over
550 new houses and over 500 more are due to be completed in 2007. We
also support families still living in temporary accommodation by
supplying over 19,000 people with 180,000 litres of clean drinking
water daily.
Half a million people in Sri Lanka also lost
their homes. Initially we provided temporary shelters and are now
building new houses for hundreds of families.
Q: I heard that many children are still not back at school, is this true?
Thousands
of schools in both Indonesia and Sri Lanka were either destroyed or
badly damaged by the tsunami. In Sri Lanka most children are now back
at school while in Indonesia some are still studying in tents.
In Indonesia IRW has built 8 new schools allowing thousands of children to return to 
school,
and another 14 are under construction. Twenty schools have received
equipment and furniture and 1,000 children were provided with uniforms,
bags and materials. We have also helped provide schooling and
nutritional meals to 2,000 children who are still living in temporary
shelters.
In Sri Lanka thousands of
children have been provided with school books, educational materials
and uniforms. We have also supported children who had dropped out of
school to get back into education. In April 2006 IRW also began the
Orphan Sponsorship Programme in Sri Lanka to help ensure that the most
vulnerable children can continue their education.
Q: What work is Islamic Relief doing in Indonesia?
Islamic Relief’s work in Aceh, Indonesia has now moved beyond the
emergency phase to address people’s long-term needs. The main priority
in 2006 has been to help people displaced by the disaster to return
home.
We have done this by providing
permanent houses, rebuilding schools and health clinics and helping
people get back into work. Many people in Aceh are still unemployed,
and we are helping them to return to their old businesses such as
fishing or to start up new ones.
We
have rebuilt 6 markets including a large fish market in Banda Aceh, and
given over 700 loans to help people set up businesses such as coffee
shops and grocery stalls. Training in skills such as weaving,
electronics and embroidery has also been organised.
Q: What is Islamic Relief doing in Sri Lanka?
In Sri Lanka we are working with tsunami-affected communities in the
Ampara district to provide them with education facilities, houses,
health care services, psychosocial support, as well as helping people
get back into work.
Q: What has been the highlight of Islamic Relief’s work in Indonesia and Sri Lanka over the last year?
In
both Indonesia and Sri Lanka we have worked with closely with
communities at every stage of the redevelopment process to help them
rebuild their lives. In Aceh community groups have been involved in
every aspect of the construction of their new houses from planning the
village layout to designing the houses. This has ensured that all new
homes are culturally appropriate and approved by the local community.
Q: Two years on, what are the current needs of the people affected by the tsunami?
Housing is still the main priority in Indonesia and Sri Lanka. In Aceh
there are still 120,000 families who don’t have a permanent home.
There are also large numbers of people in both countries who are still
without a job. Islamic Relief has been helping to get people back into
work by rebuilding markets, distributing fishing canoes, providing
loans and carrying out skills training.
Q: Who has Islamic Relief been working with in Indonesia and Sri Lanka?
Islamic Relief is working with UN agencies, the local authorities and
governments, local NGOs and international NGOs such as CAFOD, Plan
International, CIDA and IDRF – as well as the tsunami-affected
communities themselves.
Q: What are Islamic Relief’s plans for the next year?
Islamic Relief is committed to working in both countries for the long-term. In Aceh, IRW will complete
the construction of 290 houses and begin building 240 more. We will
also continue supporting income generating activities and help increase
access to services such as education and healthcare. We have already
built 14 community health clinics and plan to finish 13 more by April
2007.
In Sri Lanka we will continue to meet people’s needs for
homes as well as for services such as education and healthcare.
Q: I am keen to help Islamic Relief’s post-tsunami work, what more can I do?
Thousands
of people affected by the tsunami still need help. Although two years
have passed there is still a long way to go before life can return to
normal for families in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
Amongst those
worst-affected by the tsunami are children who lost one or both parents
in the disaster. To find out how you can help orphans in Indonesia or
Sri Lanka please visit: http://www.alyateem.com