06 April 2006
CARE Committed to Long-Term Recovery of Indian Ocean Tsunami
U.S-based humanitarian aid organization focuses in rebuilding lives
Recovering from the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami is expected to take years, as hundreds of thousands of survivors struggle to cope with both physical and emotional losses exacerbated by the extreme poverty that prevailed in many coastal communities before the disaster.
The United States and a broad range of generous nongovernmental and humanitarian aid organizations continue to help restore the livelihoods and ease the trauma of people in the areas devastated by the tsunami.
One organization is CARE, which has been providing humanitarian aid around the world since 1946. CARE has pledged to remain in tsunami-affected areas for five years.
In India, CARE has spent approximately $5 billion by the end of 2005 to build shelters, schools, community centers and health clinics, and to improve access to clean water and sanitation. But their work goes beyond houses or jobs.
CARE is helping Chinnaraja, a young student in India whose family had lived close to the sea. The tsunami claimed his family's modest home and their few belongings, and killed many of their neighbors.
But Chinnaraja is glad to still have his good friend, Sabamathy, a teacher trained by CARE. Sabamathy has developed educational and fun games that leave no time for brooding. "Because of [Sabamathy] my tribe has let the children come back to school where we laugh like we used to," Chinnaraja said.
Abdula, secretary of his village fisherman's association in Thailand, says that "if CARE hadn't helped, we would have nothing."
He says his village of Baan Tayang "was all destroyed in one day." More than 100 members of his association lost boats, nets or fish farms that had been the source of their daily income.
Abdula said because it was easier for the big fish farms to meet the Thai government's criteria for emergency aid, smaller fishermen had to rely on organizations such as CARE for assistance.
"CARE was the first organization to help our village," he said. The organization provided loans from $500 to $1,800 to CARE-trained village committees to help people in their communities begin to earn income again, such as by replacing or repairing their fishing gear.
Through December 2005, CARE had spent $5.1 million to help people in 130 tsunami-affected villages in Thailand.
Relying on donations from individuals and corporations, and with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) CARE is committed to helping tsunami survivors get back their livelihoods and hopes for the future by putting decision-making in their hands. "Instilling a much needed sense of purpose is the first step toward restoring hope," according to CARE.
