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Relief and Rehabilitation
In this field, USAID provides emergency food, water, medical care, shelters, psychological support and assistance with cleaning up and re-establishing businesses to those countries affected by the tsunami. Below are highlights of USAID's work in this area.
06/08/05 Psychological and social programs for 11,000 displaced persons in eastern camps
With post-tsunami housing reconstruction
moving slowly, psychological and social
programs have become extremely important
for communities still living in tents and
transitional shelters. More than 11,000
affected children, teens, and adults have
benefited to date from such programs
supported by USAID.
In 50 tsunami-displaced communities on the
east coast, from Trincomalee to Kalmunai,
child well-being committees have been
formed. These committees are composed of four volunteers who administer specially-designated “child
centered spaces” in the camps to provide psychological and social support primarily to children. Two
hundred volunteers have been trained on problem identification, communication, stress, and working
with children. Another 200 volunteers have been trained to serve as assistants. The volunteers
subsequently recruit teachers from the community to teach specific activities such as music, dance, and
drawing.
06/01/05 Tsunami-displaced chicken farmers
get second chance through USAID
 Before the tsunami wiped out their
business, poultry farmers Abdullah
and his wife Fatima made a decent
living in the east coast town of Pottuvil
earning $3.50 per kilo selling chicken
from a flock of 500 birds. A USAID
livelihood restoration grant provided
the couple with cash for 100 chicks to
restart their enterprise. Working
through a local poultry association,
Abdullah received the chicks on the
condition that he gives ten adult birds
to another displaced association
member once the chicks have reached
maturity. They also helped him rebuild
his coop and provided him and other
farmers with training in poultry care and marketing, and veterinary services. Abdullah says he
anticipates a profit of $2 per bird, and hopes to be back to 500 birds within a year’s time.
06/01/05 Disability project addresses tsunami reconstruction
Hundreds of Sri Lankans survived the tsunami but were left with disabling injuries such as paralysis or
amputations, adding to the inordinate number of disabled resulting from two decades of war. A new
$250,000 grant will assist builders in the cost of making new construction of public buildings accessible
through features such as wider doors, bathroom railings, and textured crosswalks.
06/01/05 Computer classes excite youth
 USAID is supporting recreational and educational
activities for youth in tsunami-affected
Periyakalapet, Pondicherry district. At a learning
center established in the village, 36 young girls are
working to obtain a diploma in computer
applications, including Excel, Powerpoint,
Paintbrush and Word. Other youth are taking
sewing and driving lessons or organizing
sports events and festivals.
05/25/05 USAID reconstructs markets in Banda Aceh
At the request of the Mayor of Banda Aceh, USAID and the International Organization for Migration launched a market rehabilitation and revitalization program in Banda Aceh. Initial preparation for the construction of the first of 240 temporary market stalls began last week at Pasar Aceh, which was heavily damaged by the tsunami. Production of the first covered wooden stalls began on May 17. Local men are being trained in basic carpentry skills under a cash-for-work program, and they will be employed for the next few months to build 2,000 stalls. In Lapangan Basket, Penayong, approximately 180 stalls will be built for vegetable vendors. The stalls are being provided free of charge. A lottery coordinated by the local authority will be used to d
decide which vendors registered at Pasar Aceh prior to the
tsunami will receive the first of the new stalls.
05/18/05 Women's NGO to administer training for construction and tourism industries
A new USAID initiative will identify, promote and offer a training program in critically needed skills in tsunami-affected Matara and Amapara districts. Targeted to school-dropouts and other young adults, the initiative promises to jump start the vocational-technical training program. USAID expects the $125,000 grant to the local women's NGO Ruhunu Sisila Social Services Organization to train 350 beneficiaries in construction and tourism-related skills, including direct services for hotels and ancillary tourism related services such as craft making.
05/18/05 'Shelter Shop' makes creative use of transitional housing
Sumady has always been a business woman. A resident of the eastern village of Marudamunai, she operated a small shop selling dry goods and vegetables to the local fishing families. Grieving over the death of her 13-year old son in the tsunami, she was determined to get back into business. Provided transitional shelter by USAID, she gradually economized enough to buy some dry goods and other stock and turn her shelter into a place of business as well as for eating and sleeping. The displaced community of about 100 people give her a steady, if poor, market for her goods. She is slowly expanding her inventory to better serve her customers and the memory of her lost son, whose portrait hangs in her shop.
05/18/05 Satellite imagery for reconstruction
USAID provided the Urban Development Authority $54,000 worth of Global Information System satellite images of a 150-mile stretch of eastern Sri Lanka. These images will provide current information on conditions along the tsunami-affected coastline from Trincomalee to Panama. The information will be used by government authorities as well as local communities, donors, and NGOs to guide their efforts to accelerate the tsunami recovery process. The images, taken by the private sector firm Ikonos, were delivered on 35 CD-ROM discs, and are sub-meter accurate, meaning rooftops and vehicles can be made out clearly. The images will help planners decide where to locate new towns, housing settlements, and industrial development projects.
05/18/05 Mobile vital health service saves lives
 With USAID support, vital health services are being provided to greater Banda Aceh and isolated communities along the west coast in Aceh Besar and Aceh Jaya that were initially only accessible by boat or on foot. Four mobile clinics, each with a doctor, two nurses and a mid-wife, are utilizing mini-van ambulances, motorcycles and boats to provide life-saving medical services to remote, underserved areas. The mobile clinics are operated by a Project
Concern with support from volunteer
doctors and nurses.
Over 5,000 patients have been treated and 40,000 people have been provided with access to health services. The mobile health clinic services are being integrated with cash-for-work projects in the area (also funded by USAID) to help with long-term recovery and reconstruction activities.
05/18/05 Livestock commerce provides alternative incomes
 The Dalit community in the village of Thenapattinam in Nagapattinam district has developed livestock commerce as an alternative source of income under a USAID program. Previously, the community depended on agricultural labor for income. However, as a result of the tsunami, heavy sand deposits left the land unsuitable for farming.
With help from local NGO Sevai, women's groups have been formed and a revolving fund has been created to finance livestock activities. Eighteen members have received two cows each, and five members have received ten goats each. Each member has also been given a small grant to cover shed, fodder, vaccination and insurance costs. In order to sustain the fund, the group has decided that 70% of the cost of the animal will be a grant and 30% will be a loan. The women have already started selling milk from their cows to the local cooperative, providing much needed income, as well as a source of pride, for the women.
05/11/05 USAID engages communities in reconstruction
During his visit to Aceh, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State
Robert Zoellick visited Lamteungoh to view a USAID-funded
project that is helping the community to identify
and prioritize its reconstruction needs. Zoellick spoke to
villagers about their priorities, including the building of
community centers, the need for recreational areas for
children, and clearing land for cultivating subsistence
crops.
This project is part of a larger USAID effort that has
projects in 53 tsunami-affected communities.
Approximately $1.62 million in ‘entry grants’ has been
dispersed to these communities to date, injecting muchneeded
income, generating hope, and motivating
villagers to be involved in the development process.
Quick-start cash-for-work activities, selected and
prioritized by the community, produce tangible results
that build hope, while the community is engaged in a
longer-term action planning process for the future.
05/11/05 Rebuilding community resources through cash-for-work
program
Through a cash-for-work program, USAID is working with the
community of Nagappattinam to restore a community lake
ravaged during the tsunami. The program employs men and
women from the community to de-silt the lake and use the
sand to create new embankments. Trees will be planted
around the lake, and once work is complete, the area will be
converted to a public park. The lake is believed to be the
original source of water for the community and a number of
adults and children died at the site. The local Panchayat
leader officially thanked USAID for rehabilitating this culturally
important site for the community.
04/20/05 CH2M HILL Providing Safe Water to Banda Aceh
A new water treatment facility quickly put into operation by CH2M HILL in Banda Aceh has the capacity to treat approximately 1.5 million liters per day, enough to provide safe drinking water to a large portion of Banda Aceh's population. Currently, the system produces an average of 400,000 liters of water per day, which is distributed by truck to thousands of people, many of whom are living in refugee camps. This water facility also supplies clean water to 200 children at a nearby orphanage. CH2M HILL began operating the Banda Aceh water treatment unit on Feb. 3, 2005. The water treatment unit in Banda Aceh draws water from the Krueng Aceh River and is passed through a series of multimedia filters, treated with chemicals and then finally passed through a series of membranes to remove harmful contaminates. The quality of the treated water is equivalent to bottled water and exceeds U.S. EPA and World Health Organization's (WHO) standards. 04/27/05 US Assistant Secretary Rocca tours Sri
Lanka tsunami damage
US Assistant Secretary of State for South
Asia, Christina Rocca, presented sets of tools
to tsunami-affected carpenters, masons, and
welders in eastern Sri Lanka on April 19 as
part of a visit to three USAID-funded
reconstruction projects. She also inspected
transitional shelters, observed cleanup
activities, and talked with teachers and
students at school sites. After reinaugurating
the American Center in
Colombo, she told assembled journalists the US will “remain engaged in the recovery process.” Rocca
also met top government officials including the prime minister, opposition leaders, and key national and
international interest groups, including Norwegian peace envoy Eric Solheim, to discuss reconstruction
plans.
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