Once the debris is cleared away, bodies are buried, emergency food and supplies are handed out and immediate wounds and illnesses are tended to, the long process of rehabilitation and reconstruction to tsunami-ravaged countries must begin. "We're well into rehabilitation now," said Rick Fee, director of Presbyterian World Service & Development. "We're beginning to look at more long-term issues."
Caring for the thousands of orphans whose parents were killed in the disaster, and tending to the psycho-social needs of those who experienced trauma are key components of the rehabilitation effort. The UN estimates that 1.5 million children are now homeless; many are orphans. In Banda Aceh, Indonesia, the area hardest-hit by the tsunami, providing clean water and treating disease are of top priority. Wounds that weren't treated and exposed to unclean conditions led to severe infections. Because of this, amputations are the most common operation in Banda Aceh.
Helping survivors rebuild their livelihoods and providing adequate healthcare are a great concern, said Fee. Replacing temporary shelters with new homes, rebuilding fishing boats lost in the enormous waves, and helping people restart their businesses are a major part of the reconstruction phase. The $926,000 raised by Presbyterians will support this work. The projects will be carried out by PWS&D's long time partner Action by Churches Together and other local agencies.
In the next three to nine months, ACT will focus on its clean water and sanitation program, which includes building latrines, removing garbage, clearing seawater from contaminated wells, and installing community water tanks. ACT workers will also help provide education and school assistance, strengthen food security by providing seeds, tools and fishing equipment and operate training programs to help impoverished communities create and maintain a higher standard of living. Continuing to supply food aid (which PWS&D does through the Canadian Foodgrains Bank) remains on the "to do" list.
Matching funds granted by the Canadian government will help support such efforts, which will last for at least 18 to 24 months. "Ottawa wanted everything done by March," said Fee, "but that's impossible. So aid agencies in Canada spoke to CIDA [Canadian International Development Agency] and asked for a longer commitment.
"Because of the ACT network, we get excellent reports on what is needed," said Fee. "We get what we require, rather than reinventing the wheel and sending more people over there to see what's next. We can plug in immediately."
