World Vision is helping thousands of tsunami-affected families get out from under tents and tarps and into improved housing. Living in damp tents is not only uncomfortable-it also puts families at risk of diseases such as malaria and dengue fever.
Since the tsunami, World Vision has constructed 6,400 inexpensive structures in Sri Lanka, India, and Indonesia. Plans are in place to build more than 13,200 permanent homes in the near future.
Why build temporary shelters?
These shelters are the last step before displaced families can move into permanent homes. In Sri Lanka, World Vision's goal is to build over 2,000 houses.
Staff members are working with the local government to identify suitable land for resettlement. Currently, the government doesn't have enough land for all those who lost their homes in the tsunami and acquiring the land can take up to three years.
What are the shelters like?
While these structures are small and simple, they've been designed to provide as much comfort as possible. Their ventilation allows a cross-breeze, wood and tarp insulation help moderate the heat, and the concrete floors are easy to clean. Also, an overhang keeps out the elements-essential during Sri Lanka's monsoon season.
Until permanent homes are ready, many displaced people are thankful for their new, safe shelters. "I don't want to live by the sea anymore. I never want to see again what I saw the day the sea came," say Desika, a tsunami survivor from Sri Lanka.
