World Vision has deep roots in the areas hardest hit by the Indian Ocean tsunamis. With approximately 4,000 staff members in the affected countries and more than 30 years of history in Southeast Asia, World Vision has the experience, expertise, and community connections needed to rebuild.
Here is World Vision's long-term response plan to this crisis:
- Emergency Response - When natural disasters strike, survivors often lack the basic necessities required to keep them alive. During this phase, which can last anywhere from a few days to many weeks, World Vision delivers relief items including clean water, food, shelter, cooking and eating utensils, clothing, toiletries, and linens. At the same time, staff members provide counselling for traumatized children and adults.
- Community Rehabilitation - The enormous death toll following the tsunamis will alter the demographics of entire communities. Some will be left with an imbalance of men and women or young and old, others will find themselves with a new religious and ethnic mix, and some will have lost their leaders. World Vision helps survivors re-establish their institutions and organizations in ways that respect the new demographics and protect the rights of the most vulnerable.
- Economic Recovery - Most communities worst affected by the tsunamis were already living in poverty. Now livelihoods are destroyed and many people will struggle to reconstruct their homes and to survive. World Vision will help by providing loans for families to start small businesses and diversify their income. In some communities, staff members will also provide boats and nets to fishermen and seeds, tools, and training to farmers.
- Infrastructure Rebuilding -As communities clear the debris and assess the damage, World Vision will begin to rebuild homes, schools, health clinics, water systems, latrines, roads, and other infrastructure. Staff members will ensure that communities take ownership of the new structures and systems by training local people to operate and maintain them.
