3 January 2006 CRINMAIL 742
Special Edition on South Asian Tsunamis
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- South Asia Tsunamis one year on - learning and impact assessment
- News, events and activity reports from CRIN Members
- Useful NGO and news websites
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Your submissions are welcome if you are working in the area of child rights. To contribute, email us at [email protected]. Adobe Acrobat is required for viewing some of the documents, and if required can be downloaded from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html
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- South Asia Tsunamis one year on - learning and impact assessment
* How people are recovering their livelihoods 12 months after the tsunami [publication]
[LONDON, 20 December 2005] - On 26 December 2004, an earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered a tsunami that hit the coasts of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, the Maldives, Malaysia, Burma, the Seychelles, and Somalia.
Within the space of a few hours, the giant waves devastated thousands of kilometres of coastline and the communities that lived there. While the final death toll will never be known, official estimates indicate that at least 181,516 people perished and 49,936 remain missing. It was the world's most severe natural disaster since the East Pakistan hurricane of 1970. A further 1.8 million people were displaced into temporary camps or took refuge with communities that were unaffected. In recent times, only war, famine, and epidemics have caused more destruction.
A year has now passed and it is time to assess the effectiveness of the relief and reconstruction operations so far. Oxfam recently released a briefing paper - "Back to work: How people are recovering their livelihoods 12 months after the tsunami" - intended to outline the work that has been undertaken to restore and improve the livelihoods of tsunami-affected people. It recognises the poverty in which many people were living before the tsunami. It describes how the tsunami destroyed what meagre livelihoods these people had, and how it threatened to plunge millions more into poverty.
Men and women affected by the tsunami are determined to be economically self-sufficient. The extraordinary generosity of people and governments around the world has allowed agencies, including Oxfam, to begin helping people and communities to recover their livelihoods. People are beginning to go back to work and there are clear signs that local economies are beginning to function.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that the rapid aid and support received after the disaster is likely to result in 50-60 per cent of workers being able to earn a living again by the end of 2005. Moreover, economists believe that 70 per cent of those dragged into poverty by the tsunami - 1.4 million people - will be out of poverty by 2007. The drive to restore livelihoods has perhaps progressed more than some other areas of the tsunami response, such as building permanent shelters, as shown in Oxfam's companion report: "A place to stay, a place to live".
For more information, contact:
Oxfam, Oxfam House
John Smith Drive, Cowley
Oxford OX4 2JY, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1865 473727
Website: http://www.oxfam.org.uk
To read "Back to Work", go to:
http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=6850
To read "A place to stay, a place to live", go to: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=6851
* Lack of child participation in tsunami relief work a missed opportunity [publication]
[BANGKOK, 13 December 2005] - Agencies providing relief and reconstruction after the tsunami should have done more to involve children in the process, according to Plan's study 'Children and the tsunami', released last month in Bangkok. It says the typical 'one size fits all' approach consistently fails to consult or involve children, which in turn leads to less informed and often less sustainable solutions.
Governments and aid agencies failed to involve children during last year's tsunami relief effort, and instead imposed imported solutions on them. Yet, Plan's 69-years of experience in running development programmes, has shown that this 'we know what's best' approach is the least effective way to deliver long-term benefit.
Involving children should be an integral part of the relief effort. The main reason for the lack of children's involvement was the need for efficiency and speed of delivery. However, ignoring children's energy, strength, and optimism was a missed opportunity, and may have actually prolonged the suffering.
Plan CEO, Tom Miller said: "The argument that there isn't time to consult children in disaster situations just doesn't work. Children and young people are often stronger, better educated, more adaptable, and more optimistic than adults. Children are a valuable and willing resource, not defenceless and vulnerable victims, and it's time the international community recognised that."
While Plan consulted children on longer term recovery efforts like housing and schools, it like other agencies could have been quicker at consulting and involving them during the initial disaster response.
For future disasters, a fundamental shift in attitude and approach towards involving children in emergency situations is needed to reduce their impact. Active involvement in reconstruction is an essential part of the recovery process for traumatised children.
The tsunami and recent earthquake in Pakistan are now driving international agencies and governments to establish functioning disaster risk reduction strategies. Plan urges them to make children's involvement a core element of these strategies and not to let another opportunity slip away.
For more information, contact:
Arunee Achakulwisut, Plan Asia Regional Office
2nd Floor, Na-Nakorn Building, 99/349 Chaengwattana Road,
Thungsonghong, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
Tel: + 66 2 576 1972 4; Fax: +66 2 576 1978
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.plan-international.org
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=6775
* Responses to young children in post-emergency situations [publication]
The Bernard van Leer Foundation and International Catholic Child Bureau recently published a Newsletter on "Responses to young children in post-emergency situations" which includes articles by various child rights NGOs on: early childhood development in emergency situations, addressing the rights and needs of tsunami-affected children, rapid child protection assessments in emergency contexts, the impact of conflict on children and care for separated children.
While the Newsletter was inspired by the tsunami, it looks at other, similar situations that leave children unprotected and suffering and seeks to bring important information to organisations facing the needs of young children in emergency situations who otherwise would not have access to it. It has been compiled by organisations and agencies who have first-hand experience in this area.
For more information, contact:
Bernard van Leer Foundation
PO Box 82334, 2508 EH The Hague, Netherlands
Tel: + 31 (0)70 331 22 00; Fax: + 31 (0)70 350 23 73
Website: http://www.bernardvanleer.org
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=6840
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- News, events and activity reports from CRIN Members
* International Federation Terre des Hommes [press release]
[GENEVA, 20 December 2005] - Thanks to its long-term presence in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, Terre des Hommes was able to respond from day one to the acute needs of the victims, providing emergency aid in the form of food delivery, medication, shelter, water and sanitation, and protection measures for separated and disabled children.
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=6848
* International Save the Children Alliance [progress report]
Save the Children has issued a progress report on its work in the affected countries. "Rebuilding Lives After the Tsunami - through the eyes of children" describes the organisation's emergency response and strategies for the next four years aimed at helping rebuild children's lives.
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=6847
* UNICEF [progress report]
One year after the tsunami, UNICEF recounts its role in providing immediate relief and ongoing care to the thousands of families and children affected. The report provides country-by-country breakdowns that include expenditure, plans and challenges, while highlighting children's stories and key partners in relief and recovery.
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=6853
UNICEF also published the results of a survey on the "views of affected children on their lives and the tsunami relief effort".
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=6855
* Child Protection Training for Local NGOs [workshop]
'Ensuring a Child-Safe Organisation (ECSO) Project' aims to help local agencies working in the Tsunami-affected areas to develop their own child protection policy and guidelines. Save the Children UK team will assist organisations in trainings, assessment and consultations.
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=6826&flag=event
* Photography project with children in Sri Lanka [exhibition]
Save the Children has been working with PhotoVoice on "Making Waves", a photography project and exhibition, with children who were affected by the tsunami disaster in Sri Lanka. The project has enabled children who are usually the subject of photography to become the creators. The participatory photography course, has taught children how to take, develop and use photography to speak out about and document the recent disaster.
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=6852&flag=event
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- Useful NGO and news websites
UN Office of the Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery
http://www.tsunamispecialenvoy.org
http://www.tsunamispecialenvoy.org/links.asp (list of all organisations involved in tsunami relief efforts)
UNICEF
http://www.unicef.org/emerg/disasterinasia/24615_main.html
Save the Children
http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/scuk/jsp/microsites/tsunami/index.jsp
AlertNet
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/emergency/SA_TID.htm
BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/world/2004/asia_quake_disaster/default.stm
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