Children of Tsunami

‘Build back better’ has made concrete improvements for children five years after the tsunami

Still remember Tsunami, in 2004, boxing day

A natural disaster that hit the world, and it happen in places close to you. It was shock, it was unbelievable.... no one was prepared, or warned of the coming disaster...

Some were talking about environmental protection; Mangrove Swamp, Coral, and all the marine and nature protection....

Some have just had their Christmas Eve parties, and Christmas celebration.....joy become sadness.....

It happen in Penang, Phuket Island, Bandar Acheh; Sri Langka, Burma, India.....

It was Tsunami , Tsunami of Indian Ocean.....in 2004 Boxing Day. This is the 5th years from the disaster.

The Tsunami
On the morning of 26 December 2004, an earthquake measuring 9.3 on the Richter Scale originated about 150 kilometres northwest of Sumatra, Indonesia. This massive tremor distorted the ocean floor, forcing the overlying water into waves as high as 25 meters (80 feet), and propelled them towards coasts in all directions along the Indian Ocean rim. This covered coastal countries of Asia and Africa.

This was a ‘Tsunami.’ A Japanese word, ‘Tsunami’ means ‘harbour wave.’ It refers to a wave in an ocean or lake that is created by an underwater event.

Much of the tsunami’s devastation was on the coasts of South Asia and South East Asia – with India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand suffering the most damage. Many coastal villages and towns in these countries were completely destroyed or badly damaged. Among the other affected countries were Malaysia, Maldives and Myanmar in Asia, and Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania in Africa.

Being responsible for over 300,000 deaths and millions of displacements, the 2004 Tsunami was one of the worst known natural disasters of all time. It tore through whole seaside communities and often devastated them irreparably. Despite help from all over the world, many of those affected are still trying to rebuild their shattered lives.

(http://www.childrenoftsunami.info/)

What is Children of Tsunami
Children of Tsunami is an Asia Pacific regional communications initiative tracking how ordinary people rebuild lives and livelihoods after the Asian tsunami disaster.

It is originated, coordinated and managed by TVE Asia Pacific, a regionally operating not-for-profit media organisation engaged in communication for sustainable development.

Asia’s recovery process is being captured through the experiences of eight children and families. This will be done through monthly visits to the same families throughout 2005.

We are covering the four most highly affected countries: India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. In each country, locally based film-makers and journalists will be researching, filming and editing the stories.

Children of Tsunami is a truly multimedia project, with customised outputs on broadcast television, video, web and print media.

These media products will reach wide and varied audiences throughout Asia Pacific, as well as in Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America. We hope to engage TV audiences, educational users and civil society networks.

Children of Tsunami: No More Tears: A documentary film

Children of Tsunami: No More Tears is a documentary film that shows the lives of eight children in four Asian countries during the year following the Indian Ocean tsunami that hit South and Southeast Asia on 26 December 2004.

The film was shot in eight locations in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand and shows three girls and two boys aged eight to 16 yearsfrom different backgrounds and nationalities. All the children are from average families affected by the disaster in different ways: some lost their loved ones; others lost their homes and property or were thrown out of their jobs.

The film was one of several media outputs of the Children of Tsunami media project launched by TVEAP Asia Pacific, a non-profit media foundation.

They have never met each other. Some have never travelled beyond their native village. On December 26 2004, the sea rose and rose and took everything they cherished.

Documented over the year, locally-based filmmakers returned to Asia's battered coasts in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand to track the healing and the hurt through the eyes of children.

Asia's recovery process from the tsunami is being captured through the stories of three girls and two boys aged 8 to 16 years.

Of different races, worshipping different Gods, they live on different shores in different countries. They are the tsunami generation, sharing the vulnerability of a child and the legacy of the tragic tides.

Young survivors of the Asian tsunami let us into their lives to personalise the mass of statistics, aid pledges and recovery plans. "Children of Tsunami" is a tapestry of intimate stories, woven by voices of individual and collective resilience, heroism and recovery

The eight children featured in Children of Tsunami project were: Selvam (13) of Tamil Nadu, India, Mala (11) also of Tamil Nadu, India, Putri (8) of Aceh, Indonesia, Yenni (15) also of Aceh, Indonesia, Heshani (13) of Matara, Sri Lanka, Theeban (14) of Sri Lanka, Bao (16) of Phang Nga, Thailand and Beam (8) of Phang Nga, Thailand.







Remember these children.....5 years later...

NEW YORK, USA, 22 December 2009 - Building back better has been the mission of UNICEFs recovery work in the countries that were devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunami five years ago.

Some 230,000 people perished in the tsunami on December 26, 2004, which also washed away homes, schools and communities - many of them already poor and remote. In the years since, the task of rebuilding after the tragedy has been viewed as an opportunity to bring improved social services, clean water, and sturdier schools to the tsunami-affected areas.

To give children a much-needed head-start in life, UNICEF and its partners have - in the past five years - built nearly 100 health centres, equipped more than 7,000 health centres, and trained some 60,200 healthcare workers.

UNICEF has also supported campaigns for mass vaccination, mosquito net distribution and nutritional monitoring.

Though the five-year anniversary of the tsunami will bring much sadness to the Indian Ocean region, the massive recovery efforts in education, health and sanitation will ensure that those who were affected will also have a bright future to look forward to.

(source: http://www.unicef.org/emerg/index_52239.html)



(source: UNICEF)