The devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck South and South East Asia and East Africa on December 26, 2004 was a disaster on a global scale. Claiming close to 200,000 lives, the tsunami's toll on the populations of coastal areas was incalculable, wiping out homes, livelihoods and infrastructure.

In the wake of the tsunami, Canadians rallied to the assistance of those who had been affected. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and FOCUS Canada mobilized funds to support relief, but also to create a foundation for sustainable rehabilitation among 15 particularly vulnerable communities in the tsunami affected area.

The aim of the three-year Andhra Pradesh Relief to Development (APR2D) project was to improve the capacity of target communities to better manage in times of disaster. It built on an earlier relief effort, funded by CIDA and the European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO) to restore the livelihoods of affected communities in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami.

To set in motion a process that would sustain a short-term project, the AKDN drew on guiding principles developed from its experiences of projects in disaster reconstruction and more comprehensive development programs: high-quality community-based interventions, working on multiple fronts, and fostering linkages with strong institutional partners.

At the core of the project's disaster management and mitigation strategy was the creation of empowered and highly motivated community-based organizations; their participation was critical in shaping and implementing initiatives that would best serve the needs of the vulnerable, particularly women and children. Several AKDN agencies, including Focus Humanitarian Assistance, Aga Khan Planning and Building Services and Aga Khan Foundation, collaborated on this project, each bringing expertise and experience to bear on the challenges of working in a remote and resource-challenged area.

For more information, please see "Stemming the Tide".