The scale of the Asian tsunami, which struck on Boxing Day last year, was unprecedented and ActionAid's response was the biggest in its history.

In - India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Somalia and Thailand, we have reached over 380,000 people since the disaster.

As the anniversary of the tsunami approaches we have launched a new tsunami information centre, carrying details of our tsunami response in five countries and across five key areas of work.

ActionAid's approach was to seek out the poorest and most marginalised groups and make sure they were not left out of the relief effort.

Over 70 per cent of those we helped have been women and children who are often the most vulnerable after a disaster has struck.

ActionAid's approach has been:

- to deliver relief in partnership with local communities

- to listen to people, not dictate to them

- to reach the people most in need and with them, build a sustainable future for themselves and their communities.

Our success in building partnerships has enabled us to achieve our delivery targets. So far we have spent over =A37 million. By the end of ActionAid's tsunami relief and rehabilitation programme in 2008, that will rise to over =A330 million.

Our main objectives

ActionAid has operations in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Somalia and the Maldives. Applying our core principles of working with poor people, local partners and organisations to target and address the causes of poverty, we identified four main objectives for working effectively with tsunami victims.

- meeting basic needs (food, non-food items, shelter, and education of affected families)

- to reduce the negative psychosocial effects of the tsunami

- helping people rebuild their lives, their communities and livelihoods

- working with and on behalf of poor and marginalised communities, and ensuring foundations for a more secure future

- monitoring aid so that it flows to the poorest and most marginalised people.