Silver Spring, Maryland -- Seven
months after the Indian Ocean tsunami sent waves of destruction throughout
Asia and parts of Africa, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)
continues to respond to the needs of survivors in Sri Lanka, Indonesia,
India, Thailand, and Somalia, allocating more than $39 million in relief
and development aid to date.
In Sri Lanka, ADRA is allocating over
$16 million to reconstruct devastated areas. ADRA has provided survivors
with shelter, medical and psychotherapeutic specialists, improved access
to clean water, and has distributed more than 90 tons of medical supplies,
food, and clothing. ADRA is also organizing livelihood recovery programs
to stimulate economic development in affected communities.
ADRA has also programmed $10 million in aid for nearly 400,000 tsunami survivors in Indonesia. ADRA is teaching residents how to prepare for future disasters and is providing basic education, health care, and livelihood recovery assistance.
In India, ADRA has allocated $6 million in relief aid for more than 100,000 survivors, providing food, clean water, medical services and trauma counseling. ADRA is also actively promoting health care issues, advancing women's empowerment, and addressing livelihood concerns. It is also involved in the reconstruction of local infrastructure, in improving access to sanitation and clean water, and in helping survivors recover their livelihood.
In addition, ADRA has designated $3.7 million to assist in community recovery, health intervention, and water rehabilitation in Thailand, benefiting 34,000 people. ADRA is active in development activities such as vocational training and microfinance programs. ADRA has also established a recovery and development program to help families in the fishing and tourism industries regain their livelihoods and restore their financial independence. The program will provide families with recovery grants and will assist with the reconstruction of infrastructure and buildings, as well as the replacement of fishing boats that were lost at sea.
ADRA has also allocated $2.3 million to projects in Somalia, including organizing livelihood recovery projects, improving community access to safe water and sanitation facilities, and providing health and hygiene education seminars in the community. The projects will benefit 32,000 survivors of the tsunami and other disasters in the region of Nugal, in northern Somalia.
"The work that ADRA is doing in these countries may take up to five years to complete," states Byron Scheuneman, senior vice president and chief financial officer for ADRA International. "ADRA has given, and will continue to give, aid to those whose lives have been forever changed by the tsunami. We are committed to being a long term partner in the work needed to help them reconstruct their lives."
ADRA's tsunami rehabilitation efforts in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, Thailand, and Somalia are expected to last until 2010. An additional $18 million is still needed to successfully implement ADRA's planned long-term projects in affected countries.
Donations to ADRA's tsunami long-term development projects can be made online at www.adra.org, or by phone on 1.800.424.ADRA (2372).
ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, or ethnicity.
Additional information about ADRA can be found at www.adra.org.
Media Contact:
Nadia McGill
ADRA International
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904
Phone: 301.680.5145
Email: Media.Inquries@adra.org