UN-Habitat confirms high quality of SOS tsunami relief work

People in the tsunami affected regions of Indonesia were asked about their experiences

06/07/2006 - UN-Habitat recently commissioned Syiah Kuala University in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, to carry out a study which found that SOS Children's Villages had excelled in the reconstruction of villages in the regions of Indonesia that had been destroyed during the tidal wave at the end of December 2004.

Tsunami victims whose houses were rebuilt by SOS Children's Villages - Photo: S. Posingis

From January to March 2006, an evaluation was carried out of the reconstruction effort of around 35 local, international and multilateral aid organisations in four districts in the province of Banda Aceh that was particularly badly affected by the disaster. UN-Habitat is the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. Questions were put to people in 74 locations, whose houses had been rebuilt by aid organisations.

Some of the deciding criteria for the study were the evaluation of the progress seen in the reconstruction work, the handing over of houses and the choice of building materials. SOS Children's Villages was one of just twelve organisations that were awarded top marks by UN-Habitat (of a total of around 35 organisations). The international aid organisation for children gained ten out of ten for rebuilding houses in Suak Raya.

SOS Children's Villages is building 521 family houses for tsunami victims in Indonesia alone - Photo: S. Posingis

In August 2005, SOS Children's Villages was one of the first aid organisations to hand over new houses to families on the island of Sumatra who had been affected by the tsunami. SOS Children's Villages, which is not a relief organisation as such, is building 521 family houses in Indonesia alone. All of the construction work in Gampong Cot, Suak Raya and Lambada Lhok is due to finish shortly.

Local people and other non-governmental organisations have praised SOS Children's Villages for its quick action following the tsunami and for working closely with people from the communities concerned as part of the reconstruction work.

SOS Children's Villages is building a total of 2,261 family houses (1,014 in Sri Lanka, 521 in Indonesia, 78 in Thailand and 648 in India, 150 of which are being built in partnership with SOS Chatnath Homes) for around 11,200 people. It is also building 15 community centres, seven SOS Children's Villages (including kindergartens, youth facilities and vocational training centres) and six SOS Social Centres.