Update on Do Something's Kids Tsunami Relief Fund Projects
On December 26, 2004 one of the deadliest tsunamis in history barreled onto the shores of Southeast Asia, killing thousands of people in eleven countries in a single day. As the day of destruction drew to a close, 150,000 were dead or missing. Millions more were newly homeless. Isolated and impoverished communities were left in an even more desperate state. Children had no schools, adults had no way to make a living, and access to medical care was scarce.
Just days after the tsunami, the Do Something generation rallied nationwide and raised over $450,000 for the “Do Something Tsunami Relief Fund: the Fund for Kids by Kids.” The money raised helped to build schools, fund trauma therapy for children, and build emergency and permanent medical facilities across Asia.
Four years later, here's what all that money has done!
INDONESIA
IBU Medical Emergency Clinic in Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Do Something adopted the IBU medical clinic in Aceh, Indonesia for a six-month period following the tsunami. The clinic trained workers to identify medical and psycho-social problems, and to screen children for health issues and developmental problems. IBU worked with the public health system in Indonesia to offer training in infectious disease identification and control – a crucial step in the months after the tsunami, when disease was easily spread. Nutritional training and educational programs were also offered, to help reconstruct the basics of life before the tsunami, like healthy eating and schooling.
During these six months, between 2,000 and 4,000 patients were seen each month. IBU had permanent “static” clinics and mobile clinics that went out into the community to identify healthcare issues and monitor malaria. “Psychosocial assistance” was one of IBU’s main goals – this is especially important in communities following trauma like the tsunami. Young children can develop problems such as anxiety and depression, which can damage their health and brain development. In addition to offering personal counseling, IBU was able to offer radio counseling services on local radio every Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The Lab School in Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Do Something gave much of the funds raised to help the United States Indonesia Society (USINDO) build a model community high school on the campus of a university in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. The new high school now educates many of the students from the severely damaged areas surrounding the university.
Construction began in May 2007. The school was finished in June 2007 and students began classes on July 16th.
The school complex consists of 10 large subject-dedicated classrooms, a computer/language lab, 3 science labs, a research library, and a community center that is used by nearby middle and high schools and neighborhoods.
Twelve full time teachers and two librarians have been on staff since the school’s opening. The first group of students was a class of 102 students, all from heavily tsunami-damaged neighborhoods. The school admitted another class in July 2008 and another class will be admitted in July 2009, which will complete the school’s goal of around 300 students.
One-third of students receive full scholarships and others receive financial aid based on family incomes.
The school is proud to exist as a result of “people to people efforts” and lists Do Something as the primary example of this – the contributions from the DS Kids Tsunami Relief Fund helped to cover the expenses of designing, building and equipping the school.
SRI LANKA
Al Ashraff School
Pottuvil is in the Ampara District of Sri Lanka, one of the areas hit hardest by the tsunami. In the days after the disaster, 400 kids from the village were trapped and 70 children died in schools that were flooded.
The new school was built, with the help of Architecture for Humanity on the footprint of the old school, and was built with a new clean water system – rainwater collection and dry composting toilets save water. The building is equipped with classrooms, storage for teachers and children, and common areas that can be used by the community.
Emergency Medical Clinic in Kirinda, Sri Lanka
The Kirinda medical clinic is on the main street of Kirinda, a hub of Sri Lanka. The site was designed and developed by Architecture for Humanity's Sri Lanka team. The clinic is near shops and the town’s bus station, allowing community members easy access to the health services of the clinic. Clinics like this were essential to preventing and containing infectious diseases in the wake of the tsunami, when tropical heat and floodwaters created an environment where disease could thrive.
Sarvodaya’s Early Childhood Development Unit
Do Something helped fund Sarvodaya Shramadana, the leading voluntary non-governmental development organization in Sri Lanka. The org was heavily involved in providing humanitarian aid in tsunami-affected regions of Sri Lanka, and devoted a huge amount of resources to child trauma therapy.
The goals of the early child development unit were to improve the development of the children in the community, set up pre-school activities to support development, and set up an environment to reduce the stress and trauma of the kids. Sarvodaya established pre-schools in affected villages and provided nutritious and balanced meals for the community’s children. They also provided drinking water facilities for people in the affected villages. Many developmental activities and counseling were held in villages and camps created as part of the Early Childhood Development Unit. Because children are especially vulnerable to trauma, Sarvodaya’s Early Childhood Development Unit provided trauma therapy and the tools necessary to help kids get back to their normal lives as quickly as possible.
INDIA
Jeevarathinam Nursery and Primary School in Tamil Nadu, India
The school of 200 children was partially destroyed. The goal of the project was to renovate the school so that kids’ lives could return to normalcy.
The funds raised by Do Something helped the Suyam Charitable Trust team up with local workers and engineers to reconstruct the compound wall of the school, classrooms, restrooms, and ceilings as well as to repaint the entire school. New furniture, books and uniforms were also purchased.
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