Tsunami-Affected Communities Set Course for Long-Term Development

Seattle, WA, December 20, 2007 --(PR.com)-- As World Vision’s largest disaster response ever enters its final stages, hundreds of thousands of people in five tsunami-affected countries have benefited from new homes, schools, health interventions, Child-Friendly Spaces, livelihood recovery programs and other assistance.

Following the December 26, 2004 quake and tsunami, World Vision mounted a simultaneous response in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and Myanmar. The Christian humanitarian organization’s relief teams dispatched emergency aid before mounting a multi-year response, led by a special Asia Tsunami Response Team based in Singapore. This team is now passing leadership of the program to individual country offices, which will continue long-term development work in tsunami-affected areas.

“In most of the areas where we have worked, economic security has recovered to a level near what is was prior to the tsunami,” said Wynn Flaten, program specialist for the tsunami response. “We will continue working in these areas to further their recovery.”

World Vision raised some US$380 million globally—$70 million from private donations, grants and corporate funding in the United States. Of the money raised, $346.5 million went to programs, the bulk of which will be spent by September 2008. Global costs for fundraising and administration averaged about nine percent.

One year after the tsunami, the Fritz Institute—an organization that monitors the effectiveness of aid delivery—surveyed beneficiaries in Indonesia and found that World Vision ranked highest for quality of aid and fairness of aid distribution. In Thailand, the organization Technical Assistance to Non-Governmental Organizations (TANGO) commended World Vision for helping to “ensure that communities came away from the tragedy stronger than they met it.”

An executive summary and individual country reports for World Vision’s tsunami program can be found at www.worldvision.org/press. Highlights include:

• Livelihoods: Distributed fishing boats and equipment, water pumps, computers, diving kits, sewing machines, food processors and carpentry equipment
• Homes and buildings: Constructed 11,000 homes, 27 health clinics, plus bridges, roads and community buildings
• Education: Built 84 schools and 33 preschools, and provided tuition support and materials to 137,000 children
• Child-focused activities: Launched 200 Child-Friendly Spaces, 60 playgrounds, plus camps, counselling and recreation activities
• Disaster preparedness: Planted 56,000 mangroves in Thailand to protect the coastline from future tsunamis. Established disaster warning systems and conducted community evacuation drills.

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Press contacts: Rachel Wolff, 253.394.2214 or Casey Calamusa, 206.310.5476.

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.