After The Tsunami Rebuilding Our Villages Our Lives DVD.
The Tsunami that destroyed the coastline of the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004 is considered the worst natural disaster in modern history. The Province of Aceh, in northeast Indonesia, was the area hardest-hit. Approximately 160,000 people died, thousands of homes were destroyed and dozens of villages were literally wiped off the map. Faced with such massive destruction, hundreds of international relief organizations and millions of dollars in emergency aid flooded into Aceh.
When people talk about successful aid projects in Aceh, the example they cite is the one managed by the Indonesian NGO, UPLINK. With help from the Canadian organization, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE, it succeeded in just over two years in building 3,300 homes - all of them occupied - as well as roads and other infrastructure for 23 villages levelled by the tsunami.
Through comments from the principal players, this film recounts the story of what happened and reveals the key to the project's success: an approach based on community organization and active involvement by the people living there. Their experience serves as a telling example for individuals and organizations everywhere who are interested in development and emergency relief operations around the world.