Three years ago this week, a tsunami hit Southeast Asia and changed the lives of many thousands in Sri Lanka, Thailand, and India. In Sri Lanka alone, more than 48,000 people were killed and 1.5 million were displaced. However, the tsunami also opened the hearts of many individuals.
Last year, the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University reported that individuals, corporations and foundations in the US donated a total of $3.16 billion toward relief efforts. $2.7 billion came from 25% of American households. Most made gifts of less than $50. The disaster brought new donors and players into the philanthropic world.
The Asia Foundation remembers the tsunami with reports on how they've helped survivors rebuild their communities. It also includes photos taken after the tsunami, Tsunami Response Information, and Sri Lanka Grantees Video.
In this week's post, Three Years Later, Conflicts in Tsunami Areas Have Taken Very Different Directions, the authors from The Asia Foundation and Give2Asia examine how this disaster affected the decades-long conflicts between armies and the governments in Sri Lanka and Aceh, Indonesia. Aceh was under marital law before the tsunami. The tsunami killed a substantial number of government forces and members of GAM (Muslin majority-led Free Aceh Movement). Effects of the tragedy ended marital law and eventually, the Helsinki Accord officially ended armed conflict in Aceh. Unfortunately, in Sri Lanka, the tsunami ended the ceasefire of the two groups seeking control of the country. Violence in Sri Lanka has steadily escalated and they are essentially at war.
