Salvation Army Plans Long Haul Post-Tsunami Programmes

On Tuesday, the death toll of the Asian tsunami soared past 175,000, and the international community and aid agencies have been continuing to assess the changing needs of survivors. Despite the warning issued by the United Nations against possible terror attacks targeted at humanitarian groups, aid workers have been relentless in delivering timely relief to the victims.

There are still 8 days to go until the one month anniversary of the disaster which took place on 26 December 2004 - Boxing Day.

One of the major aid agencies Salvation Army reported that the relief effort is now shifting to another stage - Rehabilitation and Reconstruction - now that the aftermath of the disaster has basically been cleared.

In comparison to the emergency support that meets the immediate needs of survivors, such as the provision of shelter, food, water, cooking equipment and medicine, the upcoming relief programme on rehabilitation and reconstruction is expected very much to be a long haul.

According to the Salvation Army, priority will be given to enabling survivors of the tragedy to return to as normal a life as possible as soon as possible in the reconstruction and rehabilitation phase.

The Salvation Army will build or sponsor the building of new homes. They will also help people regain their livelihoods, for example through the provision of new fishing boats and nets.

"Water, sanitation and electrical power needs will be addressed. Special assistance will be given to children orphaned in the disaster, and other children will be helped to return to school and to normal family life," promised the Salvation Army in the press release on Tuesday.

The Salvation Army, whose headquarters are in London, UK once described the tsunami relief campaign as one of the most extensive rescue and relief programmes in its 135-year history. With its endless contribution to emergency cases, the Salvation Army is frequently being among the first relief agencies to arrive at the scene of a disaster and among the last to leave.

Therefore, even though there have been reports of possible risks of terrorist attacks on humanitarian groups, the Salvation Army intends to maintain a permanent presence in the worst hit countries, such as Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka. They will stay there with additional support provided by its International Headquarters emergency and development teams for as long as is necessary.

The Salvation Army has celebrated the sponsorship of the government in some specific reconstruction projects. Also, several other relief agencies in receipt of funding have asked for Salvation Army involvement in their projects. The Salvation Army’s post-tsunami programmes may therefore extend for years rather than weeks or months.

Some other UK-based aid agencies, such as Christian Aid, Church Mission Society (CMS) and CAFOD, have also committed themselves to long-term re-development.

The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Christopher Herbert said, "But now it is the long-term haul that is important. I know that the churches of our country will want, through CAFOD, Christian Aid and Tearfund, as well as through their own links, and that we will all want - as far as is humanly possible - to be in there for the long haul."

"We shall want to keep up pressure about debt-relief and fair trade," he added, referring to the goals of the 'Make Poverty History' campaign which was launched in the UK and has proved inspirational to many churches.