American Red Cross Tsunami Recovery Program
Introduction to the Tsunami Recovery Program Strategic Plan
Indonesian girl carrying a medicated mosquito net to help prevent malaria. (Photo Credit: Bonnie Gillespie/American Red Cross) |
The tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004, was a tragedy of unparalleled scale. In the immediate
aftermath, the American Red Cross – together with more than 40 Red Cross and Red Crescent
national societies, humanitarian agencies and governments – responded to the emergency.
With attention now focused on long-term recovery efforts, the American Red Cross has an
unprecedented responsibility to meet critical humanitarian needs and continue its work as a
leading provider of international relief, recovery and development services.
This Strategic Plan builds upon the past and current operations of the American Red Cross in defining the goals, objectives, and indicators to guide the Tsunami Recovery Program through June 2010.
The Tsunami Recovery Program focuses on the following six service delivery areas: (1) water and sanitation; (2) psychosocial support; (3) health; (4) shelter; (5) livelihoods; and (6) disaster preparedness. Through extensive consultation with local communities and other important stakeholders, these program areas have been identified to meet the most critical humanitarian needs of tsunami survivors.
Through this Strategic Plan, the American Red Cross commits to a respectful and collaborative process of tsunami recovery, which builds on existing community capacities and is focused on the sustainable well-being of tsunami-affected people.
Core Program Areas
Villagers in Calang, Indonesia learning how to make and use environmentally-sound compost.
(Credit: Holti Simanjuntak/American Red Cross) |
Water and Sanitation – Programs increase the availability of clean water by providing improved access to wells, piped water and community water systems. Community-based water committees are established to manage access and ensure maintenance of water systems, while water quality is monitored though regular testing against World Health Organization standards.
Psychosocial Support – Programs build capacity to deliver psychosocial support services at multiple levels helping survivors overcome emotional trauma and building community resilience. In schools and communities, teachers and other community members are trained to offer both psychological first aid and self-care services. At the national level, stakeholders are enlisted to mainstream psychosocial support programs as an essential service for people affected by trauma.
Health – Programs support positive health and nutrition practices of children, mothers and families. Activities include providing nutritional supplementation for underweight children, as well as training community health volunteers to teach and reinforce good nutrition. Activities also include mass vaccination campaigns against measles and polio, along with the distribution of vitamin A, de-worming medicine and bed nets for malaria prevention.
Shelter – Programs will provide ongoing support for temporary shelters while also rehabilitating and constructing new houses in tsunami-affected countries. Additionally, shelter efforts will be enhanced through complementary community development activities.
Livelihoods – American Red Cross programs include opportunities to receive cash for work through community clean up as well as programs that provide people with increased access to capital and productive resources, such as tools and equipment. A significant focus is also placed on business development services.
Disaster Preparedness – These programs focus on community-based measures to improve capacity for handling disasters – both preparedness for and response to disasters. Programs include establishing community-based committees to develop disaster preparedness plans, training local volunteers in first aid, forming local disaster response teams, and conducting trial exercises to test response effectiveness. Additional efforts focus on building an operational structure and training volunteers to provide family tracing services during conflicts, natural disasters and times of peace.
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