Oxfam GB :: Emergencies - Tsunami Crisis

The scale of emergency relief and reconstruction following the tsunami was unprecedented. Three-quarters of the way through our response, we are proud of what we have achieved.

Hundreds of thousands of tsunami survivors now have safe water and sanitation facilities
Thousands of new homes have been built
Thousands of people, once again, have a way of making a living

Find out about Oxfam's response

Tough challenges remaining

However, the tsunami caused a hugely complex humanitarian crisis and, three years on, many tough challenges remain.

Tens of thousands of survivors in Sri Lanka are being denied help because of renewed conflict
In all the affected countries poor and marginalised people are at risk of falling through the gaps in the response

Oxfam has targeted the most vulnerable people for assistance to ensure that tsunami aid does not create tensions or exacerbate relative poverty.

Oxfam's response

The generosity of the public has enabled us to help an estimated 2.3 million people affected by the tsunami. Oxfam’s tsunami response will last four years in total.

In pictures: Oxfam’s long-term recovery effort

Our immediate priority was to save lives.

We distributed essential relief items and shelter materials
We set up clean water and sanitation services
We promoted good health and hygiene practices

In the longer term, we are working to help communities break out of the poverty that caused them to be so vulnerable to the effects of the tsunami in the first place.

We want the tsunami recovery to leave a positive legacy and for people to be left in a better state than they were in before the tsunami.

On film: Oxfam's work with saltpan workers in southern India

Evaluation and learning

We are committed to monitoring our work.

To ensure that it is achieving agreed aims, and adapting to changing needs
To allow us, as an agency, to learn from difficulties and achievements, and so improve

Oxfam has learned two principal lessons from the tsunami: we need to work harder with communities on disaster risk reduction; and we need to step up our work with partners and local government to be prepared for disaster response.

Lessons learnt from the tsunami response will be vital as the world faces more frequent and bigger disasters as a result of climate change.

In depth

Oxfam International Tsunami Fund Third Year Report (1.17MB pdf) – full details of spending on the tsunami response, and monitoring and evaluation work.