Despite its exceptional nature, the December 26 2004 tsunami was but an unhappy episode in a long history of human tragedies linked to the tremors of earth. This catastrophe, its devastating effects, triggered a rare surge of solidarity and humanitarian operations. While this response also featured certain errors of coordination and inappropriately focused aid, it was globally a remarkable reconstruction effort in a region long closed for “political reasons”.
The inhabitants of Aceh can perhaps find solace in the possibility of a new chance for the "tsunami generation". Indeed, the natural disaster’s scale summoned the Indonesian Government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to the negotiations table. After 30 years of conflict the two parties finally signed a peace treaty on August 15 2005 in Helsinki. If these efforts continue, within a few years the populations of Aceh may benefit from far better living standards than those of before the tsunami.
The vast amount of victims of the 2004 tsunami is of course related the region’s geographical situation, particularly that of Aceh Province (Banda Aceh lies astride two tectonic plates: the Burma and the India plates); in addition, the local population is made up of fishing communities who live on a narrow, littoral fringe pressed up against steep, forest-covered mountains.
After the medical and food emergency phase – that finally only lasted a short period and was fairly well handled - a long reconstruction phase began: houses, infrastructures, medical and social services, economic revival...
The first aim was to return to the pre-tsunami situation but many actors also provided expertise to improve the standards of living, for instance by including anti-seismic criteria in the newly built houses.
Triangle GH, operating in Aceh since February 2005, contributed to reviving fishing activities (boat building, revival of fishing coops, micro-finance, etc.) and, through its psycho-social programme, worked on "reconstructing" the communities affected by the tsunami.
Triangle GH will stay in the region till 2008, broadening its field of action and consolidating achievements, particularly by transferring TGH programmes to local organisations (micro finance, community actions, etc).
