Although 6 months on there is still evidence of damage from the tsunami along some coastlines, reconstruction is well underway in most parts. As well as shipping much needed supplies to the affected areas in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami, we raised £28,637 and this money has had a significant impact on the communities we visit. Within a month of the tsunami, most tour itineraries were running as normal with very minor adjustments, allowing these communities to benefit from tourism again. Among the families Explore chose to support, there are also those who are not able to benefit from tourism directly, and helping them rebuild their lives has been equally important.

The villages of Naka and Kampuan in Ranong Province are situated to the north of Phuket, away from the main tourist areas and rely mainly on fishing to make a living. When the tsunami struck, over 160 fishermen lost their lives and there was hardly a family who had not lost at least one member.

It was the wish of the local fishermen's group to construct a community centre to serve not only as a meeting place but also as a training centre which be at the heart of the rehabilitation process. Explore has funded this project and, despite heavy rains hampering work, construction is well underway.

Project cost: £4,260

Project managed by YMCA Bangkok

In the village of Tharangambadi, Nagapattinam District (south of Mahabalipuram), the villagers were waiting for the fishing boats to return with their catch when the wave hit the beach. 251 people died on the beach alone and their homes and fishing fleets decimated. Some families were fortunate not to suffer any loss of life; but most lost everything they owned, and with no means of support their situation was desperate.

Working through Hope Worldwide, we have funded the construction of 4 fishing boats for 4 families, enabling them to get back on their feet and feed and support their families. You can read about their stories here. We are now supplying another boat and more nets to enable local families to rebuild their livelihoods.

Project cost: £8,477

Project managed by Hope Worldwide http://www.hopeworldwide.org/

Sri Lanka was one of the countries hardest hit by the tsunami and hundreds of thousands were rendered homeless. In the immediate aftermath of the tsunami Explore donated funds to build 60 shelters for homeless. Temporary but robust, these shelters have been invaluable in enabling people get back on their feet and provide a step on the way from homelessness to a normal life. Once they have served their purpose they can be dismantled, moved and re-used for another family.

Looking to the long term, our first plan was to supply fishing boats to the villagers to enable them to get back to work. However, thanks to close contacts on the ground, we were advised that there had been a rush of support to supply boats and this was less of a priority. More pressing was the problem of the allocation of land to enable permanent houses to be built. To this day thousands of people are still living in tents and the policy that no houses should be built within 200m of the sea means that land must be redistributed and this is not a straightforward process.

Our local agent is an active member of the local Rotary Club who have been granted land in Atdunkele village, in the Habaraduwa area close to Galle, and we are delighted to be able to fund the construction of 3 houses in the village. The laying of the foundation stones for the first 4 houses was carried out on 11 June; the foundation work of eight houses has been completed and the construction team is now building the walls of the first 4 houses, despite the onset of the monsoon rains. We hope to keep up to date with the progress and report back on the families who will benefit from our support.

Shelters project cost: £6,200
Managed by Garagamaya Temple
http://www.gangaramaya.com/

Home building project project cost: £8,700
Managed by Rotary Club of Colombo West
http://www.rotarycolombowest.org/

We are in regular contact with the project organisers and people on the ground and will, of course, keep you updated with developments and progress.

THANKS TO ALL OUR CUSTOMERS, STAFF, SUPPLIERS, FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS WHO HAVE ENABLED US TO MAKE SUCH A DIFFERENCE!