Three years on from the December 26 Indian Ocean tsunami, the International Red Cross said Wednesday that 1.2 billion euros (1.7 billion dollars) of aid will have helped almost four million people come the year-end.
According to its tsunami three-year progress report, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has spent two thirds of monies raised to support communities devastated by the giant wave which killed 220,000 in the Bay of Bengal.
"Right across the region, we're seeing real progress," said Jerry Talbot, IFRC special representative for tsunami recovery. "Thousands of houses are being built, along with schools, hospitals and clinics. "We have said (all along) that recovery and rehabilitation would take at least five years. That is still the case. A lot of work has been done, but there is still much more to do."
Around 80 percent of aid has gone to three of the most severely affected countries, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, with more than 21,000 new homes built and another 18,000 currently under construction. The IFRC is committed to building 51,000 houses.
Some 26,000 families needing help to reconstruct lost livelihoods have received materials such as fishing boats or nets, with a further 32,000 receiving cash grants. More than half a million people have seen their water source improved alongside waste management and community health programmes. The IFRC expects to complete all major reconstruction by the end of 2009.
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