SILVER SPRING, Md.--More than four years after the 2004 Asian tsunami shattered the lives of millions of residents across the Indian Ocean, much remains to be done to help Indian communities recover, said the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).

In India, where nearly 10,000 coastline residents perished during the powerful December 26, 2004 tsunami, ADRA has been implementing a Post Tsunami Health, Education and Livelihood Promotion Project (HELP) since May of 2006. ADRA is helping tsunami survivors in 15 villages in the southeastern district of Cuddalore, in Tamil Nadu state, rebuild their lives through livelihood development and restoration initiatives, improving health and education for thousands.

ADRA International and private donors are financing this three-year project valued at $1.36 million. By its completion at the end of April 2009, ADRA will have helped more than 15,000 people.

Through the utilization of successful agricultural techniques, such as Systemic Rice Intensification (SRI), vermicomposting, crop diversification, as well as the implementation of local seed banks into the communities, ADRA has improved the crop productivity of nearly 800 local farms. ADRA has also improved the irrigation of farmland in the coastal villages of Kayalpattu and Silambimangalam through the installation of seven bore wells, an initiative that has benefited more than 90 farmers.

ADRA also trained villagers in small business management, providing financial assistance for nearly 1,000 men and women who started income-generating activities. Livestock was provided for another 115 beneficiaries, boosting livelihood initiatives. Project participants attend technical training modules in business administration, marketing, production, and planning, methods that are helping them to improve the way that they do business, ultimately increasing their overall income.

"The livelihood support provided to beneficiaries has not only served to increase the incomes of the families that we are working with, but has also largely reduced the social issues in the local community," said Nivedita Deka, programs officer for ADRA India.

To effectively manage the community banks that are used to fund the small business projects, ADRA India formed 60 self-help groups for village women and 15 groups for local farmers, also helping them to open bank accounts in the nationalized Bank of India.

As part of its commitment to the health and welfare of the local children, ADRA has provided clean water for 12 schools, and five Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) buildings in the region. ADRA has also restored nine schools and seven ICDS buildings, establishing supplementary educational centers in 13 villages, benefiting a total of 650 students.

ADRA also built 12 Community-Based Disaster Mitigation Centers (CBDMCs) in 12 villages, and formed nine disaster relief task force teams in 15 villages.

Through the use of street drama, ADRA has provided HIV/AIDS awareness education to 7,500 people in 15 villages. ADRA has also initiated blood testing and iron tablets distribution to treat anemia, and educated 1,200 teens on health topics, such as nutrition, water and sanitation, anemia, HIV/AIDS prevention, life skills and reproductive health, and more. An additional 2,500 women and adolescents have also benefited from ADRA medical camps, which have been set-up to help treat sexually transmitted and reproductive tract infections.

"The HELP project has played a major role in helping the targeted villages through the rehabilitation process," added Deka.

ADRA's primary goal for this project is to educate the beneficiaries and initiate project activities. Villages are currently transitioning into the first stages of development, and are presently undergoing reconstruction.

ADRA is a non-governmental organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race, or ethnicity.

For more information about ADRA, visit www.adra.org.

Author: Nadia McGill