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For millions of people across Asia, the recent 10-year anniversary of the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami was a time to remember loved ones and reflect on that terrifying day, which claimed 230,000 lives and affected millions of others. Over the past decade, ChildFund has assisted thousands of children and families in Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka to get back on their feet. Here are some of their stories…

“I cannot recall anything that happened on that day or what the tsunami was like,” says 14-year-old Anita (pictured above), who was only 4 at the time. “But from what I have heard, I visualise a dark, huge wave that came rushing toward our village and devastated hundreds of families, including mine. I am told that my parents were killed in that disaster and I was left to be cared for by my aunt. I have only photographs of my parents. I miss them the most when people talk about them and about the tsunami.”

Rizla, 19, from Sri Lanka now lives with her aunt after losing her parents and brothers in the tsunami. A decade on, she feels hopeful about the future. “I`d like to be an accountant one day,” she says. “When I pass a bank and I look inside, I think that`s where I want to be.”

“It was early Sunday morning when the earthquake woke us up. The earth was swinging hard, right to left, up and down. We had experienced earthquakes before, but we had never seen buildings collapsing. My mum was crying. My friend, Mardan, who had stayed over with us that night, was saying, “This is the end of the world!” Everyone was panicked and hysterical. Then, the tremors stopped€¦

Suddenly, many people were running toward the airport while screaming, ˜Banda Aceh is drowning!` From afar, we saw dark water. We couldn`t even see the sky anymore.”“ Teuku, Indonesia

A. Mahesh, 31, from India pictured with her nine-year-old daughter Joyse says: “I was very pregnant and eager to welcome the new family member. But the tsunami water washed away our happiness. The strong current of the water swept me along and slammed me with some hard object. It was painful, but I managed to cling to a building wall and survived.

Three months passed by, but there was no sign of any labour. Doctors advised me to go for an emergency C-section. I obliged, and my daughter Joyse was born. The joy of her birth, however, was cut short when we learned she was suffering from cerebral palsy, which left her dependent on others and suffering for her whole life. Watching her suffer kills us every day.”

“They had to saw off the trees on top of me to take me out. We lost our house. My nails still fall off. They haven`t grown back fully since the water came,” says 61-year-old Girtie from Sri Lanka. “I am self-employed now, ” I cook meals and supply them to shops.”

“It was like the entire stretch of sea came rushing towards us. We all ran for safety, holding each other`s hands, and found ourselves on a building that had been pushed up by the water. Suddenly, we realised that our youngest son was missing. We searched all over, crossing through heaps of dead bodies, uprooted trees, broken boat parts and debris. Thoughts of his being no more had started killing us from inside.

Five days passed, but we never stopped our search. And finally my wife found our son in a rescue centre in another village. We were relieved. But other parents were not so lucky, their grief of missing their loved ones still continues.”  K. Rathnavel, 41, India

“I still remember the power of the water. You couldn`t hold yourself in one place. It was taking you where it wanted. I managed to cling to a concrete house. When the water receded, my mother and brother returned home from another building while my father returned after searching for us. But we could not find our younger sister, who had been playing outside with her friends.” Divya, 21, India

“At the campus mosque, I saw a little boy in front of me, about seven or eight years old, who was bleeding from a bad cut. He was crying, but I didn`t ask him anything. I was so confused about what was happening and overwhelmed by seeing so many dead people. I am thinking now maybe I was too selfish at that time for only thinking about myself. Even now, I still have his face in my mind.” Ayunita, Indonesia

Learn more about ChildFund`s regional Tsunami emergency response, here.

At the far end of a long desert stretch sparsely covered with stunted trees, thorny shrubs and grass, a group of young children is engrossed in a traditional song and dance game inside a tiny room that resembles a typical primary school classroom.

It is one of the daily activities for the tiny tots at the early childhood development (ECD) centre in a small village in Jaipur District in western India.

The ECD centre, run by ChildFund India`s local partner in the area, caters to around 30 children belonging to a nomadic community, locally known as Bhopa tribe, for whom education has never been a priority. Like other nomadic communities in the region, they have also traditionally resisted the notion of sending children to school.

“It was quite a difficult task earlier to persuade the community to send their children to the ECD centre,” says Raju Devi who has looked after the centre since 1996. “The first two years were really difficult for us. But gradually with continuous effort we managed to convince the women folk of the community that education is important for their children.

“It was mainly because they were not only illiterate and but also their way of life involved repeated shifting of habitat in search of livelihoods. They used to carry their children while migrating to other places. Also, they feared that their kids would be kidnapped if they allow them to go to school,” she adds.

According to Om Prakash, ChildFund India`s local project manager, begging was the only livelihood option for the community when ChildFund started working in the area.

“With the help of ChildFund, we initiated an alternative livelihood program for them to prevent their migration, which was the major stumbling block for their children`s education. Our program intervention helped the community to stop migrating from one place to another and take up alternative livelihood options such as vegetable vending, bangle selling, and scrap collection and selling. It has not only helped the families to stay together in the village, but also receive the benefits of our program. Soon, they started to take advantage of our advice and send their children to our ECD centre,” he says.

Raju Devi adds: “Today, the community is more aware about the importance of early childhood care and the men are also participating in our programs.”

Because of their nomadic lifestyle, these families didn’t know about the child and mother healthcare facilities provided by the government. However, with continuous counselling by project staff, they are now making full use of these public healthcare services, as well as actively participating in ChildFund`s ECD programs.

This has resulted in a drastic reduction in health issues affecting children, pregnant women and new mothers. All of the children in this community are now fully immunised; there is hardly anyone who is malnourished. Mothers follow best childcare and parenting practices, and follow hygienic ways of preparing food, as well as maintain cleanliness to prevent childhood illness. Men also now participate in child care, a major behavioural shift in the community.

Mother of four Supiar Bhopa, 38, says: “Since this [ChildFund] project started in our village, we have been trained on various aspects of child and mother care and now we are following best practices.

“Earlier, our children were facing serious health problems. Many of them were malnourished. They had stunted growth. But now all the children are relatively healthy. All the younger kids are going to the ECD centre, while the elder children are going to school. We are very happy and this is all because of ChildFund!”

This village is just one of 20 gypsy villages with a population of about 25,000 people who are currently being supported by ChildFund India.

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