Housing

The NGOs working to assist victims in the provision of

housing include World Vision and TAF, working with

Hands on Thailand, building homes, water systems, and

permanent shelters, filling gaps where government

support has been inadequate or inappropriate.  While

the construction of permanent housing was underway,

the issue of improving conditions in temporary shelters

was addressed to ensure that the living environment

of communities in these temporary shelters was habitable.

Environment

The IUCN is a key organization supporting environ 

mental rehabilitation and recovery in the disaster

affected areas. Working with UNEP, one of their key

interventions has been evaluating tsunami related

economic damage to natural resources in Thailand to

enable  greening  of reconstruction. The goal is to in 

fluence decision makers and planners by providing

convincing arguments (especially economic ones) on

the importance of the environment in post tsunami

reconstruction, and of the importance of factoring

ecosystems into coastal zone development and rebuilding.

IUCN is also working with the AFD, WWF for Nature

and the DNP on the rehabilitation of national parks

and sustainable tourism initiatives. Supporting ecosystem

based livelihoods reconstruction, rehabilitating coastal

ecosystems after the tsunami, and restoration of mangroves

are some of the other areas where IUCN is providing

expertise and inputs.

SREN

Legal Aid

TRA

L P

The Asia Foundation is working through the Women

AN

Lawyers Association of Thailand (WLAT),  providing legal

IO

aid and rights protection for victims in Ranong,

TA

Phang Nga, and Phuket, primarily to those who have

NRE

not received appropriate and reasonable compensation

T

and services, and to help them obtain legal assistance.

 INF ON

The challenge of sustainability and continuity is one

IO

that NGO operations are now facing.  Many of the relief

TU

organizations that worked with affected communities

IBR

in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami have departed,

TN

leaving half accomplished work for the organizations

O C

left on the ground.  Some NGOs have tried to integrate

EH

the tsunami related projects into their long term pro 

 T

grammes more fully, thus providing continued support

 3TR

for the victims in their recovery efforts.

PA

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