Success Stories from Our Members in the field

Turning On the Water Again in Tsunami-Affected Regions, Christian Children's Fund

Among the greatest needs following the December 2004 tsunami is access to clean water and sanitation. CCF has restored these critical necessities of daily life to thousands of Indonesian, Sri Lankan, and Indian families.

Among the beneficiaries is 14-year-old Hashini of Sri Lanka, whose parents lost their home and fish-exporting business in the devastating tsunami. Like many others, Hashini's family had to seek temporary shelter on their land as they rebuilt their home. They did not have access to convenient water or sanitation facilities so Hashini had use a toilet shared by many other households. “It was not safe for children to go there at night,” said Hashini’s father. Now, CCF has laid water pipes to connect families in the community to a municipal water source, installed water taps in their homes, and is helping them build their own sanitation facilities.

Many other communities have benefited from CCF-Sri Lanka’s water and sanitation program, funded in large part by a $1.5 million USAID grant. It has restored bathroom and water facilities to schools and Child-Centered Spaces, and has employed locals to clear debris from coastal areas, clean out rice paddies, and undertake other environmental projects.

Education is a key part of the program.  CCF provides training to communities, schools, and camps for the displaced on the importance of hand washing, cleaning toilets, using safe water to avoid water-borne diseases, proper garbage collection and disposal, and other sanitary practices. Every month, CCF’s health and hygiene team delivers thousands of packages of soap and hand towels to families living in the camps. Additionally, every two weeks, CCF broadcast key health and hygiene messages on a radio program broadcast from a Child-Centered Space.

Health and hygiene initiatives, the restoration of water and sanitation systems, and environmental cleanup are vital programs in India and Indonesia as well. In India, CCF’s “cash for work” programs that have resulted in the repair and expansion of 41 community water tanks, the repair of six community wells and three water channel segments, the rehabilitation of 38 village and agricultural water ponds, and the construction of 88 temporary sewage units and solid waste pits. Widespread debris cleanup is also underway, including the removal of sand that the tsunami dumped on a 20-mile stretch of farmland in the state of Tamil Nadu. CCF-India has also provided families with 10,000 26-gallon storage tanks and 4,500 132-gallon storage tanks, distributed 3.3 million water purification tablets, and constructed five community restrooms along with community wash and bath areas.

In Indonesia, CCF has supplied 30 water storage tanks to five temporary living camps.  Other efforts include the distribution of hygiene kits, 3,000 drinking water containers, and 3,000 wash bins. Additionally, CCF-sponsored youth groups mobilized over 400 youth in Banda Aceh/Aceh Besar to spend a day cleaning up the environment.