Children of tsunami

This DVD tells the stories of five girls and three boys, aged 8 to 16, who live in the coastal areas of India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Each was affected by the Asian Tsunami of December 2004, losing loved ones, their home or their belongings. Their stories of survival, courage and resilience give an insight into the long and arduous journey back to normalcy for millions of Asians affected by one of the worst natural disasters of all time. Along the way, we also probe what happened to the massive volume of donations the world pledged to help the survivors.

This was a ‘tsunami.’ A Japanese word, ‘Tsunami’ means ‘harbour wave.’ It refers to a wave in an ocean or lake that is created by an underwater event.

Much of the tsunami’s devastation was on the coasts of South Asia and South East Asia – with India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand suffering the most damage. Many coastal villages and towns in these countries were completely destroyed or badly damaged. Among the other affected countries were Malaysia, Maldives and Myanmar in Asia, and Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania in Africa.

Being responsible for over 300,000 deaths and millions of displacements, the 2004 Tsunami was one of the worst known natural disasters of all time. It tore through whole seaside communities and often devastated them irreparably. Despite help from all over the world, many of those affected are still trying to rebuild their shattered lives.