Three years after the Asian tsunami, which devastated many islands in the Maldives , there remains much to be done.

On 26th December 2007, the third anniversary of the tsunami, Minister Ismail Shafeeu admitted the relief work was slow and promised to hasten up the recovery process.

In early 2008 Maldives Aid visited Thaa atoll Madifushi and Laamu atoll Kalhaidhoo to survey the relief process and met with people who are still living at friends/ relatives houses and in temporary shelters.

These victims of tsunami who are living in dire circumstances have piles of paper work to prove their struggle with the Government of Maldives to recover what they lost in the tsunami. These tsunami victims have written to and petitioned ministries begging to give them answers, only to be diverted to another ministry or another department.  Maldives aid has proof and copies of these letters.

The frustrations of the tsunami victims are reflected on their faces and many are profoundly cynical of receiving adequate help.

Thaa atoll – Madifushi

British Red Cross built 54 houses in this island and people have already moved into these houses. But there are still 546 victims of the tsunami who need to be housed.  According to these victims they still haven’t got any news of when, or indeed if, these houses will be built.

Among these 546 victims, 230 live in the temporary shelters in cramped conditions. The rest live with families and friends.

This woman said that 9 members of her family live in this shelter. According to her she doesn’t know when she will be getting a home.

Another victim who wants to remain anonymous said there was a committee formed in the island who decided which families were to receive new homes from the 54 houses Red Cross built. And according to this person priority was given to families of those  people working in the island office.

A group of people harassed this Maldives Aid representative when leaving the island.  The group shouted at the representative in vulgar language and threatened the speed boat crew that they will burn the speed boat if the crew ever bring the Maldives Aid representative to this island again.  The group accused the Maldives Aid representative of interviewing the wrong people, who were liars.

Laamu atoll- Kalhaidhoo

When Maldives Aid carried out the 2006 and 2007 Tsunami survey, the people left in this island were supposed to get houses in Gan. Most of the victims who lost houses have moved to the temporary shelters in Gan. The whole island was supposed to re-populate to Gan and the island office was informed not to do any recovery work on any damaged houses / electricity or any other infrastructure on the island.

But now they have been promised money to repair their houses in Kalhaidhoo and according to the four families the Maldives Aid representative met, they still haven’t received any news of when they will be getting money or houses.

These four families met by the Maldives Aid representative have lots of paper work to prove their struggle with the government authorities and departments with no concrete answers, only to be redirected to other departments. Their utmost concerns are; they do not know where to go or whom to take these issues, and when they will be able to get homes and settle themselves.

Currently these families are living in cramped conditions with family members. One woman said that she sleeps in one room with her husband, mother and her child.

Another said that he had somewhat repaired his home just so that his 15 member family could at least have a roof over their heads.

According to one woman who is living with her sister and children, after the tsunami when her house was destroyed, she moved to the temporary shelters in Gan. But she moved back to Kalhaidhoo because she needed her job back to earn money and support her family. She said she had written to all the relevant government authorities and traveled to Gan once a week to do so. She still does not know if she will get a new home or not.

Families living in ruined houses with no hope of getting any money to repair

Meemu Atoll- Kolhufushi

More than 800 tsunami victims live in temporary shelters in this island. When Maldives Aid visited this island in December 2005, Red Cross was getting ready to build houses for these victims. But in June 2006, British Red Cross had withdrawn from the reconstruction process due to the failure of local and central government to reach a final decision on the development plan.

Up to now the victims have heard no news of when the constructions of these houses are going to commence.