On Sunday, December 26, 2004 a magnitude 9.0 earthquake occurred off the north-west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. It unleashed a devastating tsunami that traveled thousands of kilometers across the Indian Ocean, taking with it more than 230,000 lives and millions of homes and livelihoods.

Hardest hit were Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, however as the waves continued, they reached Burma, Malaysia, Maldives, Seychelles, and the eastern coastlines of Madagascar and Somalia. From day one, Oxfam has been on the ground in India and Sri Lanka, working with long-established partners to help recover bodies, to provide urgently needed food, water and sanitation and to give voice to the hundreds of thousands of displaced people.

In addition to supporting the ongoing work of the Oxfam Internatiional Charitable Fund for Tsunami reconstruction in restoring people's livelihoods, their homes, and local infrastructure, Oxfam Canada has taken on a specific role in funding initiatives to increase women's voice and choice in Sri Lanka.

Our aims are to:  

• Increase the capacity of Community Service Organizations and government to provide and link a range of effective services (health, counseling, economic support, shelter, legal advice, etc.) for those affected by gender-based violence.
• Enhance commitment to address gender-based violence by policy makers, legislators, and others in the legal/judicial systems.
• Increase attention to gender equality concerns in the peace-building, rehabilitation and reconstruction processes in the country.