Tsunami two years on – a great deal achieved but more to be done says Oxfam

Two years on from the tsunami, international development agency Oxfam is helping 1.2 million people affected by the disaster.

Oxfam has spent NZ$325m [£116m], 95 per cent of the NZ$342m [£122m], it has received to date, on its tsunami recovery and reconstruction work. Over a third of the money has been spent helping people earn a living again; a fifth on public health, water and sanitation; and almost 16 percent on housing.

Almost 40 per cent of the money has been spent in Indonesia, the country hit hardest by the tsunami. A third was spent in Sri Lanka and over a fifth (22 percent) in India. The rest of the money was spent in Somalia, the Maldives, Burma and Thailand.

Barry Coates, Oxfam New Zealand's Executive Director said: "Great strides have been made over the last two years – lives were saved, hundreds of thousands of tsunami survivors now have access to safe water and sanitation and can once again earn a living. But there is still much work to be done and no one can be satisfied until all those affected are back on their feet, earning a living and living in decent homes."

One of the major challenges to rebuilding homes in Indonesia has been re-establishing land ownership and rights, while in Sri Lanka the escalating conflict has severely hampered the reconstruction efforts in the north and east of the country.

More than 230,000 people were killed by the tsunami, nearly two million people were forced from their homes, and millions saw their livelihoods wiped out. Ends

Note to editors: Oxfam New Zealand contributed over NZ$3million to the Oxfam International Charitable Fund, with NZ$1,945,640 of that coming from public donations. Currently Oxfam is helping 1.2 million people. Total beneficiary numbers are 1.8 million over two years. This is only a rough indicator of Oxfam's impact. During the initial emergency phase, it was not possible to be certain that there had not been any double counting. In addition, a beneficiary might receive something as small as a bucket of relief items, or as large as a permanent home.

Oxfam expects to receive a further £29m from donors, bringing the final total to £151m for its four-year programme in the tsunami zone.

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