The Order Around the World: 10 Years After the Tsunami Disaster in Southern Asia

On December 26, 2004 South East Asia was struck by an earthquake, magnitude scale nine. The worst earthquake in recent history, it killed more than 230,000 people in 13 countries – 168,000 in Indonesia alone – and left 1.5 million homeless. Exactly 10 years have passed since that terrible tragedy whose dramatic images are imprinted on our memory.

In the aftermath of the disaster the international relief agency of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Malteser International, acted swiftly. Once the initial emergency was dealt with – medical and psychological assistance and practical help in distributing essential goods and food – Malteser International initiated a number of programs for sustainable reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Thanks to generous donations, fundraising campaigns, and the international network of the Order of Malta, Malteser International has been able to invest over 30 million euros to provide help for almost a million people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and South India.

In these 10 years, over a hundred projects have been implemented in the fields of medical and psycho-social support, disaster preparedness and the rehabilitation of infrastructure.

The gallery of images below reveals more about the range of the Order of Malta’s actions in the countries affected by the tsunami.