When the Asian tsunami swept across the Indian Ocean it also washed away the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people in the region. Indonesia's Aceh province was by far the worst hit.  With thousands of boats destroyed, and two thirds of the local fishermen killed, the fishing industry in Aceh was completely devastated.

One of Family Care's projects in Aceh has been the constructing and donating of fishing boats to replace those lost by what is left of the fishing community. 

We have donated 12 medium sized fishing vessels which are now being used in five different villages around Banda Aceh. We donated them fully equipped with nets, fiber boxes to store the fish caught, inboard motors and a complete set of lights and other fishing gear needed.

Most of the boats we built were sponsored by other fishing communities in the States and Europe who kindly offered their sponsorship and contributions after hearing about the tsunami and our efforts to help rebuild the livelihoods of those affected by this tragedy.

(Read the story of Mr. Nasrun, a recipient of a new boat.)

(See more photos of our boat construction project)

Our Aceh boat project was selected by the Indonesian government’s official Reconstruction Agency for Aceh as one of the twelve projects they’re highlighting as an example of foreign aid being channeled quickly and efficiently into the disaster area. They are documenting the flow of aid as it came into the region, and how it was put into the hands of local administrators and craftsman and ended up reaching local fishermen with tangible, needed material assistance that significantly improved the lives of the survivors of the tsunami. With so many stories of corruption and inefficiency being quite normal here, it’s been heartening to us that our efforts there have been recognized by the national government.