School and Posyandu Construction Programme in Naggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) and Nias

Aceh suffered through a 30-year armed conflict between the Government of Indonesia and the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM). On 26 December 2004, a massive earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra generated a series of tsunamis. Banda Aceh, Meulaboh and Calang were amongst the hardest-hit areas. Estimates point to some 200,000 deaths and unimaginable destruction. Half a million people were made homeless in an hour.

Within 48 hours, the UNICEF Executive Director, Carol Bellamy, arrived in Indonesia and spearheaded a broad definition of her Organisation's response to the disaster. Staff arriving in Banda Aceh was requested to come up with the main lines of an emergency and rehabilitation programme. Precious little information was available to them.

The Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Indonesia determined that some 1,500 primary schools1 had been destroyed or seriously damaged by years of conflict and natural disasters. A Rapid Learning Space Assessment initiated by UNICEF in February 2005 in cooperation with the Ministry confirmed this figure.