Sri Lanka – Tsunami

Disaster Description

An earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 struck the Indian Ocean, triggering a tsunami. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed all across Southeast Asia, and millions were rendered homeless.
Casualties: 36,603
Injuries: 20,000
IDPs: 516,000

Why We Deployed

Communities in the south of Sri Lanka, which are populated by members of the political opposition, and in the east of Sri Lanka, which is home to the Tamil TIgers, were deliberately blocked from receiving aid.
Number of People Deployed: 17
Length of Stay: 3 weeks

Impact

• Medical field clinic: 3,400 people helped
• Feeding centers: 117,000 served
• 3 trauma personnel treated 2,500 children

Our Partners

The mission was a partnership between our organization, the kibbutzim movement in Israel, and Magen David Adom.

Recognition

Our team met with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa, who honored us for our activities. Years later, our organization facilitated a historic meeting between the president of Israel, Shimon Peres, and Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was now the president of Sri Lanka.