Today we remember all the lives that were lost seven years ago…and Aid Still Required is proud to stand beside survivors as they move forward in their lives.

In Aceh, we are working with local NGO partner Yayasan Lamjabat to develop self-sufficency and ecological awareness through reforestation, small business training for women, and clean water. In YL’s work with village farmers, the tree planting not only provide fruit and spices for nourishment and sale, it also improves water tables, stops soil erosion, and assists in halting climate change.

ASR also supports local women’s empowerment through handicrafts and small business training. Women who have otherwise limited options under Sharia law, learn how to make recycled handicrafts. The subsequent business training allows them to contribute economically to their families, creating confidence and raising their stature in the community.

Clean water is a major concern for the area as well. This winter ASR was able to provide a village with a bio-sand water filter, thereby greatly improving the health of the community.

Sri Lanka’s southwestern coast was devastated in the 2004 tsunami. In these remote areas, there is little electricity and little government assistance. The village of Peraliya was among those villages hardest hit, with a trainwreck killing more than 1500.

ASR friend Alison Thompson founded The Community Early Warning Tsunami Centre, empowering the community to take on its own disaster preparedness education. Not only does the center provide the only early warning system in the entire region, it also provides after school enrichment programs.

Your purchase of the Aid Still Required All-Star CD  gives a hand up to these communities. Thank you!