The building of a school in Sri Lanka 

On Sunday 26 December 2004 the world witnessed the most powerful earthquake in over 40 years. Measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, it triggered a massive tsunami, which swept through Southern Asia, wreaking havoc on communities and infrastructures in the region.

With the death toll across the region well over 234,227, it is estimated that 1.5 million children have been affected by the disaster with many of the survivors having lost their homes and livelihood and thousands of children orphaned.

One of the countries affected by the tsunami is the Republic of Sri Lanka, with Hamantota on its south-east coast, was one of the worst affected area, with over 4,000 people dead and 30,000 made homeless.