Two years on from the Asian tsunami that devastated towns and villages and killed more than 300,000 people, with thousands more still unaccounted for,
Rolls-Royce and its employees continue to make a significant contribution to the long-term recovery efforts in Indonesia, Thailand and India.

When an earthquake measuring nine on the Richter Scale triggered a series of tsunamis in the Indian Ocean on 26 December, 2004, it left a trail of devastation. More than 1.6 million people are still without homes.

Helping shattered communities come to life again has been one of the key activities for Rolls-Royce and its employees The worst-hit areas needed not just immediate assistance, but the hope of rebuilding their shattered economies and infrastructures to provide a sustainable future.

Rolls-Royce gave £250,000 (US$444,000) immediately, to provide emergency relief through international aid agencies to the worst affected areas, saving lives by getting vital medical attention and supplies to those who desperately needed help.

Employees from around the globe also donated more than £250,000 (US$444,000) to various organisations and sent details to the company.

The next step was for the company to match employee donations by providing a further £250,000 (US$444,000).
Two years later, the company and its employees are still contributing.

For every completed survey in the All Employee Engagement survey currently under way, the company is donating £2 ($4) towards the Rolls-Royce Disaster Relief Fund.

In November 2006, the Derby Apprentice Association presented Dr Mike Gray, Regional Director, Indonesia, with a cheque for £5,000 towards the work in the Aceh province.

Indonesia
In the villages of Calang and Lambada Lhok, Rolls-Royce played an integral role in rebuilding the communities, through the construction of two Primary Health Care Clinics.

The Calang clinic was funded largely by HSBC and opened in June 2005 with Dr Mike Gray leading the team that built the clinic in nine weeks in one of the most difficult locations in Aceh.

The second clinic, at Lambada Lhok, which opened in December 2005, was funded fully by Rolls-Royce and its employees, including the apprentices.

The US$320,000 clinic about 10 km to the northeast of the region's capital, Banda Aceh, took just four months to complete. It can treat up to 100 patients a day.

Read more about efforts in Indonesia »

India
In India's Tamil Nadu region, the worst-affected area of the mainland, Rolls-Royce is working with the Confederation of Indian Industry to help rebuild a school in the village of Pallayar.

Progress was being hampered by heavy rains, which flooded the site on many occasions. However, the builders are now working on the first floor. Rolls-Royce has increased its funding for the school by another £18,000 (US$36,000), bringing the total to £56,000 (US$112,000)
The village, in which 90 per cent of the buildings were destroyed, is near to Rolls-Royce power installations of Saheli, Vaghai, Kaveri and M M Steel.

In the Nicobar and Andaman Islands, Rolls-Royce provided £10,000 (US$18,000) to enable power to be restored to outlying areas and to buy two motor boats and a jeep for the state-owned Port Blair Electricity Company that helped its efforts to restore power.

Read more about efforts in India »

Thailand
In Thailand, the Rolls-Royce contribution of £25,000 (US$50,000) was used to set up a Small Grants Programme in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This became part of a Community Livelihood Restoration Fund to restore the fishing communities in Phang Nga Bay.

More than 4,500 boats were destroyed or damaged along the Andaman coast, affecting 30,000 families who had been dependent on fishing.

Funds enabled villagers to replace their fishing boats and equipment and to restore their homes. Dan Pedley, Regional Director, Thailand, said: "These funds helped bring back community spirit and also helped strengthen their management abilitiy, as training workshops on book-keeping and accounting were organised. Villagers were also shown how to develop ways of earning money to complement fishing."

The UNDP scheme also encouraged people to safeguard their coastal resources, through planning mangrove forest.

Read more about efforts in Thailand »