Within hours of the giant waves smashing into communities on the rim of the Indian Ocean, the world began loosening its purse strings to help the victims. The outpouring of generosity was unprecedented - so much so that aid agencies, rarely flush with funds, could take the previously unheard of step of making plans to rebuild societies better than before the disaster.
A year on and the relief operation is over, recovery well under way and reconstruction efforts are beginning in earnest. But from the tent cities and barracks that still house hundreds of thousands of people, there is scant sign of the billions of dollars donated to improve lives.
Many people in the worst-affected countries are understandably frustrated. From a windowless barracks in the battered Indonesian province of Aceh or a tent in eastern Sri Lanka, unemployed and with few possessions other than the clothes they wear, victims face a future less rosy than what aid workers predicted. Yet despite appearances, most assessments are broadly enthusiastic about the success of the aid effort.
Be patient, is the advice from the United Nations, World Bank, Oxfam and other groups involved in rehabilitating the tsunami-hit countries. More has been done than meets the eye and there is more than enough money to go around, they say.
As proof, they point to the schools and hospitals that have been rebuilt, the kilometres of sewage and water pipes freshly laid, roads being reformed and surfaced, hundreds of new fishing boats tied up to jetties and countless other developments that are not so apparent to people who have lost family members and seen villages and agricultural land washed away.
Their words are backed by a succession of reports issued by aid organisations and think-tanks to mark the first anniversary of the tsunami. All are riddled with impressive numbers, pointing to a majority of successes and scant disappointments.
