Well-being and resilience after the tsunami. Evaluation of Terre des hommes Psychosocial Programme in Sri Lanka 2005 – 2007. Final report

An evaluation of the Terre des hommes Foundation two year post-tsunami psychosocial project in Sri Lanka carried out by the Centre for Humanitarian Psychology between 2005 and 2006, in the wake of the natural disaster that hit Sri Lanka in the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, crashing on a population that had suffered through 20 years of civil war. The research has a a psychosocial orientation focusing on the resources of the survivors and is based on play activities that help children draw on their resources to cope with the aftermath of a disaster. This evidence-based study shows how Terre des hommes’ recreation centres helped the children in a very positive way, mainly through applying the best practices recognised by the international community as basis for any psychosocial programme: community empowerment, capacity building and respect of the local culture.