Rebuilding Lives draws primarily from People’s Reports on violence against women; disaster risk reduction; land rights and adequate housing; and fisheries-based livelihoods in the response to the Indian Ocean Tsunami, prepared by alliances of around 350 organisations in the above countries. The reports and studies document the post-disaster experience of poor and excluded people and highlight the persistent structural discrimination they face, even after disasters.
Rebuilding Lives describes some of ActionAid’s experiences in operationalising a rights-based approach in the disaster response. The endeavour was to go beyond the provision of support to meet basic needs and to respond in ways which could simultaneously facilitate the empowerment of women and excluded social groups, enabling them to claim their rights.