As a result of the tsunami, a lot of people lost their documents proving which land they owned.
The regional government office storing all the other copies had been destroyed too, so it became very hard to know who owned what. Some land was lost to the sea completely.
The strength of the waves altered the shape of the coastline and other areas were inundated with water, so many people had to be relocated to new areas assigned to them by the government.
To try to tackle some of these issues, we have been working with our partner, the Legal Aid Foundation, who provided legal aid to people who had lost their land deeds in the tsunami.
When local people came to them with a problem, staff at the foundation explained which laws applied to the situation, helped them put together the paperwork, gather evidence and represented them in court.
Now, five years on, the same organisation is continuing to help local people by providing free legal aid on a wide variety of cases.
So, after five years Aceh has been rebuilt and our work there is gradually winding down. The progress made has been amazing and the Acehnese people have been an inspiration.
Their determination, drive, hope and hard work has fuelled our efforts in helping them. I think it proves that anything is possible if you work together.
CAFOD responds to emergencies all over the world, wherever the need is greatest.
Posted by HeidiT
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