Four young women from the East Wall area of Dublin were caught up in the Tsunami while on holiday on Phi Phi island, Thailand. One of these women was Edel Currie, an employee of Dublin Port Company.

When Edel Arrived back to work the company approached Edel to see if she needed anything, as she had lost a lot of her personal belongings in the disaster.

Edel appreciated the company’s offer of help but asked if the company could do something to help the survivors of the Tsunami living out there, as they needed the help more than she.

The Dublin Port company was advised that Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia was the worst hit, as it was at the epicentre of the Earthquake and the Tsunami and suffered most casualties. The area was also a port district.

Contact was made with the local NGO group to discuss the needs of the local community. The local group asked if it would be possible to build an Elementary School, as this would be a focal point for people to move back into the devastated area.

A proposal was put to the Chairman and the Board of Dublin Port to allocate funding to the school project and this was unanimously agreed.

Community groups in the Dublin Port area got to hear about the school project and donated monies they had raised for the Tsunami relief to the school project.

All the secondary schools from the area took part in the sponsored Dragon Boat Racing on the river to raise funds for the appeal. As did 1,300 primary school children who fund-raised by paying one euro for boat trips on the river.

Fundraisers were aided by volunteers from the port company.

When the school project is complete it is planned to twin the port community of Dublin with the port community of Banda Aceh.