IOM has handed over the last units of 902 permanent homes built for
Acehnese tsunami-survivors with funding from Latter-day Saint
Charities (LDSC), the humanitarian division of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The 44 square metre, earthquake-resistant, two-bedroom houses,
were constructed using an environmentally friendly, pre-fabricated
concrete building system, which uses just 1.2 cubic meters of
timber per house.

In April 2006, IOM signed a USD 9.8 million agreement with LDSC
to build some 900 permanent homes and three community centres for
survivors of the December 2004 tsunami in 25 villages throughout
Aceh.

The final 137 homes and one community centre were completed in
Lhok Timon village, near Calang on Aceh's west coast last
month.

Calang, a thriving centre and home to some 9,000 people before
the tsunami, was devastated by the disaster, which destroyed the
town and killed nearly two thirds of the population. 

By the end of this year, IOM's post-tsunami reconstruction
programme in Aceh will have built 1,233 transitional shelters,
3,040 permanent houses, 247 schools and 132 community buildings for
the survivors. 

For further information, please contact:

Jeff McMurdo

Banda Aceh

Tel. +628111907028

E-mail: "mailto:jmcmurdo@iom.int">jmcmurdo@iom.int

or

Jihan Labetubun

Jakarta

E-mail: "mailto:jlabetubun@iom.int">jlabetubun@iom.int