NEARLY two decades have passed since a devastating tsunami struck Sri Lanka – but a survivor is continuing her mission to help communities rebuild.

The natural disaster hit on Boxing Day 2004, killing more than 40,000 people and displacing hundreds of thousands from their homes.

Clare Allen, 58, who lives in Alderbury, founded her charity, Rebuilding Sri Lanka, after she saw first-hand the impact the tsunami had on the island.

Clare, who then worked as a photographer, was on holiday with her husband and 11-year-old daughter when the tsunami took place. Her charity has since raised more than £2 million to help rehabilitate the country and provide support, education and shelter.

The charity has since raised more than £2 million (Image: Rebuilding Sri Lanka)“I'd gone to have a massage on the beach, and my daughter had gone with my husband to have a walk,” said Clare, remembering events unfold.

“Within about 10 minutes, there was pandemonium; people screaming and telling us to run. So I ran to where I'd last seen my daughter, and I couldn't find her. 

“At that point, I could see that water was coming in and wouldn't stop. Eventually, we were reunited. That was probably the longest 10 minutes of my life.”

Clare stayed in the country for weeks afterwards to help source food and medicine.

Rebuilding Sri Lanka was registered with the Charity Commission in 2005 and quickly became a respected organisation  (Image: Rebuilding Sri Lanka) “It was devastating,” she said.

“There was not an initial response that was in any way effective. Pharmacies and hospitals had run out of medicine – even basics like paracetamol.

“It was chaos. There was nowhere to bury the dead, so they were piling up bodies and burning them.”

Read more: Farmer completes epic 75km cycle across Kenya for Farm Africa charity 

When the charity was founded, the immediate focus was on sanitation, shelter and food, but Sri Lanka has continued to face economic hardship.

As time passed, its work evolved and became more about tackling poverty and scarcity – especially inland – and improving access to education.

Clare visits Sri Lanka around five times a year (Image: Rebuilding Sri Lanka) Rebuilding Sri Lanka now has a team of 12 people who help it manage a main centre, six libraries, several schools and a hospital, despite some facilities closing during Covid.

More than 97 per cent of the money the charity raises is spent on the ground.

“The suffering is probably as great now as it was 20 years ago because there's scarcity of everything,” said Clare.

“The single worst thing to do to a human being is to abandon them. To make sure those survivors feel like they've never been abandoned is my raison d'être.

“I'm eternally grateful to the people who donated, and particularly those who have continued to support us since 2004. There's still so much that needs to be done.”

The tsunami is the worst natural disaster in Sri Lanka's history (Image: Clare Allen) She visits Sri Lanka around five times a year and will return this Christmas to mark the 20th anniversary of the disaster with her colleagues.

Clare said: “I'm nowhere without my team. Their devotion is unparalleled; they really are exceptional people.

“I just want to thank them. So, we're going to go to the beach, offer some floral tributes, say prayers and make our peace with the sea, as I do annually, and have a breakfast together.

“It happened at 9.45am, so we'll mark that moment and hope for an auspicious 20 years to come.”

For more information or to donate, visit www.rebuildingsrilanka.org.uk