REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has praised the progress of development in Aceh province since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

"The efforts of the people of Aceh to rebuild their homes with the help of the international community have reaped large results," Chief of the UNICEF Office in Indonesia Gunilla Olsson said in a press statement on Thursday.

According to her, the concept of "reconstruction for the better" has given children in Aceh a chance to grow healthy and develop their potentials.

Since a tsunami wave hit Aceh province in 2004, the UNICEF has been providing humanitarian assistance to the area with financial help worth 336 million USD from donors. The operation in Aceh has been the largest ever conducted by the UNICEF so far.

"Apart from focusing on strengthening education and health care systems, we have adopted a new approach to child protection and disaster preparedness," Olsson remarked.

She noted a lot could be learned from the reconstruction process in Aceh. Indonesia is now known as the leading country that promotes disaster preparedness efforts in the Southeast Asian region.

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