On December 11, Deputy Chief of Mission Kristen Bauer welcomed more than 120 activists, media, development specialists, and tsunami survivors to @america to launch “Build Back Better,” a month-long USAID exhibit that pays tribute to the hundreds of thousands of lives lost to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Incorporating photos, video, media headlines, and personal narratives, the exhibit tells the story of how survivors, relief workers, and officials–with assistance from the U.S. Government–helped rebuild devastated communities. Survivors and relief workers also joined a high level former official for a talk show that retold their stories of collaboration in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami on December 26, 2004. Several media outlets, including some of Indonesia’s largest TV networks, interviewed Ms. Bauer as well as tsunami survivors as part of their event coverage.
