At  the end of 2004, a great  natural disaster struck many countries of South East  Asia  and shocked  the whole of humanity. The Tsunami, an unknown, to most of us, natural phenomenon, became a tragic reality for the inhabitants of those region. Thousands  dead, injured, homeless, orphaned children and economic poverty  came to add to the many problems that those impoverished  countries were already facing.

The Greek Caravan of Solidarity could not remain  indifferent. They appealed to Greek citizens through announcements in the Press  and informed  old and new donors alike for the collection of funds. A bank account with the   National Bank was  immediately  opened toward  that aim. In collaboration with local  bodies for the formulation of a list of orphaned children, the Caravan then made the data available  to Greek donors.

The new programme of the  Greek Caravan of Solidarity began  in   2006 and was directed at  orphaned children in Sri Lanka.  Delegates from the Caravan had already visited the area and given help  to 183 orphaned children amounting to approximately   60,000 dollars. This had come  from a fundraiser carried out by the Federation of Tax Employees, the workers of Syriza  and individual contributions from friends  of the Caravan.

The help given by the Caravan to families in Sri Lanka proven to be invaluable when considering  the living  standards of the country. As an  indication,  the amount of  300  dollars, which was given to every child,  is sufficient to maintain a  family for 6-9 months.