18 Jan 2009 - Kuraburi, Thailand

December 26th marked the five-year anniversary of the tsunami, the catastrophic event that brought the Andaman Discoveries global family together on this mission of compassion. The degree to which the villagers of the North Andaman have recovered since that life-altering event is amazing. A recent example was Children's Day in Ban Talae Nok.

On December 27th Andaman Discoveries had an afternoon filled with innocent laughter and fun with the villagers. Adults gathered to watch as children played games, sang songs, participated in an eco-quiz, and received gifts courtesy of Andaman Discoveries.

Despite 47 fatalities -- eight of whom were children -- and the physical loss of half their village to the wave, the people of Ban Talae Nok have worked diligently
to create a better future for their children. Today, the village is an award-winning model of sustainable development with a highly engaged youth group and a successful responsible tourism program.

The inspiration Andaman Discoveries draw from such encouraging stories drives their passion to continue this challenging work, which was recently recognised in the form of being chosen as Best Green Tour Operator for 2009 by The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and as a finalist in the fifth annual BBC World Challenge awards.

For more details visit http://www.andamandiscoveries.com