In pictures: South Asia's slow recovery from the tsunami

The earthquake that preceded the tsunami levelled 119 schools in the islands and killed 64 teachers. In order to get children back to classes as quickly as possible, Unicef helped re-establish schooling in the shelters, providing hundreds of tents, desks, chairs, teaching kits, pens and stationery.

An important point of contact between children and the community, schools are vital for interventions in health, nutrition and sanitation.