As humanitarian workers, we strive to 'build back better' after a disaster - we seek to improve the situation rather than simply restoring the status quo - and ensure that the most vulnerable people don't slip through the cracks. These goals are often our motivation to hold ourselves and our activities accountable.

On a recent visit to an American Red Cross supported project in eastern Sri Lanka, the significance of these principles resonated strongly with the American Red Cross monitoring team. In a Batticaloa shoe factory, we met Damayanthidevi, a 31 year-old woman born with physical abnormalities. As is often the case for those who are different - no matter what part of the world - Damayanthidevi had spent her life feeling isolated and marginalized by her community. She did not have friends and seldom left the home she shared with her mother.

Before the Indian Ocean Tsunami, Damayanthidevi did not work. Her mother made traditional rice flour noodles and cultivated local crops, while her aunt provided financial and general day-to-day support to the family. When the tsunami hit, their agriculture plots were irreparably damaged, and more devastatingly, Damayanthidevi's aunt was killed in the wave. In addition to the emotional toll, Damayanthidevi and her mother endured significant financial insecurity after the event.

This was the same woman seated in front of us smiling as she weaved pieces of fabric together to be used for the tops of sandals, carefully and closely observed by nine hard-working young women.

Financial need after the tsunami had eventually forced Damayanthidevi to find work to support her family. She heard about a new shoe factory that Mercy Corps started in collaboration with an existing shoe company through financial support from the American Red Cross. Damayanthidevi fit the applicant criteria, which included having need, and was hired. She showed so such skill and passion in her weaving that, after one year, she was promoted to be a trainer for new employees. The young women's respect for her is obvious and Damayanthidevi exudes a sense of pride and self-worth that she said she has never known.

The Batticaloa shoe factory is part of an economic recovery project supported by the American Red Cross. It is one of many livelihoods and shelter projects that the American Red Cross has supported along with partners to increase programming in sectors and geographical areas where American Red Cross doesn't have the capacity or the ability to work directly.

The American Red Cross has teams in Sri Lanka and Indonesia dedicated to supporting and monitoring these partner projects. We get to see the impact of building back better first hand. On this particular occasion we were also able to witness how a woman who had suffered from a lifetime of exclusion and marginalization can be transformed into a woman who is respected by her community for her skills and dedication. Not only does Damayanthidevi now have a long-term livelihood, but she has made friends and developed a social network through the factory.