ACDC was established in response to the December 2004 tsunami as the Auroville Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation Project (ATRRP).

For nearly two years, we carried out relief and rehabilitation activities with projects focusing on the communities that were directly affected by the tsunami. Over time, however, we have also begun to target other populations in the surrounding area. In this way, our programme has gradually widened from tsunami relief and rehabilitation activities to overall development work.

In October 2006, almost two years after the tsunami hit, ATRRP officially concluded all relief and rehabilitation work and started a process of organisational change, which included the change of name to Auroville Coastal Development Centre, ACDC.