IMPACT NEWSLETTER
SPRING 2024
may 28, 2024
THE YEAR SO FAR
As we reflect on 2024 so far, we are incredibly thankful for the support of our donors, volunteers and partners — enabling us to respond quickly and effectively to the increasing number of disasters worldwide. Within the last month alone, we have responded to the devastating tornadoes in Nebraska, U.S., and are currently responding to the unprecedented flooding in Brazil. Thanks to our collective efforts, we have achieved significant progress across our various programs, discovering innovative solutions that enhance our impact in the communities we serve. Our work has spanned the globe, from establishing permanent access to clean water in Nepal to renovating safe, welcoming living spaces for displaced families in Ukraine, and tirelessly clearing and repairing hurricane-damaged homes in Florida.
Below are highlights from some of our programs.
DISASTER RELIEF ACROSS THE U.S.
In 2023, over 2.5 million people were displaced in the U.S. due to climate and weather-related disasters. With climate change intensifying, more populations will face vulnerability to these hazards. All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) is dedicated to monitoring and responding to climate-related and non-climate incidents to meet both immediate and long-term community needs post-disaster.
When severe storms triggered over 80 tornadoes in Nebraska and Iowa on April 26, 2024, AHAH was on the ground responding within two days with our dedicated Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART). We quickly developed partnerships with local entities such as Omaha Rapid Response (ORR) to organize and coordinate volunteer efforts. Over 15 days, the AHAH team completed 28 cleanup and debris removal worksites in Elkhorn and Blair, Nebraska, positively impacting 49 people. Your contributions enable our rapid response teams to act immediately and efficiently after disasters strike.
HAWAII WILDFIRE RELIEF
In August 2023, wildfires ravaged towns on Maui, claiming 115 lives, marking the deadliest in a century. Damage estimates reached $5.6 billion. Of the 2,200 structures destroyed, 86% were homes, displacing 4,500 people.
All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) responded by forming local partners to aid over 15,000 people with home essentials, produce cultivation and hot meals weekly. We have collaborated with community members, such as Lahaina local Kaipo Kekona, to provide relief tailored to specific community needs.
In a new initiative to address housing shortages on Maui, we are building 20 multi-purpose units (MPUs) for those displaced by the wildfires. As of May, we have delivered our first two MPUs to families in need. Your generous commitments allow us to assist up to 80 individuals with the construction of the 20 MPUs, each accommodating up to four people, enabling families to stay together in new temporary spaces. We are so grateful to donors, who allow us to sustain these community-driven relief efforts.
Click here to learn more.
UKRAINE CRISIS RELIEF
February 24, 2024 marked two years since the brutal invasion of Ukraine. At the conflict’s outset, we teamed up with Save Ukraine, aiding evacuations and delivering humanitarian supplies. This partnership has since expanded to constructing transitional homes for 176 families. Alongside these efforts, All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) has run volunteer programs supporting internally displaced people (IDPs) in Western Ukraine, providing shelter and community-building activities. AHAH has supported over 112,000 displaced Ukrainians since the first week of this crisis, thanks to partner organizations and donors like you.
In 2024, AHAH will be rehabilitating dormitory rooms at Uzhhorod University in Western Ukraine to house families. Uzhhorod, in Zakarpatska Oblast, faces significant pressure due to the rapid influx of IDPs who are seeking shelter. With over 113,000 registered IDPs residing in the Zakarpatska region, and many more expected amidst the ongoing conflict, AHAH is helping to renovate and provide secure housing for IDPs like Anna, who was forced to seek refuge from violence and destruction with her family.
Our mission is to renovate an initial 15 rooms (and associated common areas) at a cost of $5,000 each. AHAH has already handed back ten rooms with three more nearing completion, hoping to increase the scope of work as we accommodate additional resources and skilled volunteers. We aspire to extend this assistance in the coming months to a total of 40 rooms, substantially impacting the lives of 240 individuals. We have engaged the community in weekly English clubs and art sessions, attracting immense turnouts from both new and returning faces. So far, we’ve held over 150 sessions (and counting!) and will continue to support IDPs with engaging and valuable programs as the need persists.
Click here to learn more.
POLAND REFUGEE SUPPORT
Since March 2023, the AHAH team has been working in Krakow, Poland. We have supported various relief efforts, including exterior and interior repairs for shelters and community centers, for Ukrainian refugees to have a safe place to live and integrate with their local communities. So far, AHAH has positively impacted over 15,000 people’s lives, updated 31 structures, including refugee shelters, community centers and sport spaces for those with disabilities, and supported Ukrainians to learn English by hosting multiple English classes a week.
The current program is running until the end of May, but we hope to continue to support Ukrainian refugees by rehabilitating shelters, community centers or any project that our local partners suggest will be beneficial for the refugee community.
Click here to learn more.
FLORIDA HURRICANE RELIEF
Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 storm, made landfall in September 2022, causing significant damage across the west coast of Florida. It contributed to the displacement of almost one million Floridians as a result of climate and weather-related disasters in 2022. AHAH has been active in the Fort Myers area since October, 2022. So far, AHAH has positively impacted over 1,500 people in and around the Fort Myers area, including 228 homes that have been rehabilitated.
AHAH remains dedicated to supporting the recovery of impacted communities, officially extending our on-the-ground presence in Fort Myers beyond the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Ian at the end of September 2024. In our dedication to recovery efforts aimed at enhancing resilience, we are introducing a new initiative to install hurricane shutters in 20 homes. The shutters safeguard home rebuilds against future hurricanes, which are growing in intensity and frequency. By expanding our efforts with your help, we aim to ensure that communities are equipped to mitigate the increasing threats of climate and weather-related disasters.
Our mission is to stay and support communities affected by Hurricane Ian for as long as the need is still there.
Click here to learn more.
MEXICO EARTHQUAKE RELIEF
In January 2024, AHAH Mexico and the community of Pozo Guerra, in Puebla, celebrated the completion of San Nicolas Buenos Aires primary and secondary school – our 30th school restored in Mexico! The two classroom rebuilds, as well as the implementation of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities, directly impact nearly 200 students, teachers and parents.
This year, AHAH will begin a school rebuild in Puebla, impacting two communities. This was a region affected by two major earthquakes in 2017, damaging over 5,000 schools. The impact of this was further exacerbated by Hurricane Otis in 2023. Projects will include two classroom rebuilds, WASH infrastructure (including four rainwater harvesting systems), a playground and other community initiatives to ensure sustainable practices endure beyond AHAH’s involvement. This effort will positively impact over 280 people, including 272 students.
Click here to learn more.
EDUCATION FOR ALL
At All Hands and Hearts (AHAH), we recognize the importance of prioritizing rebuilding educational facilities in post-disaster contexts to swiftly restore and maintain access to education. Millions of children who have lived through disasters often face extended periods of time with school closures due to damage or destruction. When these communities reopen many students will not have a safe school to return to. Instead, they will be taught in unsafe structures or temporary learning classrooms, that in reality are not ‘temporary’ as they wait years for support.
AHAH school recovery programs aim to provide safe, disaster-resilient learning environments for these students. As of May, we have impacted 353 schools across 16 countries, where more than 121,000 students can now learn in a setting safe from future hazardous events.
PHILIPPINES TYPHOON RELIEF
In late 2023, AHAH impacted its 20th school in the Philippines, focusing on three communities in Northern Tacloban, post-Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda), which caused widespread devastation in 2013. Projects included WASH initiatives: six accessible toilets, 12 handwashing stations and two septic tanks, along with a school rebuild featuring two classrooms using Cement Bamboo Frame Technology (CBFT), a resilient and sustainable system.
This year, AHAH will rebuild a disaster-resilient school in Southern Leyte after Typhoon Rai’s (Odette) destruction of hundreds of schools in 2021. We’ll also construct WASH infrastructure, conduct disaster risk reduction trainings and collaborate with a local organization to train four women as masons. Aiming to impact over 87 students and teachers, AHAH remains committed to community resilience.
Click here to learn more.
NEPAL EARTHQUAKE RELIEF
AHAH entered its eighth consecutive year in Nepal after the 2015 earthquake, supporting the reconstruction of a new school, Shree Bhanubhakta Secondary School. Utilizing earthquake-resilient and environmentally sustainable compressed stabilized earth brick technology, AHAH worked alongside the local community to provide two new school buildings consisting of six classrooms, impacting 250 students and 13 teachers. We have also completed a new bus stop in the community, offering shelter and providing a safe waiting area for students and villagers along the main road.
The team also addressed community water security challenges by installing a new water well and biosand filtration system to provide year-round water security for the school, in collaboration with our local partner Relief Nepal. AHAH hopes to continue our presence in Nepal until there is no further need for our support.
Click here to learn more.
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
Become a Builder! The Builders are a passionate group of givers who support our work financially every month. By becoming a Builder, you bring hope and assistance to disaster-affected communities by ensuring we can arrive “early and stay late.”
Donate today! Help us to continue making an impact in the world, donate now.
Volunteer with us! One of the best ways to support our work is by joining us on program! Volunteer today.
Happy Hearts Czech Gala! Join us for Happy Hearts Czech’s annual Happy Hearts Charity Gala, one of Europe’s most respected fundraising events, on June 21, 2024. Located in beautiful Prague, the gala dinner is renowned for its exclusive program and charity auction to raise contributions for the construction of schools in areas affected by disasters.
- Unable to attend the Gala? You can still participate in the online auction! Happy Hearts Czech’s campaign ‘Inspire the Change’ features art pieces generously donated by talented Czech artists, inspired by childhood.
- Visit this page from May 27 to July 8, 2024 to purchase selected pieces, supporting education in disaster-affected areas and donating to our school programs in Nepal, Mexico and the Philippines.
Get in touch! For more information about how to get involved, please contact [email protected]
