As another school year comes to an end, children, teachers, and parents around the world are celebrating the close of another chapter of learning. But for many communities affected by disaster, getting back to school is not always simple. At All Hands & Hearts, rebuilding safe spaces for education is at the heart of the mission, helping children return to classrooms after their lives have been disrupted by natural disasters and recovery efforts.
Here are five snapshots of the great work happening from places where we continue to work side by side with communities to bring children to safety and ensure that at the start of the next school year, many more can return to the classrooms!
1. In the Philippines, the team is working non-stop on the rebuild of Salvacion School.
This is what the school looked like at the start of the year:
We have no time to lose, but with great care, we poured these solid foundations to build a strong bamboo cement structure, so it’s a safe place for the community also to shelter in times of need.
In the meantime, children and the wider community are taking Disaster Risk Reduction trainings to know what to do in the case of an emergency. With an average of 20 tropical cyclones hitting the Philippines hard every year that leave devastating trails of destruction over and over again, preparedness is key!
We’ve finalized the work on the Children’s Safeguarding Centre iIn our free time, we spend a lot of time with the children. We just had a storytelling and art session, we imagined what their dream playground would be looking like, and made beautiful drawings. This school is their school, so all ideas become inspiration when we’re getting to the final stages and working on the playground and landscaping. n Tagpuro, Philippines.
2. We’ve finalized the work on the Children’s Safeguarding Centre in Tagpuro, Philippines.
The paint has barely dried, but the students of our local partner organization, Streetlight, have already made it their own: a basketball tournament, a bonfire, and even an overnight stay.
Work continues on the drinking water station, with a few finishing touches, including faucet and pipe installation, final tiling, water connections, maintenance doors, and mural painting.
3. We continue with the groundbreaking in Iyao School in the Philippines, working on the rebuild over the next few months.
We’re aiming for an October finish, just before rainy season truly kicks in.
4. In Nepal, the Jhunga School is ready to welcome more than 220 students and staff (and future generations of course!) into a safer space to learn, grow, and thrive!
From laying blocks and pouring slabs to installing the roof, plumbing, and electrical systems, every stage of this project was shaped by dedicated hands. Classrooms were completed, walls plastered and painted, trusses set in place, and the playground and murals brought to life.
5. In Mexico, innovative Rainwater Harvesting Systems were successfully implemented to give two schools access to safe water.
Due to recurring water shortages from seasonal drought, infrastructure limitations, and increasing climate variability, schools in Puebla, Mexico, depend on unreliable and costly water truck deliveries, creating barriers for school attendance such as unsafe water illness and unsanitary conditions.
We installed an innovative and disaster-resilient Rainwater Harvesting System with filtration and chlorination components at the Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Primary School and Amado Nervo High School, transforming seasonal rainfall into a reliable water source and giving 233 students and 19 staff members access to clean water.
Make a Difference
We’re just at the beginning of this response, and the need is still growing. Your support allows us to continue showing up by working alongside communities, supporting local efforts, and doing everything we can in the coming weeks to help families recover.
Thank you for your support.
