At All Hands and Hearts (AHAH), we pride ourselves on our commitment to immediate relief and long-term recovery. In the face of disaster, we aim to act quickly, deploying our teams to arrive before the dust has settled and provide urgent assistance to those affected. But our work doesn’t stop there. We remain on the ground long after media attention has shifted elsewhere, dedicated to working closely with local residents to understand their unique needs and challenges. By working closely with communities, our goal is to bring hope for brighter futures, ensuring they have the support necessary to recover and thrive.

We are dedicated to reacting quickly in the crucial moments post-disaster.

Within two days of 80 devastating tornadoes hitting Nebraska, our team was there, cleaning debris. We immediately made local partnerships to fill the gaps where we were most needed, coordinating nearly 1,000 local volunteers for effective recovery efforts. Internationally, in Nepal, we mobilized a team in Jajarkot with Relief Nepal to restore education to over 450 students in just over two months, following the country’s worst earthquake since 2015.

By arriving early, we have the ability to connect with local partners and directly address the community’s most pressing needs.

Remaining on location as long as possible allows us to respond to critical and emerging needs from the community.

Following Hurricane Ian, we supported affected communities in Fort Myers for almost two years. Our muck and gut efforts transitioned into hurricane repairs for vulnerable households, where we incorporated hurricane resilience measures to help rebuild a more resourceful and stronger community.

Our long-term presence in Florida also allowed us to deploy immediately when a tornado hit Crystal River and severe flooding struck Broward County.

At AHAH, we remain determined to stay on the ground at each of our programs for as long as necessary.

The decision of where and how to support after a disaster starts with the affected community. Our role is to help facilitate response and recovery efforts, acting as a partner and a helping hand to community-led initiatives.

We communicate with our host state or national emergency management agencies and deploy when assistance is requested. Upon arrival, we live within affected areas, where we can listen to concerns and needs of our neighbors. We join existing local recovery efforts and forge relationships with grassroots groups, creating partnerships where we can.

Our goal is to bring hope back to disaster-impacted communities by rebuilding stronger than ever before.

After the wildfires on Maui, we were asked to help coordinate 1,500 non-AHAH volunteers for Hawaii Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters before being asked to join on the ground. Since then, we have partnered exclusively with grassroots organizations, joining our volunteer force to reinforce the capacity of local initiatives.

This approach diversified our scope of work throughout our presence in Hawaii – from supporting food and supply distribution through Napili Noho, a local relief hub in Lahaina, to collaborating with Hui Homes, a Hawaiian NGO, in building Multi-Purpose Units for displaced survivors, to removing debris from households not covered by the USACE’s collection efforts.

For over two years, AHAH operated in Poland to support the unique needs of Ukrainian refugees after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. We first operated from a base in Jarosław then Kraków, where our efforts focused on renovating shelters for refugees. As the conflict persisted, we improved integration centers, distribution centers and warehouses, adapting our efforts as time passed. Beyond building projects, our team organized donations, food bank assistance, integration events and English Clubs to aid refugees, prioritizing psychosocial support and community safeguarding to integrate new refugee communities. We were able to impact over 75,000 Ukrainian refugees in 27 months.

Access to education may become a lower priority after a disaster due to resource constraints amplified by destruction. Students may be especially vulnerable in the absence of safe educational spaces, leading to years-long learning gaps.

Educational access is essential to recovery, helping to break cycles of poverty and promote safety and economic opportunity.

Typically occurring in rural, marginalized or ecologically at-risk communities, we focus on reconstructing schools in an environmentally conscious and durable way. The improved infrastructure and our holistic approach buoys hope and opens doors to better futures.

We strive to understand community needs and identify local resources for sustainable school reconstruction, partnering with organizations that help us implement these solutions effectively.

In the Philippines, we’ve utilized Cement Bamboo Frame Technology (CBFT), a typhoon-resilient construction method with 60% lower carbon footprint than traditional methods. We introduced Compressed Stabilized Earth Bricks (CSEB) at schools in Nepal, reducing CO2 emissions while maintaining disaster resilience and enhancing climate control. Both countries face dry season challenges, prompting us to build water wells and rainwater harvesting systems with bio sand filtration systems, as we work towards consistently available water for the communities.

Our community trainings ensure the longevity of our programs long after we’ve left.

We provide construction and maintenance training for each of our school rebuilds, while Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) training promotes safe hygiene and water and waste management practices to improve daily health. Our Female Mason Training Program supports local women in the Philippines and Nepal by providing them with months of training in sustainable construction methods. We provide training sessions customized to communities we work with on soil sustainability to manage the risk of flooding, for example, or planting vetiver grass – a local endemic species in the Philippines that helps prevent erosion and landslides during disasters.

“The need for strong, hazard-resilient classrooms has been fulfilled by the generosity of AHAH. Now it’s upon the community and local government to maintain a good, child-centered learning atmosphere. The infrastructure is top-notch to bring the kids into school; now the top academic results of the students will encourage more parents to send their kids to school. This will bring more investment from the community and local government to preserve the infrastructure for the long run. The infrastructure is no less than the silver lining of the dark clouds to harbinger good things to follow.”

Teacher at Bhanubhakta Secondary School, Nepal

It is the people behind our programs that drive our success.

We are continuously awed by the selflessness of individuals from around the world who come together to restore hope when it seems hard to find. These people leave their daily lives behind and dedicate their time and skills to others, forming bonds that transcend borders and cultures. The connections made during these experiences create unique and lasting impacts that flow in both directions, to volunteers and disaster survivors alike. This characteristic sets AHAH apart from other disaster agencies.

Carlos Ortiz, a retired firefighter from Hartford, Connecticut, decided to never work for income again. Instead, he devotes his time and energy to improving the world as a volunteer.

Over the past year, Carlos has joined our Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DART) in Puerto Rico, Florida, Oklahoma, San Diego, Tennessee, Nebraska, Vermont and Mississippi. He values the opportunity to join recovery efforts immediately after disaster strikes, helping to establish a space where the “purple shirts” are recognized for their dedication.

Carlos returns as a DART responder because of the strong relationships that are forged with community residents and local leaders, and the fulfillment he finds setting the groundwork for longer response programs.

Anna, a Ukrainian refugee, was introduced to AHAH in Poland when she attended English club sessions at Kocham, a community center renovated through our Ukraine Crisis Relief program.

We held over 100 English club sessions for refugees like Anna, who through improved English language skills, found hope in the supportive community and job opportunities.

For Anna, the experience was especially rewarding, boosting her confidence in English and easing her adjustment to a new country and city. She is grateful for the diverse group of volunteers who sat across the table from her week after week, offering their friendship and skills to support her community.