AHAH Monthly Program Update - Mexico (February 2022) - English

MEXICO EARTHQUAKE RELIEF UPDATE FEBRUARY 2022

TOTAL IMPACT

Current Activities

LAUR VOLUNTEERSA/DEL 2,467 LIVES IMPACTED TA2,467 21,285 VOLUNTEERS 1,343

VOLUNTEER DAYS

715 VOLUNTEER DAYS

2,437

STUDENTS BACK TO JOBS COMPLETED SCHOOL

13,674

SCHOOLmucking IN PROGRESS Photos: (Top) Volunteers and gutting a home; (Left) Tree SCHOOLS REBUILT removal

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Despite challenges with rising COVID-19 cases in Mexico, progress is moving forward on Guillermo Prieto School. Our top priority is the health, safety and well-being of people living in the communities we serve, as well as volunteers, staff and partners. As the pandemic continues to impact life in Mexico, and the rest of the globe, we continue to implement new and existing operational standards to keep operations safe.

This month the team took on the mammoth task of pouring the concrete roof for the newly constructed buildings. It’s an exciting stage of the project as the building takes its final form. Meanwhile, the team has made great progress on the WaSH infrastructure; the trench for the drainage system is near completion and the cistern is taking form with the top slab to be poured in the coming weeks.

Volunteer Spotlight There are many important parts to play in rebuilding a school. Each volunteer brings their own unique skills and experiences to build a safer and more sustainable future, together.

As the classrooms and library of Guillermo Prieto School take shape, one volunteer has taken charge of an important element of the rebuild: furniture.

Utilizing his previous carpentry skills, Ian has been working hard in Albarradas to create desks for the library, furniture for the classrooms and is now creating a shade structure for the playground. Ian is a dedicated individual, committed to doing his part to make a lasting impact where it is most needed. Passionate about addressing the climate crisis, Ian sees improving education to be key in combating climate change. All Hands and Hearts, he says, “provides a space where I can contribute my skills to this goal.”

“It is a really special thing that AHAH has going on here in Albarradas.

Every child deserves to feel safe in their learning space, and hopefully these new classrooms will provide that for some.”

- Ian, Volunteer in Mexico

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Photos: (Top): Ian, volunteer in Mexico, with the shade structure he constructed; (Left) Ian showing his skilled carpentry work of the desks he built in the library

Disaster Profile In September 2017, one of the most lethal earthquakes in Mexican history hit close to the southern state of Chiapas, with a devastating magnitude of 8.2. Just 12 days later and a few hundred miles away, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake rocked central Mexico, toppling buildings, breaking gas mains, knocking out electricity and sparking fires across the city and other towns in central Mexico.

Our Work Our efforts in Mexico began in 2007 after the Tabasco floods. When the 2017 earthquakes shook southern Mexico, we intensified support through the application of our unique volunteer model in the impacted areas. Volunteers began work in March 2018 in El Jicarero, Morelos, to reconstruct and retrofit two primary schools. Since then, we’ve run three volunteer programs in Oaxaca and have rebuilt another six schools, including playgrounds, libraries and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) facilities.

In addition to school reconstruction, our teams collaborate with local partners to identify Renewal Projects with an aim to build community resilience. To date, we’ve implemented three community Disaster Risk Reduction training programs, reactivated a community waste management system and piloted an agricultural education program.

We’re delighted to continue our work in Mexico on Escuela Primaria Guillermo Prieto, which will mark our 21st school rebuild in Mexico.

About All Hands and Hearts We effectively and efficiently address the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters. We communicate directly with local leaders and community members and then deploy our unique model of engaging volunteers to enable direct impact, helping to build safer, more resilient schools, homes and infrastructure.

Photos: (Top to bottom) Cistern structure; New school building complete with a roof!; Grates for the drainage.

Our Partners

We have earned a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator for the eighth year in a row. This year only six percent of rated nonprofits received this distinction for financial and operational efficiency.

info@allhandsandhearts.org