AHAH Monthly Program Update - Mexico (November 2021) - English

MEXICO EARTHQUAKE RECOVERY UPDATE NOVEMBER 2021

TOTALPROGRAM IMPACT TOIMPACT DATE TOTAL Current Activities

75

STUDENTS IMPACTED

38

VOLUNTEERS

806 1

VOLUNTEER DAYS SCHOOL IN PROGRESS

Spotlight - Dia de los Muertos This month the team celebrated Dia de los Muertos. Day of the dead is one of the most important traditions in Mexico and the team was incredibly grateful to be invited into the community celebrations for this important tradition.

Progress on Guillermo Prieto primary school is moving fast. The volunteers have been busy completing the groundwork block laying and work has begun backfilling and placing the rebar for the grade beam pour, which will mark the completion of the foundations for the new school building. During the excavations of the septic tank, absorption well, drainage and cistern, the team have found large rocks that are proving difficult to remove. Our construction team are looking into a number of different options to overcome this challenge.

Work on the retrofit of the largest existing school building is moving along well despite challenges with the flooring. On breaking up the existing concrete slab, the team discovered the soil underneath would also have to be removed and replaced. The team has successfully broken up the slab, replaced the soil and added a vapour barrier in the three classrooms of Building 2. The first two concrete pours were a huge success and there is only one more classroom to go before all slabs are poured.

This was especially poignant as it was the first opportunity to connect with the local community so closely since we re-opened our programs in Mexico.

Learning from local traditions, an altar was built at the base and staff, volunteers and community members were invited to place photos of their ancestors and provide offerings of their favorite foods. The final day of the festival was celebrated as a a gathering in the graveyard with the local community.

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Photos: (top) Rocks discovered when excavating on site proving a challenge for the construction team., (middle) Creating the first altar to celebrate Día de los Muertos.

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 quake 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 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 our construction work on the schools, 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 be continuing 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) Volunteers celebrating Dia de Muertos; Volunteer repouring the slab; Rebar and forms of the grade beam in process for the pour

Our Partners

We have earned a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator for the seventh year in a row.

This year only seven percent of rated nonprofits received this distinction for financial and operational efficiency.

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